I moved out of our estate and into a small, rented townhouse near the train station.

My attorney, Richard, handled the liquidation of the joint properties.

Because of the timing of our agreements, my share of the assets remained protected from Ethan’s creditors.

The court approved the division of the estate just three days before the federal indictment was unsealed.

Ethan was charged with wire fraud, grand larceny, and conspiracy.

The news of his arrest hit the local papers on a Tuesday morning.

I read the article over a cup of black coffee in my new kitchen.

There was a photograph of Ethan walking down the courthouse steps, his jacket pulled over his head.

He looked small, stripped of his expensive suits and his corporate title.

A week later, Lila Parker asked to meet me at a diner off the highway.

The air inside smelled of grease and stale coffee.

She was sitting in a booth near the back, wearing a plain winter coat.

She looked younger without her office makeup, her eyes tired and dark.

“Thank you for coming,” she said as I sat down.