My wife, the Colonel, believed our son needed to be a man. So, against my every objection, she had him deployed to a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East. “I was on the front lines when I was just a teenager,” she’d scoffed. “Look at him. Does he even look like a man to you?” Our son came back with the Medal of Honor. The price was his life. I went to find her, carrying the box with his ashes. But when I arrived, I saw her latest post online: a photo of her first love, Christopher, and his daughter, Cece. The caption read: [A living Medal of Honor recipient. A credit to our guidance.] In the photo, Cece was wearing the medal that belonged to my son. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I just filed a report against my wife with the military court. 1 Our son’s remains fit into a small, flag-draped box. When Major General Thorne handed it to me, her expression was one of pure compassion. “I’m so sorry, Noah,” she said, her voice heavy. “By the time we got there, all that was left were… fragments.” The only other thing they recovered was his blood-soaked uniform. The fabric was shredded, a canvas of bullet holes and knife slashes. I opened the box just a crack before slamming it shut. The acrid smell of old blood assaulted my senses. I clutched the box and the uniform to my chest, fell to my knees, and wept. His last call echoed in my mind, a phantom playing on a loop. “Dad, it hurts… they cut a hole in my stomach… If I don’t talk, they’re going to cut my throat next. Dad… I’m scared. Their knife is rusty. It’ll take a few tries before I die… But I can’t talk. If I talk, my brothers will die… Dad, it’s okay if no one else remembers me, but you’ll remember me, right? Please? They’re coming! Dad! DAD! AHHH!” His final, agonizing scream was seared into my memory. The torture lasted ten minutes, but he never uttered a single word of intel. The only thing he kept repeating was, “Dad, save me!” I had scrambled for help, frantically calling my wife, Colonel Evelyn Vance. She never answered. Long after our son was dead, a text from her finally came through. [Christopher’s dealing with something. I don’t have time for your childish jealousy.] Major General Thorne helped me to my feet, her eyes full of apology. “I’m sorry I was late.” I shook my head. “No. This wasn’t your mission. I know you did everything you could.” I turned to leave, holding the box and the uniform, but a hand fell on my shoulder. Diana Thorne, my childhood friend, looked at me, her expression a mixture of emotions I couldn’t decipher. “Let me give you a ride back.” I shook my head again. “It’s okay, I can manage. Thank you for bringing Aaron home to me. I’m already so grateful.” I gave her a deep, formal bow and walked away. Her hand hung in the air for a moment before she let it fall. 2 On the way home, my phone buzzed with news alerts. [Major Cecelia Croft, embedded for months, single-handedly takes down terrorist stronghold!] [Peacekeeping Hero Promoted! A True Heroine for the Ages!] [She is the Nation’s Pride.] The military section of every news site was flooded with Cecelia “Cece” Croft’s “heroic deeds.” The comment sections were a frenzy. [OMG QUEEN SO BADASS!] [I heard those terrorists love to torture people, like turning them into paste. For Major Croft to survive that long alone is incredible!] [I heard she’s the daughter of the pop star Christopher Croft! And that Colonel Vance personally mentored her!] [Could Christopher be the Colonel’s secret husband??] [Definitely. Did you see the Colonel’s comment on his latest post? You don’t talk like that unless you’re family.] [Sobbing, what a power family!] The more I read, the tighter my fists clenched. The real hero was lying silently in a small box, his body too shattered to be pieced back together. And Cece Croft—who had spent her entire deployment in the Green Zone—was being hailed as the deep-cover operative? Stealing someone’s commendation wasn’t something Cece could pull off alone. Evelyn had to be behind it. My phone buzzed again. A call from Evelyn. “Delete it,” she snapped, without preamble. “Don’t make me say it twice.” I frowned. “What?” “Don’t play dumb, Noah! Look at what you’ve been reposting! If I weren’t suppressing it on my end, the media would have already run with the baseless rumors you’re spreading! What do you expect them to do then?” “Baseless?!” My hand trembled. “That was Aaron’s commendation! Cece spent her entire tour bullying him because he was a lower rank! The only thing she did on this mission was show up at the end for a photo op! Aaron did all the work! How dare she waltz in and take everything from him!” “Enough!” Evelyn’s voice was sharp. “I know you’re prone to jealousy, but military honors are a serious matter! Cece spent months in a foreign country. Do you have any idea how hard that is for a young woman? Christopher has been worried sick about her every single day. After all their hardship, you think you can just erase their sacrifice with a few words?” I laughed, and a tear rolled down my cheek. “Cece was here for a few months and you made her a Major with zero experience! Aaron was here for years, and you held him back so he couldn’t even make Sergeant! Who had it easy? Christopher is living a glamorous life back home while I’m stuck here in a war zone! Who had it hard?” “That’s enough!” Evelyn’s voice was laced with fury. “Not only are you slandering Cece, but now you’re running your mouth like this? Was this Aaron’s idea? Tell him to report to my office immediately!” My knuckles turned white where they gripped the box. “He’s not coming. He was killed in action.” Silence on the other end of the line. Then, a low, cold laugh. “Noah, to think you’d stoop this low. Now you’re even making up lies about our son’s death just to compete with Christopher? I don’t have the patience for your petty games. If I don’t see that brat by five o’clock, he can spend the rest of his life as a private.” She hung up. I clutched the bloody uniform, my tears soaking into the tattered fabric. 3 Back at the cold, empty villa, I began to pack our son’s things. When he first arrived, Evelyn hadn’t allowed him to bring much, claiming a soldier’s true test was to make something from nothing. So, he had only smuggled in a single photograph of the three of us. I tore Evelyn’s half from the photo, wrapped Aaron’s ashes and bloody uniform in the flag, and called for a bus to the airport. Evelyn would never offer me a convenience like a driver. Even when I first came here, she forbade me from using her private car, forcing me to stumble my way from the bus stop to this house. The dog she kept was tied up by the gate. I kept my distance. As expected, it began to bark furiously the moment I approached. I’d lived here for years, but it still only recognized Evelyn and Christopher. Some dogs can never be tamed. I took the long way around, only to see a black government sedan parked out front. I froze as I heard a familiar voice. “Evelyn, I’m not a child. You don’t have to guide me out of the car.” Then, Evelyn’s voice, softer than I’d ever heard it. “You’ve never been here before. It’s unfamiliar territory. I was worried.” Christopher Croft’s polished leather shoes stepped onto the pavement. Though he’d said it wasn’t necessary, his hand casually found its way to the small of Evelyn’s back, resting on her waist. Evelyn’s face flushed, but she didn’t pull away. The guard dog immediately started wagging its tail. Christopher was about to pet it when he saw me. He jumped back with a theatrical gasp. “Ah! You scared me to death!” Evelyn turned, her brow furrowed in annoyance. “What are you doing, looking like that?” I’d cried for days. My chin was covered in rough stubble, my eyes were undoubtedly red and swollen with exhaustion. Evelyn didn’t ask what had happened to me. She just demanded, “Didn’t I tell you to have Aaron report to me by five? It’s already dark. Where did he run off to? Everyone has already been by to congratulate Cece, but he’s the only one hiding. His Uncle Christopher is here and he doesn’t even come to greet him. Who does he think he is? Don’t think I’ll favor him unconditionally just because he’s my son!” I finally snapped. “What have you ever favored him with?!” I had always been calm, even-tempered. Even when she sent our son here, I had never been this hysterical. Evelyn was stunned into silence. My eyes blazing, I grabbed her by the collar. “You always talk about favoring him, but when have you ever done it? He was bullied by Cece in the army, and you looked the other way! Cece got a scratch on her hand from roughhousing with her subordinates, and you had her flown back to the States for treatment! Our son was suppressed by her, and you did nothing! She had less experience than him, but you promoted her to Major straight away! Even I am stuck here, living in filth, while you support Christopher’s glamorous life back home! So tell me, Evelyn! What have you ever favored him with? Who is your real family?!” Faced with my tirade for the first time, Evelyn seemed to buckle, grabbing my hands. “What are you talking about? Christopher and I are just friends! Can you stop being so jealous?” “Who’s jealous of you?!” I slapped her across the face. Her head snapped to the side. She turned back slowly, her eyes wide with disbelief. I gritted my teeth. “Don’t act like I can’t live without you. Evelyn, I regret it. I should have divorced you years ago. Then our son wouldn’t have…” At the word “divorce,” Evelyn’s pupils contracted. “You…” But she was cut off by Christopher. “Noah, don’t you think you’re going too far?” 4 Christopher stepped in front of Evelyn, shielding her. “Evelyn and I have a good relationship, but we’ve always been open about it. You, on the other hand…” He looked me up and down, a sneer of contempt on his face. “Meeting with the Major General in secret… that seems a lot more suspicious, doesn’t it?” “What?” Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. Christopher pulled out his phone and showed her a photo. The moment Evelyn saw it, her breathing grew ragged, her fists clenching. It was the photo of Diana placing a hand on my shoulder. The angle was deceptively intimate. With my back to the camera, it looked like we were whispering to each other. Christopher let out a cold laugh. “If I remember correctly, Major General Thorne came to this war zone for you, didn’t she, Noah? You claim to be just friends, but you’ve been meeting with her quite often. And secretly accepting her gifts, too.” “Shut up!” I couldn’t stand it anymore. “I went to Diana because of our son—” “Does that give you an excuse to have secret meetings behind Evelyn’s back?” Christopher cut me off, grabbing my arm. “Ah, what’s this passport for? General Thorne is heading back to the States in a couple of days. You’re not planning to fly back with her to get married, are you? No wonder you want a divorce from Evelyn.” “Shut your mouth!” I roared, raising my hand to strike him. But before I could, a sharper, more vicious slap landed on my own face. 5 Evelyn stood in front of Christopher, her chest heaving. “No wonder you were acting so strangely today. You had your escape route planned all along, didn’t you?” She snatched the passport from my hand and kicked my suitcase. It burst open, sending the box and the blood-soaked uniform spilling onto the ground. Christopher wrinkled his nose in disgust. “What is this? Noah, since when did you take up collecting trash?” “You have no right to say that!” I lunged at him, but Evelyn kicked me squarely in the chest, sending me slamming against the wall. Her voice was ice. “You’re becoming more and more unhinged. Collecting perverted things like this. What, is it a gift from Diana? You’ll take anything she gives you, won’t you?” She grabbed the small box wrapped in the flag. “What kind of trash gets to be wrapped in the flag of our country?” she sneered. She ripped the flag off and tossed the box to one of her aides. “Take it. Feed it to the dog.” “Yes, Colonel!” “NO!!” I scrambled forward like a madman, but Evelyn blocked me. “You spend all your days accusing me of things, while you’re the one cheating on me?” “NO! Those are our son’s ashes! Make him stop! The dog listens to you! Make it stop!!”
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