And by morning it would be everywhere, and she would spend the months afterward answering for having weaponized a rumor mill instead of waiting for the lawful process she knew how to run.

She knew that even as she pressed send.

She sent it anyway.

Chapter 5 — The Folder

Now, at 2:40 A.M., Linnea walked into the emergency room of Belvedere General in a tailored black suit, flawless makeup, and a thick leather folder under her arm.

Inside were six months of work: photographic evidence, bank statements, text logs, recorded calls.