My husband shouted, “Take your kid and go to hell,” in court. He smirked as assets were listed—until a sealed will revealed a $32 million estate. When my name was read, everything changed, including custody.

She said she had watched from afar. Through mutual contacts. Through occasional things she heard. She said she had seen my world get smaller. She said she regretted not reaching out sooner. She said she had been diagnosed months earlier, and once she knew time was short, she asked herself who had ever stood by her when it would have been easier to continue reading …