Not the home his wife now claimed.

This was separate—purchased years before his marriage. I had never known. I had never asked about his finances. I believed he had the right to build his life as he chose.

There was more.

A copy of his will.

The contact information for his lawyer.

And a folded letter, written in his unmistakable handwriting.

In it, he told me he loved me. He explained that he had bought that house long ago, once imagining children running through its rooms. Life never gave him that dream.

So he made another choice.

The house acquired during the marriage would go to his wife, even though she had never contributed financially. He did not want her left without shelter—even after her abandonment.