By nine o’clock on a rainy Thursday morning, Courtroom Six in Montgomery County, Maryland, was almost full.
People had come because the divorce had become a small local spectacle. My husband, Gavin Rourke, was the polished and widely admired CEO of Rourke Regional Mobility, one of the fastest-growing transportation companies in the Mid-Atlantic. His face appeared in business magazines, charity newsletters, and photographs beside politicians at fundraising dinners.
Mine rarely appeared anywhere.
For thirteen years, I had stood beside him at awards ceremonies and company events, smiling when reporters asked how proud I was of his success. They described me as a devoted homemaker who had supported her husband from the sidelines.
I never corrected them.
After our twin boys, Nolan and Parker, were born, I stepped away from public life almost completely. I attended school meetings, packed lunches, handled medical appointments, and kept our home running while Gavin traveled from one business conference to another.
Because I stayed quiet, everyone assumed I had done nothing.
PART 2
