At home, he pretended I was the problem.

Each lie supported the other.

If I were portrayed as unreliable, he could dismiss my questions about the accounts.

If he won control of marital assets, he might patch the company’s immediate gaps.

I wondered whether he had loved me at any point during those months.

I wondered whether he had loved Chloe, or simply liked being admired by someone who handled the invoices he did not want me to see.

The records could not answer either question.