Victoria brought in a forensic accountant to review only what we could lawfully obtain.

And even that limited, aboveboard slice of the truth was enough to reveal exactly what I had feared: patterns of unexplained transfers substantial enough to raise a genuine, legitimate concern that our marital assets might vanish beyond reach the moment Brandon learned I intended to leave.

Chapter 12 — The Petition

And so, three days before Brandon walked Cynthia into our dining room believing he was making the opening move of the game, I had, in fact, already made mine.

Three days before that dinner, Victoria filed our petition for divorce with the court.

And that same morning, a judge reviewed what we had lawfully assembled and issued a temporary order — a preservation order, preventing the identified marital funds from being transferred, concealed, or dissipated while the case proceeded.