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

She turned and walked back into the house, leaving behind a trail of perfume and judgment.

I exhaled slowly and leaned against the truck. My phone buzzed, a message from a secure line. I glanced at it, processed the info, and deleted it. Work could wait. Today was about something else.

It was Lily’s fifth birthday.

I washed the grease off my hands in the utility sink, the water turning cloudy gray, and studied my reflection in the cracked mirror. Tired eyes stared back. The kind of eyes that had seen too much and learned to show little. I wasn’t interested in fighting with Sarah. Not for pride. Not for ego. I wanted peace in my home, and sometimes that meant swallowing irritation for the people who mattered.

I drove into town and picked up the cake Lily had begged for: chocolate with pink sprinkles and a fondant unicorn that was both ridiculous and perfect. When I returned, the sun was dipping low and the air had turned sharp, that biting fall cold creeping in.

The house was eerily quiet. Too quiet.

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