Stephen said the audit was going to federal authorities and that the company would pursue full recovery.

And I felt no rush of triumph — only a deep, bone-level exhaustion.

“Laura, please,” Mark whispered, tears in his eyes.

“We can fix this.

Twenty-eight years.” “Which is exactly why it hurts so much,” I said.

“A mistake is a bad investment.

What you did was embezzle, hide assets, try to mortgage my home, and conspire with your mother to throw me out of my own life.

You wanted a divorce.