Gretchen sat beside Colette.
Across the table were Joshua and his attorney, a silver-haired man named Wallace with an expensive watch and an impatient air.
At first the meeting followed Joshua’s script: selling the house, splitting the furniture, a custody schedule, school costs.
He answered every question smoothly, reaching for phrases like balanced agreement and respectful closure, glancing at Gretchen now and then to confirm she was still defeated.
She gave him exactly the picture he wanted — tense shoulders, short answers, Colette carrying the discussion.
Then they reached the financial section.
Wallace slid a folder to the middle of the table.
“My client believes this reflects a fair division of the marital assets.”
Colette nodded slowly.
“I’m sure he believes that.” She laid a certified bank document flat on the table.