She had initially told herself his requests were normal.
The affair had made it easier for him to ask for secrecy.
Then secrecy had become a condition of their relationship.
Allison said she had not knowingly diverted our money.
I asked whether she had told him about the payroll crisis.
She nodded.
She had described my fear, our debts, and my father’s illness during dinners I thought were overtime meetings.
Preston had offered sympathy and promised to help.
I looked at the notes without touching them.
The betrayal was no longer one isolated afternoon.
It was the accumulation of a hundred decisions to tell someone else intimate facts about my life while hiding his presence from me.
Allison began crying.
I let her cry.
I did not feel obligated to stop her.
She said she would cooperate with the auditors.
I told her that was a choice she needed to make for the harmed workers, not to win me back.
She asked if there was any chance for us.
I said I was filing for separation.
Her hands stopped moving.
She looked out the window for a long time.
Then she slid her notebook toward me.
I told her to give it directly to Denise so there would be a clear record of its custody.
Allison nodded.
It was a small moment, but I wanted every step from then on to be something neither of us would have to conceal.
Chapter 37: A Quiet Sunday
On Sunday I brought groceries to my father and stayed for supper.
He asked why I kept checking my phone.
I told him I was waiting for another legal update.
He said legal updates did not improve when watched.
We cooked potatoes and chicken in the small kitchen where I grew up.
He told me about the first job he ever lost and the embarrassment of telling my mother.
He had spent three weeks pretending he was still employed.
She found out when a neighbor mentioned seeing him at the library every morning.
They argued for hours, not because he had lost work but because he had refused to share the truth.
My father said secrecy turned trouble into loneliness.
I thought of Allison’s months of lies and of my own tendency to hide financial fear from employees.
He asked whether I had forgiven her.
I said I did not know if that was possible.
He told me forgiveness was not a deadline and did not require reconciliation.
