Part 6: The Report

The bank report identified a series of approvals from Marcus's device and a change to the notification address on the account. The change had been made using credentials that had access to the business system. The bank did not determine Marcus's intent, but it confirmed that the transfers had not followed the approval procedure I had established.

Rosa outlined the next steps. We could dispute specific transfers, request recovery, and address the remaining issues through the separation process. She also explained that the bank might have its own reporting obligations. I asked her to proceed with the supported claims and to keep the company's staff informed only about what they needed to do.

Dev and our finance manager reviewed the internal controls. We removed access that was no longer needed, required two authorized approvals for certain payments, and documented how notification changes would be verified. The changes were not a promise that no problem could ever happen again. They made it harder for one unchecked change to remain invisible.

At the next mediation session, Marcus acknowledged changing the notification address. He said he had intended to repay the business when his own project began earning money. He had not told me because he expected me to refuse.

“Did you use my approval?” I asked.

He looked at his attorney, then said he had used the stored authorization on the device. His lawyer asked for a break. When we returned, Rosa explained that any repayment agreement would need to account for the records and be reviewed separately from the property settlement.

I had imagined this admission would make me feel triumphant. Instead I felt the loss of a trust I had already been trying to rebuild. Marcus had made a decision about my business because he did not like the answer he expected from me.

Elise did not attend the session. Her attorney sent a proposal concerning the work her company had performed. The accountant reviewed it, and Rosa explained which payments might be addressed through Marcus rather than Elise. I did not need to punish someone for a relationship I had not chosen. I needed the financial facts resolved.

The property valuation came back lower than Marcus had expected. Neither of us could buy out the other on the terms he proposed without creating a new financial problem. The mediator suggested we consider selling, but emphasized that the decision was ours and subject to legal advice.

I visited the house once more with the agreed neutral person. The garden had grown unevenly while we argued. A rosemary bush leaned over the path, and the neighbor's cat was asleep under the bench. I remembered planting the bush with Marcus during our first year of marriage. The memory was real even though the marriage was ending.

That evening I told Rosa I was willing to discuss a sale if the terms protected both parties and accounted for the disputed funds. She said she would prepare a proposal for my review. I did not sign it that night. We would check the details, as we should have done at the beginning.