I tapped the notification. It was a transfer confirmation.

Thomas had siphoned $1,500 from our joint emergency savings account. The account we had set aside for home repairs. He had transferred it to his checking account to pay for Beatrice’s ticket and her deluxe drink package.

He had lied to me. He had told me Beatrice paid for her own ticket.

Suddenly, I heard voices outside the door.

Thomas and Beatrice were walking back to the cabin. They stopped near our door, their voices echoing in the narrow hallway.

“I don’t know how you stand her, Thomas,” Beatrice said, her voice dripping with disdain. “She’s so sour.”

“Just play along, Mom,” Thomas laughed quietly. “Linda is a pack mule who pays the bills and doesn’t complain. Let her sit in the dark cabin while we enjoy the balcony.”

My vision went white at the edges. My hands trembled.

I stood in the center of the windowless room, the blue vinyl folder sitting on the small desk.

Something older and steadier rose up inside me. It was cold.

I put his phone back. I grabbed my purse and the blue vinyl folder.

I walked out.

I walked straight to the Guest Services desk on deck 5. The lobby was quiet, smelling of polished wood and fresh lilies.

The officer behind the desk, a polite young man named Marcus, smiled at me. “How can I help you, ma’am?”

I opened the blue vinyl folder. I laid out the booking confirmation, the credit card receipt, and the passenger agreement.

“I am the primary booker for cabin 9012 and cabin 2045,” I said. My voice was calm and steady.

“I paid for the entire trip, and I need to make some immediate changes.”

Marcus looked up, shocked. “Ma’am, if you cancel their bookings, they will be denied reboarding. They will have to find their own way back to Miami.”

“I know,” I said.

Since my name was the only one on the booking contract, I had full authority. Marcus processed the request. He took their keycards in the system and deactivated them.

I walked up to cabin 9012. I packed Beatrice’s suitcase. I dragged it down to the pier and left it with the port authorities.