One. I retained Deborah Nakashima, a family attorney in Hillcrest, and told her everything in the first meeting.

Two. On her instruction, I stopped reading his email.

Immediately and permanently.

She was extremely clear: anything I obtained that way was worthless to a court and would let him make the case about my conduct instead of his.

I never opened it again.

Three. I assembled the note.

The 2017 secured note, the notarization, the wire confirmation, the recorded lien, the eleven interest payments Vextor had made against it in 2018 and 2019 before he stopped and I let it slide because we were married.

Four. I engaged a forensic accounting firm — Petrosyan & Ashford, in Los Angeles — under Deborah’s engagement, so it was covered by privilege.