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.

Daniel called it betrayal.

She said he had told her every transaction was authorized.

I did not attend those proceedings.

I read the summaries.

I did not need to watch two people rewrite a romance into a blame contest.

Four months after that first mediation, the divorce was finalized.

Daniel did not leave with the fortune he had pictured.

He was not dropped into a storybook poverty either.