**Hotel Suite - 7:45 PM**
Emily stood under the hot shower, letting the water wash away the tension of the day. Her muscles ached from hours of sitting rigidly, her mind exhausted from constant vigilance.
But they'd survived. She'd survived.
Victoria was gone. Stephanie was exposed. And her identity as an ISI graduate was now public knowledge.
One less secret to carry.
She stepped out, wrapping herself in a robe, and found Timothy on his laptop in the bedroom, his expression focused.
"Work?" she asked.
"Monitoring," Timothy corrected. "Dr. Wendell's revelation is spreading fast. You're trending on every major news platform. The scientific community is in chaos people are pulling up your old papers, your thesis, everything you published under your real name."
Emily's stomach tightened. "My real name?"
