My hands began to tremble, and I pressed them flat against my knees to stop the shaking.

“It gets worse,” Nora said.

She opened another tab on her browser, revealing a different set of documents.

These papers had the heading of a major financial institution.

“When Michael’s first software company was acquired, he didn’t put the money into personal accounts,” Nora said.

“Margaret told me he spent it all on bad investments,” I said. “She said he was ruined.”

“He wasn’t ruined,” Nora said. “He was smart.”

She pointed to a line of bold text on the screen.

“Michael established an irrevocable trust three years before he married you,” Nora said.

“An irrevocable trust?” I asked.

“It means the money was locked away, protected from any creditors, and even from his own family,” Nora explained.

“How much was in it?” Richard asked.

His voice was calm, but I could feel the cold anger radiating from him.

“Four million dollars,” Nora said.

The number hung in the quiet room.

I stared at Nora, unable to process the words.

Four million dollars.