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.

“No,” I said.

“You can cooperate with the criminal investigation, and you can sign the papers.”

He refused to sign them.

At least initially.

But while Brendan was trying to save our ruined marriage, the forensic review I had authorized was uncovering deep financial problems far beyond Ximena’s theft.

Fairchild Global’s pending merger contained massive undisclosed liabilities, questionable accounting practices, and risky transactions that Vance Capital could not responsibly approve without further investigation.