The irony was almost unbearable.
But I wasn’t going to cry over it.
Not anymore.
Mr. Collins advised me on the next steps, and we pursued the matter through the appropriate
legal process.
Gary eventually agreed to return a portion of the undisclosed funds under a settlement.
It wasn’t the money that mattered most.
It was the fact that I had finally stopped accepting his explanations without question.
PART FOUR: THE WOMAN WHO FINALLY STOOD UP FOR HERSELF
Several months passed.
My life became quieter.
I joined a local painting group. I began taking morning walks with Linda. I traveled to places I had always wanted to visit but had never gone because Gary preferred golf resorts.
I even started volunteering
at a community center.
One afternoon, while helping organize an art exhibition, I met a man named Richard.
He was sixty-five, recently retired, and had a gentle smile.
