He turned his head toward me, his eyes hollow behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

“If you go after my personal estate for punitive damages, my wife won’t have enough money left to rent a one-bedroom apartment.”

“I am not filing for punitive damages, Arthur,” I said.

Arthur blinked, his mouth opening slightly as if he had misheard me.

“I don’t need to ruin your family, Arthur.

I only needed to save mine,” I said.

He sat completely still on the bench, staring at me while a warm breeze rustled the maple trees along the street.