Elena looked through her hotel window.

Julian was across the street near the entrance, pacing nervously.

He had no idea what she had just discovered.

This was no longer only about an affair.

It was about how far he had been willing to go to steal from his own daughter’s future.

Elena barely slept.

From her hotel room, she watched the Miami skyline fade into morning while reviewing account after account.

At 7:00 a.m., Sarah called.

“The second transfer was fifteen thousand dollars,” she said. “It went directly into a private commercial account registered to Julian. Both transfers were approved using your digital security credentials.”

“I never authorized either one.”

“Then we need to establish how he gained access.”

Elena remembered immediately.

Six months earlier, she had upgraded her phone.

Julian had offered to transfer her banking applications and security information to the new device.

She had trusted him without hesitation.

At 9:00 a.m., Julian knocked on her hotel room door.

When Elena opened it, he looked as though he had aged overnight.

“We need to talk,” he said. “Chloe took an early flight back to Boston. There’s no point lying anymore.”

“You should have realized that six months ago.”

“I made a mistake—”

“A six-month affair isn’t a mistake, Julian. And stealing from our daughter’s college trust using my credentials isn’t one either.”