And as we set out the plates, her phone rang, and after a few minutes of listening she turned to me and said, “Brandon’s counsel has been formally notified.

Every relevant bank now has the preservation order.”

Almost the instant she said it, my own phone lit up on the counter with Brandon’s name, and then a rapid stream of messages. Bring my children home right now.

You cannot hide them somewhere I don’t know about.

Answer your phone immediately, Charlotte.

I will shut down every card tonight if you keep playing this game. And then, the single most useful text message my husband ever sent me: The ridiculous way you are behaving right now proves what I have been telling everyone about your mental state.