“Your payment delays prevented you from being eligible,” I gently reminded him.

Brianna sneered. “That doesn’t mean you haven’t been living off her lately.”

I turned the page to another section titled “Family Support.” “Here’s the 1,800 dollars I wired you when your credit card was sent to the collection agency and they threatened to garnish your wages.”

His expression hardened. “It was a loan.”

“I haven’t seen any payment,” I replied calmly.

Patricia shifted uncomfortably when I turned another page. “These are the transfers for your prescriptions from last year, when your insurance expired.”

Colton pushed his plate away. “I’ve worked tirelessly and I’ve finally managed to make some money, and I want to control it.”

“I never objected to you having control,” I said. “What I’m contesting is that you’re telling everyone I used you.”

“I told them I felt exploited,” he retorted sharply. “I even had to take out a personal loan to keep the business afloat.”

The word “loan” echoed in my head. “When did you take out this loan?” I asked.

He looked away instead of answering. I took out a printed chart detailing each mortgage payment from my personal account.

“These payments came from my severance pay, my freelance income, and my savings,” I explained. “If you took out a loan using our joint account as collateral without informing me, that’s a different matter.”

Brianna stared at the figures. “Why do you say you paid for everything?”

Colton clenched his jaw. “You keep receipts like a paranoid accountant.”

“I learned from my mistakes by watching my own mother lose everything during her divorce,” I said softly. “I promised myself that would never happen to me.”

I reached under the binder and pulled out a sealed envelope with our two names and the date neatly written on it. “Since you want a clear financial picture, we should discuss the rest.”

He opened it and his face fell. “Are you serious?”

“You asked for a separation,” I replied. “I am asking for a divorce and the reimbursement of justified child support payments.”

A heavy silence settled in the room as Patricia lowered her eyes and Brianna became suddenly engrossed in the carpet. Colton folded papers with a trembling hand while I leaned back, enveloped by an unexpected calm.