Tonight, I\u2019m back for dinner. My mother will beam over Ethan\u2019s promotion, my dad will nod approvingly, and someone will ask me if I\u2019m \u201cstill deployed somewhere.\u201d I won\u2019t argue. I won\u2019t correct them. Because tomorrow, when their CEO refers to me as \u201cColonel Rhys\u201d in a room full of executives, that moment of realization will say more than I ever could. Let them have tonight. Tomorrow will rewrite everything.<\/p>\n
The driveway seemed tighter than I remembered. My rental SUV felt too stark, too deliberate next to my mother\u2019s dented crossover. I shut off the ignition and sat in stillness. My hands were steady\u2014what we call operational calm\u2014but my stomach twisted the way it always did before an assignment. The porch light cast a warm hue over the worn welcome mat. Nothing had changed, especially not the mixed feeling of being invisible and scrutinized the moment I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
I rang the bell. \u201cCassandra!\u201d my mom\u2019s voice floated from the kitchen. \u201cIt\u2019s open!\u201d<\/p>\n
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