It clears on Friday.”

I set my cup down without taking a sip.

The envelope was thick and creased at one corner, as if it had been riding around in her purse for a while.

“Fifty thousand for what, exactly?”

“For a fresh start.

You sign the separation agreement, and you’re no longer a woman with a baby and a lawyer.

You’re a woman with money in the bank.”

Under the table I turned my wedding ring around my thumb.