Lynda spent the next days doing something she had avoided for years. She prepared. Not emotionally. Not impulsively. Not with tears. With structure.

Her rented room had become her war room. No luxury, no noise, no distraction. Just a bed, a small mirror, a table, and stacks of files her lawyer sent for review. The world outside kept moving, but inside those four walls, her life finally had a plan that didn’t involve running away from consequences.

She read every document carefully, marking ...