<P> Lynette and Renee start a new business in interior design, after a little persuasion from Renee . Renee suggests hiring Susan as Lynette's nanny . Lynette is reluctant, but eventually agrees . Lynette ends up comforting Susan when she feels bad about not being as financially stable as her friends . Mike has taken the job in Alaska, and Susan accepts Lynette's offer to be baby Paige's nanny, even though she originally thought she was being hired to work in Lynette and Renee's new business . She overhears a new client of Lynette and Renee's, and suggests that she ask her daughter for her favorite characters to paint on her wall . The woman likes Susan's idea . Renee gets mad at Susan, while Lynette wonders why her friend is acting strange . Susan eventually reveals that she feels the nanny job is beneath her, and is shamed to be the poor person in her group of friends . Lynette comforts her, saying that money can't change the way she looks in their eyes . Lynette is shown to be insecure in their marriage when Tom complains that she never "talks him up" to her friends . She admits to him that this is because she believes he is so perfect, that she doesn't deserve to be with him . He tells her that she is the type of person who still cries when their last child grows out of their onesies, even after raising four other children . Lynette learns that Renee and Tom had a one - night stand 20 years ago which happened right after Tom and Lynette became engaged and she was visiting her parents (they were on a break). She doesn't take it well, and is of course upset but keeps it quiet and instead begins a series of pranks against Tom as payback . When Renee finds out what Lynette is doing, she tells Tom about it . Tom confronts Lynette and informs her that he wanted to tell her about Renee, but there was never a good time for it because he did not want to ruin the wonderful life they have together . Lynette then forgives Tom . </P> <P> Tom gets a new job that provides well and Renee encourages Lynette to spend money more freely but also warns her that Tom will be spending more time away . Lynette tries to seduce Tom on an airplane but he insists that he enjoys his work too much . When Tom attends a conference, Lynette is upset that she is unable to attend any of the events because she's just a wife, relegated to spa time and other events with other wives . She tries to encourage them to fight for their equality but they're all happy with being out of the business side of things . Lynette steals one woman's ID to attend a talk only to discover she has the identity of the keynote speaker . Back home, Renee watches as Tom and Lynette argue, Tom snapping that after so many years supporting Lynette, it hurts that she won't do the same for him . Lynette complains to Renee but she fires back that Lynette has to choose whether to be a good wife or not . Tom hires the duo to decorate his office in the style of an arrogant boss but Lynette vetoes it as she feels it's not right for him . Renee overrules her to give Tom the office he wants . Lynette confronts Tom over how this isn't really him but he retorts that it's how he has to be in order to succeed and that Lynette needs to stop thinking of him as the soft man he's been at home for the last few years . </P> <P> When Tom decides to book a luxurious holiday for the family and announces it Lynette is annoyed and consults Tom about why he did not consult her about it first (since she already informed him a few weeks ago that she had already planned a trip). The two then pitch to the kids what they think is the best holiday which leads to yet another fight between them; this time however they insult each other . Lynette calls Tom a "Pompous Ass" while Tom labels Lynette as a "Raging Bitch" leaving them to decide that it is only them who need to spend a holiday together . The holiday turns out badly and the relationship deteriorates and becomes extremely awkward . When they return home Tom leads Lynette to believe that he will be spending a while in an apartment near to his work offices . Before Lynette attends a street dinner party, Penny reveals to her that Tom had left her a note . Lynette is surprised and finds that Tom's unpacked suitcase from the holiday is not in the bedroom, convincing her that Tom had left her . After revealing to Susan that she thought Tom had left her, Lynette walks into her house, finding Tom, chopping up salad ingredients . He tells Lynette that he had only gone to buy the ingredients . Lynette questions him why it had taken him two hours, leading Tom to reveal that he had left but came back when he considered that Lynette would have to lie about where Tom was to her friends at the dinner party . The two talk for a while and Lynette confesses that when she thought Tom had left, she felt relieved, leading the pair to finally decide to separate . </P> <P> In the same evening that Lynette decides to separate from Tom, she, along with Bree and Susan, walk into Gaby's living room to find that Carlos has murdered Alejandro, Gaby's stepfather . The four ladies agree to cover up the murder to protect Carlos, stuffing the body in a wooden box used as a table at the evening's dinner party . </P>

Why did tom and lynette separate on desperate housewives
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