I left the hospital carrying my daughter’s ashes when my husband finally called from wherever he was with his mistress and coldly said, “The bill has been taken care of. Stop bothering me.” I didn’t argue with him. I didn’t allow him to hear my voice break.

His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.

“I thought Ximena was handling everything for the family.”

“That is exactly the problem,” I said before ending the call.

Fairchild Global’s legal department turned the records over to law enforcement for a formal criminal investigation.

Auditors soon discovered that Chloe’s medical funds were not the only money missing, as Ximena had allegedly been manipulating vendor payments, travel accounts, and other corporate expenses for years.

Brendan came to my downtown apartment several days later.