Chapter 4 - THE MORNING AFTERAt 7:45 AM the next morning, the snow was falling harder, blanketing the suburban neighborhood in a thick, pristine white layer.
I sat in the idling black SUV across the street from my house. Piper was fast asleep in her car seat in the back, tucked under a heavy comforter with her stuffed bear.
Through the frosted windshield, I watched the chimney puffing lazy gray smoke into the morning air. They were still asleep. Safe inside my house, drinking my coffee, sleeping in my bed, surrounded by the life I had built while working double shifts and pulling overseas tours to secure our financial future.
At exactly 7:59 AM, a unmarked silver sedan turned down the street and parked right behind my SUV.
Two men in crisp dark suits and military police armbands stepped out into the snow. Major Vance walked up to my window and tapped lightly on the glass.
I rolled it down.
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“Paperwork is fully verified, Captain,” Vance said, holding up a thick leather-bound folder stamped with county seal approvals and Department of Defense legal clearance. “Property title is 100% in your name. Zero marital co-ownership rights established under pre-nuptial waiver clauses. The local sheriff’s department has been notified to stand down; this falls under federal property protection protocols due to your active-duty deployment status.”
“Good,” I said, opening my door and stepping out into the freezing morning air. “Let’s go wake them up.”
