I never told my sister-in-law that I was a Colonel in Army Intelligence!

Mandatory reporting kicked in. The hospital staff did what they had to do. Police were notified. Statements were taken. The wheels of the system began to turn.

I didn’t want vengeance. I wanted boundaries, consequences, and safety.

When Lily was stable and finally sleeping under warm blankets, I stepped into the hallway and made a single call. Not to the military, not to my contacts in uniform. I called Emily.

She picked up on the first ring. “John? I had a weird feeling. Is Lily okay?”

“Lily’s alive,” I said. “She’s stable. But it was close.”

Emily went silent. “What happened?”

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