When the call ended, I stared at the telephone for a long time.

I had never set out to hurt Andrew.

I had wanted to stop living inside a lie.

The difference mattered to me, even if the consequences were painful for us both.

That evening I spoke with my divorce attorney, Elise Moreno, whom Stephen had recommended specifically because she did not work for Crestview.

She advised me to separate evidence about the company’s finances from evidence about the marriage and to avoid private confrontations that could complicate either matter.

“People want these cases to end in a dramatic dinner,” she said.