Chapter 6

Over the next two weeks, I put five things in motion.

First, I formally hired Mr. Thompson to prepare the divorce case. After reviewing everything I'd gathered, he laid out the legal position for me point by point.

"First, the jewelry your mother left you was your separate premarital property. Her purchase records and appraisal certificates support that, so it doesn't belong to the marital estate.

"Second, Edward replaced and sold your personal property without your consent, and the amount involved is substantial. That can be reported as a separate criminal matter.

"Third, because he transferred marital assets to a…