The agent’s expression changed as she typed more quickly into her computer. After a moment, she looked up and said, “Ma’am, I see your account. These bookings are tied to your primary authorization.”

“That’s correct,” I replied calmly. Before the agent could continue, Vanessa let out a short, dismissive laugh. “So what?” she said. “You’re canceling everything because you’re upset?”

I leaned slightly forward and met her gaze. “I’m not upset,” I said. “I’m done.” The words felt heavier than I expected, carrying years of frustration and disappointment in a single sentence.

For a moment, even the noise of the terminal seemed to fade into the background. The agent glanced between us before asking, “Do you want all travel reservations suspended immediately?”

I didn’t look at Vanessa, Derek, or Emily when I answered. “Yes.” The agent nodded and pressed a key. Behind me, Vanessa’s expression tightened with disbelief, while Derek’s confident smirk finally disappeared.

Emily took a hesitant step forward, then stopped as if she no longer knew what to say. Somewhere in the system, every reservation I had been paying for vanished with a single command. In that moment, I understood something clearly: they hadn’t taken my trip—they had simply shown me how to stop funding theirs.