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

“She’s too nice,” Sarah shot back. “But don’t get comfortable. I’m helping her see the dead weight. And looking at you…” Her eyes lingered on my grease-stained jeans. “…you’re getting heavy.”

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.

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