I typed back three words: “As you wish.”

What Derek never realized was that I’d been trained for betrayal. Three years earlier, before I deployed, my grandmother – Judge Cordelia Nash had sat me down in her study, walls lined with law books and framed commendations. She war:ned me, in her steady judge’s voice, never to trust blindly.

“War changes everyone, Vera,” she told me. “The ones who leave and the ones who stay. Protect yourself and your children.”

Following her advice, I signed careful documents: separate bank accounts for my combat pay, strict power of attorney limits, and a family care plan naming her as guardian if Derek faltered. The house purchased with my VA loan remained solely in my name. Derek laughed when he signed his parts. “You’re paranoid, Cordelia. Vera and I are solid.”