At 2:00 a.m., My Husband Thought I Was Asleep While He Emptied Our Safe to Run Off With His Mistress. Before Leaving, He Kissed Me and Whispered, “Poor Audrey. You Never Saw This Coming.” Hours Later He Sent a Photo From the Airport. I Replied With Four Words That Made Him Call Me Immediately.

“Do not explain yourself to people who enjoyed watching him diminish you,” she said.

“They will call this cold.

Let them.”

I went home to a house that still held his coats.

I packed them without ceremony and placed them in the guest closet.

I was not ready to throw a life into boxes.

I was ready not to walk past his cologne every time I reached for a jacket.

In the days that followed, the investigation moved the way serious investigations move: slowly, then all at once.