She remembered Garrett asking her to sign papers without reading them, calling her suspicious when she insisted on a copy.

She remembered Priscilla joking that Iris loved her bank statements more than her family.

Her carefulness had not prevented the harm.

But it had given her something to work with afterward.

At the next session, Garrett’s attorney withdrew the unverified email from the immediate negotiation while reserving his client’s position.

No dramatic confession followed.

The process continued with the tedious pace of real disputes: exchanges of records, requests for clarification, revised proposals, and difficult compromises.

Iris found the slowness maddening.