"There have been stories like that before, you know."
Wuthering Heights comes to mind. Heathcliff claimed to love Catherine, while his selfishness allowed him no concern for HER wellbeing.
She "haunted" him to his death -- he was mad with the obsession. And she didn't even have to haunt him -- he did it to himself, it was all in his own mind.
Also like your post that followed. No divorce because it would diss him. I'd also guess (wildly, intuitively) that Micheal is a collector of things, a trophy collector.