He asked about school and listened.

That willingness not to force intimacy mattered more than any speech about regret.

The legal and financial aftermath never delivered the instant, dramatic resolution my younger self would have demanded.

The external investigators reconstructed old records, identified improper transactions, and referred disputed documents to the appropriate professionals.

Some questions remained difficult to prove after so many years.

Agreements had been destroyed, people had retired, and money had passed through several entities.

We pursued what could be supported.