Chapter 6 - THE SIEGE
The legal battle lasted three months.
It was a war of attrition.
Ethan tried to fight.
He hired expensive lawyers.
He tried to claim I was "unstable."
But the evidence was overwhelming.
The photos.
The bank statements.
The video.
The public was on my side.
The "Military Heroine" was a narrative they loved.
Ethan was the "Cheating Villain."
Madison was the "Traitorous Sister."
Their reputations were destroyed.
Madison lost her job at the fashion house.
Ethan was removed from the board of his own company.
They were living in a small rented apartment.
The luxury was gone.
The three-tier cakes were a distant memory.
I sat in my new office.
The window overlooked the park.
Daniel walked in.
"It’s done,"
he said.
"The judge signed the final decree."
"You get the house,"
"the accounts,"
"and a seventy percent stake in the firm."
I nodded.
"And my father?"
"He’s being investigated for tax evasion,"
Daniel said quietly.
"Sterling flipped on him."
I felt a moment of sadness.
But it was fleeting.
He chose his side.
He chose the lie.
"What about the baby?"
I asked.
"Madison had it yesterday,"
Daniel said.
"A boy."
"Marcus is paying child support,"
"but he refuses to see her."
I looked at a photo on my desk.
It was me,
years ago,
in uniform.
I looked happy.
I looked strong.
I didn't recognize the woman in the black dress anymore.
She was stronger.
But she was colder.
"Do you want to see them?"
Daniel asked.
"Who?"
"Your sister."
"She’s asking for you."
I thought about it.
I thought about the night of the anniversary.
The microphone.
The red dress.
The "I love you so much, sis."
"No,"
I said.
"I have nothing to say to her."
"The mission is complete."
I stood up and grabbed my coat.
"Where are you going?"
"To the airport,"
I said.
"I’m taking a vacation."
May you like
"Somewhere quiet."
"Somewhere where no one knows my name."
