I pulled it out, expecting another frantic call from Diane or Brent.

Instead, the screen lit up with an email notification from Jennifer’s assistant.

The subject line read: *Urgent: Draft Proposal from Brent’s Defense Council.*

I tapped the screen to open the message.

The PDF attachment took a few seconds to download on my phone.

I scrolled through the formal legal headers, my eyes straining in the dim light of the guest room.

Brent’s attorney was proposing an emergency settlement conference for the following morning.

In exchange for me agreeing not to pursue further criminal complaints regarding the forged signatures, Brent was offering to surrender his claim on our joint savings account.

I stared at the small wooden crib where Ivy lay sleeping.

The joint savings account was already mostly drained because of his bad investments.

He was offering me crumbs to save himself from a prison cell.

I tapped Jennifer’s name on my contact list and held the phone to my ear.

She answered on the second ring.

“I just saw the email,” I said, keeping my voice down.

“I received it too,” Jennifer said.