My lungs forgot how to pull in air. A dishonorable discharge. My career, my reputation, the core of my identity — she was going to burn it all down.

Celeste walked to the envelope and tapped it with a nail. “It doesn’t have to end in a messy court-martial, Mara. These are annulment papers. Not a divorce — an annulment.

If Caleb signs them tonight and returns to his rightful place in the family trust, the Colonel here will decide the witnesses were… mistaken. The charges disappear.”

She turned to Caleb with a maternal smile that didn’t reach her dead eyes. “Come home, Caleb. Stop playing soldier. Sign the papers, and I’ll save her from a prison cell.”

I looked at Caleb. His face was carved stone. “You bribed a military investigator to frame my wife.”

“I’m protecting the Harrington legacy from a parasite,” Celeste hissed, the mask slipping. “Sign the damn papers, Caleb, or I’ll make sure she never wears that precious uniform again.”