Chapter 2 - THE ART OF WAR
I walked through the lobby of the hotel.
The cool night air hit my face like a blessing.
Daniel followed me,
his footsteps echoing mine.
"You handled that well,"
he said.
I climbed into the back of a black SUV.
"I handled it like a soldier,"
I replied.
"Now,"
"tell me about the offshore accounts."
Daniel opened his laptop.
The blue light illuminated the interior of the car.
"Ethan has been moving money,"
"small amounts,"
"hidden in shell companies."
I stared out the window at the Chicago skyline.
He thought he was being clever.
He thought I was the trophy wife who didn't understand finance.
But the military teaches you to read maps.
And money leaves a very clear trail.
"How much?"
I asked.
"Four million,"
"roughly."
I smiled.
It was a cold,
predatory expression.
"That’s half of our shared assets."
"He was planning to run with her,"
"wasn't he?"
Daniel nodded.
"The tickets were for Fiji."
"Next week."
I felt a flicker of anger,
but I suppressed it.
Anger is a luxury I couldn't afford.
"Cancel his access to the main account,"
I ordered.
"I already did,"
Daniel said.
"And the house?"
"The locks are being changed as we speak."
The SUV pulled up to a modest apartment.
I wasn't going back to the mansion.
That place was tainted by their whispers.
I needed a base of operations.
A place where I could think.
I walked into the small space.
It smelled of lavender and fresh paint.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
For the first time in four months,
I let out a breath.
The weight of the secret was gone.
But the weight of the future was heavy.
Madison would try to play the victim.
She always did.
She was the "golden child,"
the one who could do no wrong.
Our parents would likely take her side.
They would see her pregnancy as a tragedy,
not a betrayal.
They would see my revenge as "cruel."
I didn't care.
I had spent my life protecting people.
Now,
I was protecting myself.
I took off my jewelry.
The diamonds felt like lead.
I placed them in a small safe.
Then,
I pulled out my old military dog tags.
I rubbed the cold metal.
"Discipline,"
"Patience,"
"Preparation."
The three pillars of my life.
Ethan would try to call.
Madison would try to cry.
Marcus would try to bargain.
I would answer none of them.
I had a list of targets.
The business.
The reputation.
The freedom.
I would take it all.
Because when you betray a soldier,
May you like
you don't just lose a friend.
You gain an enemy who knows exactly where you sleep.
