A terminated career, a criminal matter, a mother who speaks to him about nothing but two children who are not his, and the answer that came out of him without any processing at all was that a woman had deceived him.

Not the eleven trips to Tucson billed to his company.

Not the four hundred thousand dollars of kickbacks that predated Michelle by two years and had nothing to do with any of it.

Not six years in which he had allowed his wife to believe she was the reason.

“No,” I said.

“What?”

“That isn’t it.” I looked out at the window.

“Christopher, your biggest mistake was that you treated my patience like a renewable resource.