At 35, I married my wealthy 72-year-old boss so my daughter and I wouldn’t end up homeless. After he died, his lawyer looked at me and said, “He prepared this trap specifically for you… and he knew you would fall into it.”

One afternoon, I walked into the living room and stopped.

Richard was on his hands and knees.

Emily was sitting on his back.

“Faster!” she shouted.

Richard looked at me.

“Nora, your daughter is trying to kill me.”

Emily giggled.

“You’re a horse!”

“I was a respectable businessman before you came here.”

“Horse!”

Richard sighed.

“Yes, ma’am.”

I couldn’t stop laughing.

Another afternoon, I found him sitting at Emily’s tiny table drinking imaginary tea.

She handed him a plastic cup.

“Sugar?”

“Two.”

“Milk?”

“A little.”

She pretended to pour.

Richard took a sip.

“Excellent.”

Then Emily looked at me.

“Mommy, Richard is funny.”

I smiled.

“Yes, he is.”

Richard looked at me.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

Then he looked away.

There were little moments like that.

Moments when I felt as though Richard was hiding something.

Once, I mentioned the shelter where I had grown up.

He froze.

Another time, I told him about the nickname someone had given me as a child.

“The stray kitten.”

Richard’s face changed.

“What did you say?”

I laughed.

“It’s nothing.”

But he didn’t laugh.

“Who called you that?”

“I don’t remember.”

He looked down at his coffee.

“I see.”