What I could not un-know, once I knew it, was that the man I had trusted most in the world had been, the entire time, studying my accounts for weaknesses.

The money was the smallest part of what Daniel stole.

What he really took was my ability to believe that the person closest to me had ever actually been close to me at all.

Chapter 13 — I Can Explain

“Mariana, I can explain,” Daniel pleaded.

I had been hearing that phrase, in one form or another, for years.

People say I can explain when they have been caught red-handed and have run clean out of lies.

“I didn’t view it as stealing from you,” Daniel stammered.