a retirement loan Daniel had taken against his own account,
tax liabilities related to his business,
and approximately $26,000 spent on personal expenses he had disguised as business costs.
There was no mistress.
No secret second family.
For a while I almost wished there had been.
An affair would have been easier to explain.
Instead the other person in my marriage was Daniel’s fear of failure.
He had spent years building an image.
Successful consultant.
Reliable husband.
Man who handled everything.
When the business began collapsing at the same time I got cancer, he couldn’t tolerate being powerless in both places.
So he found somewhere he could create control.
Me.
That explanation came from Daniel himself eventually.
Not as an excuse I accepted.
As a fact.
He began individual therapy after his criminal attorney advised him to get treatment for substance misuse and anger.
He later entered a program related to prescription medication misuse.
