The Fifty Fifty Billionaire Marriage

Patrick always had a theory about wealth disparity in marriage. He called it "swallowing needles."

He said that when a woman from an ordinary background married into an old-money family like the Pendletons, the unspoken condescension would slowly bleed her dry. And so, under the noble banner of protecting my self-esteem, he proposed a strict fifty-fifty financial split from day one. He told me that genuine independence was the only shield that would keep his world from looking down on me.

At the time, I thought he was remarkably considerate.