"Joan! How did you get the ledger? You ruined me. You completely ruined me! Where are you? I'm begging you, take it down, please. I'll pay you back every cent!"

I closed the message. My finger slid across the screen, and I blocked his number permanently.

Then I popped out the SIM card and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

I picked up my boarding pass and walked toward the gate with long, steady strides.

A real cleanup meant ripping out every last piece of trash by the root. All at once.