Next came Diane's statement. Sandra explained that our neighbor had recorded a vehicle's plate number while concerned about parking near a hydrant, and that her written account described repeated appearances on our street when my car was absent. Patricia read the short statement. Martin asked whether Diane could verify who had been driving or why the car had been parked there, and Sandra said no. It was a narrow observation, not a substitute for testimony about what occurred inside the house.
Kate looked down at the table. I wondered whether she was remembering specific evenings or simply calculating how much the detail might affect the discussion. There was no way to know, and I didn't ask. Diane's statement had more impact on me personally than it seemed to have on Patricia. It made visible the way an apparently private secret could occupy the ordinary streets and driveways of a neighborhood without the person most affected ever noticing.
Sandra introduced Natalie's statement last. She described the limits of the document before Martin could object, explaining that Natalie could attest only to what Lena had reportedly told her about having known of the relationship for months. Martin immediately raised the hearsay issue. Patricia acknowledged it and said she would not treat the statement as direct proof of what Kate had done on particular dates. She noted, however, that the fact the matter had apparently been discussed in Kate's social circle could inform the parties' assessment of how much remained disputed and how realistic continued litigation might be.
I kept my eyes on my own notes while Patricia read. Hearing Lena's name in that room felt more personal than hearing the dates of the car rides. I remembered serving her coffee at our dining table and asking about her work while Kate sat beside me. I wondered whether there had been a moment during one of those visits when she'd considered telling me the truth. Whatever her answer might have been, I wasn't going to receive it in that room.
Martin requested a private recess with Kate. Patricia agreed and gave us fifteen minutes. Sandra and I moved to a smaller office where she closed the door and sat across from me. She said the documents had clarified our position but emphasized that we still had to negotiate. I asked if she thought we'd made progress. She answered that progress sometimes looked like the other side reconsidering how strong its arguments really were, even when nobody admitted that aloud.
I told her I didn't enjoy any of this. She nodded as though that were expected. I said part of me still wanted Kate to say she'd lied and that the marriage had been more than a one-night mistake. Sandra told me an apology wouldn't change the bank records and might not make me feel the way I imagined. The legal process could establish rights and obligations, but it wasn't designed to produce emotional closure. That, she said, was the difficult part of using it while grieving.