I was not hiding millions somewhere while he struggled.

I had saved enough for rent, legal fees, and Tommy’s needs by living carefully and working late.

It was not a fortune.

It was a way to say no without wondering whether I could afford dinner the next day.

One night, while Mark was away, I told Tommy we might move.

He was building a cardboard city on his bedroom floor.

He placed a tiny paper hospital beside a crooked blue building and asked whether the new place would have room for his city.