Chapter 9 - THE RECKONING IN PRIVATEFollowing the ceremony and the official command reception in the officers' club, the sun began to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of bruised purple and gold.
I sat alone in my new base commander's office, reviewing the initial logistical reports on my new tablet, when a soft, hesitant knock echoed at the heavy oak door.
"Come in," I said without looking up.
The door creaked open. Glenn stepped inside.
He wasn't wearing his jacket anymore. His tie was loosened, his shoulders slumped forward, and he looked smaller—not because of the room, but because the armor of arrogance he had worn for thirty years had finally been stripped away.
He stood awkwardly near the edge of my desk, clearing his throat.
"Viv..." Glenn started, his voice barely above a whisper. "I... I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."
I set the tablet down on the mahogany desk, interlaced my fingers, and looked up at my little brother.
"For what part, Glenn?" I asked quietly. "For locking me out of your respect? For telling Mom and Dad that my career was a hobby? Or for standing outside that holding cell this morning and telling the world that my life was ending?"
Glenn flinched as if he had been physically struck. He dropped his gaze to the floor.
"For all of it," he choked out, a genuine tear spilling over his lower eyelid. "I spent my whole life needing to feel bigger than you because... because I was supposed to be the man in the family. And every time you succeeded, every time you rose higher, I felt like I was shrinking. So I made fun of you. I minimized you. I thought if I repeated the lie often enough, I wouldn't have to face the truth: that my big sister was stronger, braver, and accomplished more in a single deployment than I will ever achieve in my entire life."
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I didn't smile. I didn't gloat. I just let the silence sit between us until the weight of his confession settled into the room.
"It took you thirty years to figure that out," I said softly. "But you're finally standing in the right room."
