Chapter 6 - THE EVICTION NOTICE“Colin, what is going on?” Chloe asked, her voice pitching up in nervous panic as she hurried down the stairs. “Who are these people?”
Colin swallowed hard, his face turning an ugly shade of pale. He tried to regain his composure, puffing out his chest and attempting his best authoritative glare.
“Sarah, look, whatever you think you saw last night—it’s not what it looks like,” Colin lied smoothly, his voice shaking. “Chloe is just… she’s a friend from work. Her apartment flooded, and I let her crash on the guest couch! You’re overreacting, like you always do when you’ve been away too long.”
“A guest couch,” I repeated flatly. “Is that why her name is on the new Christmas stocking hanging over the fireplace where Piper’s used to be?”
Colin flinched. He looked over my shoulder toward the living room, where the stockings were still hanging proudly.
“And is that why my daughter was locked out on the front porch in the freezing snow wearing no coat while you two were decorating the tree?” I added, my voice dropping into a lethal, quiet register that made Colin take an involuntary step backward.
Major Vance stepped forward, pulling a crisp legal document from the folder and thrusting it directly into Colin’s chest.
“Mr. Colin Hayes,” Vance announced coldly. “You are hereby served with an immediate Notice of Eviction and Property Restitution Order, issued under federal code and county property deed verification.”
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Colin stared at the paper in sheer horror. “Eviction? Are you out of your mind? This is my house! I live here!”
“Check the signature on the deed, Mr. Hayes,” Vance replied. “The property is owned exclusively by Captain Sarah Vey. You have exactly thirty minutes to pack your personal belongings into plastic trash bags and vacate the premises. Any resistance will be treated as criminal trespassing on federal military-associated assets.”
