Chapter 16 - THE FILE I SHOULD NOT HAVE OPENED
My mistake came during discovery.
I went to the marital house under court-approved access to collect clothing, design files, and pregnancy belongings.
A neutral monitor waited near the entry.
Preston was absent.
In our shared office, one desktop computer remained logged in.
Shared machine.
I opened a folder marked:
HOUSEHOLD.
Fine.
Then another:
PRIVILEGED — R. KENT.
Preston’s attorney.
I should have stopped.
I did not.
Inside:
Legal memo thumbnails.
Strategy notes.
I opened one.
Read half a page.
Then realized what I was doing.
Closed it.
Called my attorney.
She was furious.
"Do not touch that computer again."
"I didn’t download."
"Good."
"I saw something about the reimbursement."
"Forget it."
"I can’t."
"We will not use it."
The neutral monitor documented the incident.
Preston’s lawyer raised it later.
Correctly.
Any privileged material was excluded.
Independent evidence had to establish the financial case.
Fear of concealment did not give me unlimited rights.
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That lesson was humiliating.
Necessary.
