I opened my laptop and logged into the secure portal my attorney, Marcus, had set up.

The screen showed the real-time activity of the main holding company accounts.

Everything was locked down, just as Marcus had promised.

But Daniel still had access to the local operating accounts of Carter Strategic Design LLC until tomorrow morning.

Marcus was scheduled to file the secondary freeze at nine o’clock.

I knew Daniel was desperate.

A desperate man with a phone and a laptop in a quiet room would look for any exit.

Through the ceiling, I heard the faint sound of Daniel pacing in the guest room directly above the kitchen.

The floorboards creaked rhythmically.

Then, the pacing stopped.

I looked at the digital clock on the oven. It was 11:42 PM.

I closed my laptop and carried my water upstairs to our bedroom—my bedroom now.

I locked the door from the inside and turned off the lights.

I didn’t sleep.

I lay in the dark, listening to the silence of the house.

Around 2:00 AM, I heard a floorboard creak in the hallway outside.