I agreed to meet Gary at a quiet restaurant, with Margaret waiting nearby. He looked exhausted, but I felt no desire to comfort him. He began explaining that our marriage had become unhappy and that Brenda made him feel young again. Then he claimed the lottery had simply given him an opportunity to start over. I asked why he had stolen money from our account before we won. He stared at his coffee. Finally, he admitted he had planned everything, hoping to leave with enough money to start another life.

Then Gary surprised me by asking whether we could forget the divorce and begin again. He promised to end things with Brenda and share the winnings fairly. I looked directly into his eyes. “You didn’t suddenly discover you loved me, Gary. You discovered you might lose millions.” He had no answer. I stood up, placed the restaurant bill beside his coffee, and walked away. Outside, Margaret informed me that the lottery officials had completed another round of verification. The next hearing would determine how the disputed money was handled.