I thought of the inheritance thing as well, but again, these things are public record, and as a government employee working in that field, I'd think (maybe I'm completely wrong) that agents would have to be completely transparent about their incomes to avoid exactly this situation. I'm probably just very naive about how things really work there.

My ex started "aging faster" than normal a long time ago. Her unhealthy lifestyle surely didn't help, but I always think about living with the constant stress of having to remember what bullshit you told to which person when you talk to them again, or constantly having to dodge questions or subjects to avoid having to remember. I imagine that is what it must be (partly) like being a professional spy.

I also struggle to understand how they can live with that stress.