They had spent the whole summer acting careful. My mother clipped coupons in front of me and sighed over grocery prices. My father shook his head when I suggested one quiet weekend away together, like I had asked him to buy a second house instead of share a motel room and a diner breakfast. “This summer we’re staying in,” Mom told me. “It’s just too much.” I believed her because believing them had become a reflex, even after years of little disappointments. They knew I kept one reserve account for emergencies, and they knew my health was the reason I guarded it like oxygen. At 3:08 in the morning, my phone buzzed hard enough to wake me. The notification said $9,860 had been withdrawn from my reserve fund. I sat up so fast the room tilted, opened the banking app, and watched my own life turn into someone else’s vacation. There were first-class flights to Mykonos. There was a luxury suite, a private driver, designer shops, spa treatments, and restaurant holds that cost more than my rent. Every charge use

“Yes.”

“You could take the phone.”

“Yes.”

“But you won’t?”

“No.”

The answer came without hesitation.

Diana moved toward the door.

“Lock it after me. I’ll have a nurse remain outside. Do not open the door unless you recognize the person and they identify themselves.”

Audrey searched her face.

“What about Martin?”

“I’ll verify whether he entered the building.”

“And Julian?”

“The same.”

Diana placed her hand on the door handle.

“Diana.”

She looked back.

“Did you tell anyone about Owen’s video?”

“No.”

“Not even your team?”

“Not the contents.”

“Then how do they know?”

Diana looked at the black phone in Audrey’s hand.

“That is the question that matters.”

She left.

Audrey locked the door.

The click sounded too small to protect anyone.

For several seconds, she stared at the dark wood.

Then the phone vibrated again.