I smiled, small, deliberate. “Exactly.”

We stepped back from the window. Outside, the hall hummed with ordinary bureaucratic life—people signing documents, filing papers, oblivious to the subtle battle that had just been won. I held my folder close, aware of every detail, every proof I had gathered. Ethan’s attempts to isolate, deceive, and control had just collided with a wall he hadn’t seen coming.

In the car, he didn’t speak much. The drive back was quiet, the air taut with things unsaid. I let him stew in it, letting the silence stretch. He glanced at me once, the calculated mask slipping for a fraction of a second. I met his gaze evenly, calm, composed.

“You okay?” he asked finally, voice lighter than it should have been.

“Better than I was,” I replied. “I know what’s coming now, and I’m prepared.”