“Mark? This is Gary from legal.”

“Gary,” I said. “I have a situation.”

I explained the threat of the false report to the FAA.

I told him about the guardianship papers Linda was trying to force me to sign.

“Do not sign anything,” Gary said. “And do not speak to them without a recording device active.”

“Florida is a two-party consent state,” I noted.

“Understood, but we need to document every interaction,” Gary said. “I will draft a cease-and-desist letter first thing in the morning.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Keep your door locked, Mark,” he added. “We will handle the FAA aspect if they try to file a bad-faith report.”

We hung up, and I stared at the dark screen of my phone.

The apartment was quiet now, save for the faint sound of Sarah reading a book to the children in the guest room.

I rubbed my temples, trying to clear the headache that was forming behind my eyes.

I had drawn my boundaries, but I knew Linda would not stop.

She was a woman who viewed any boundary as a personal challenge.