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

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.

I stepped inside with the cake box and called out before I even heard a response. “Lily? Honey, I got it!”

Nothing.

I moved deeper into the house. In the living room, Sarah sprawled on the couch with a glass of red wine, watching reality TV as if it were a job. Her son, Tyler, sat on the floor, controller in hand, volume blaring.

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