I typed back three words: \u201cAs you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Derek never realized was that I\u2019d been trained for betrayal. Three years earlier, before I deployed, my grandmother \u2013 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\u2019s voice, never to trust blindly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWar changes everyone, Vera,\u201d she told me. \u201cThe ones who leave and the ones who stay. Protect yourself and your children.\u201d<\/p>\n
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. \u201cYou\u2019re paranoid, Cordelia. Vera and I are solid.\u201d<\/p>\n
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