Chapter 6: The Enemy Inside the Family
The cathedral doors locked behind Victor Hale.
I heard the click.
A small sound.
But suddenly, everyone noticed.
The exits.
The security.
The distance between us and the outside world.
My hand instinctively moved toward my side.
Years of training.
Assess the threat.
Identify exits.
Protect civilians.
But this wasn't a battlefield.
This was my wedding.
And the enemy wasn't carrying a weapon.
He was carrying secrets.
Victor smiled when he saw my reaction.
"Still a soldier.""
I didn't move.
"Still a liar.""
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
Then it returned.
"Your father was right about one thing.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"You were always difficult to control.""
My father looked at him.
"Victor, stop.""
Victor turned.
"Now you want to stop me?""
The bitterness in his voice surprised everyone.
My father and Victor weren't partners.
They were enemies.
I saw it immediately.
"Who are you?"" General Matthews asked.
Victor looked at him.
"Someone who knows the truth.""
The general stepped forward.
"Truth doesn't require locked doors.""
Victor smiled.
"Sometimes it does.""
Daniel moved closer.
"Colonel Hayes.""
Victor looked at him.
"You should have stayed out of this.""
Daniel's face hardened.
"You threatened a soldier.""
"No.""
Victor glanced at me.
"I exposed one.""
My father stepped forward.
"What do you want?""
Victor laughed quietly.
"Still thinking like a businessman.""
He looked around.
"You think every problem has a price.""
My father said nothing.
Victor continued.
"I don't want money.""
That surprised everyone.
"I want the truth.""
I almost laughed.
"You're the one hiding it.""
His eyes moved to me.
"No, Captain.""
He said my rank like it annoyed him.
"You've been hiding it.""
The words hit harder than I expected.
Because part of me knew exactly what he meant.
There was still something I hadn't told them.
The full truth.
Not because I was guilty.
Because I was protecting someone.
A soldier.
A family.
A promise.
Victor noticed my silence.
"There it is.""
Mark looked at me.
"Emily?""
I closed my eyes.
I couldn't keep running.
Not anymore.
"Seven years ago...""
My voice was quiet.
Everyone listened.
"The report was incomplete.""
My father's face changed.
"What does that mean?""
"It means I left something out.""
The cathedral became still.
Daniel looked at me.
He knew.
"Why?""
Mark asked.
Not accusing.
Just hurt.
I looked at him.
"Because a nineteen-year-old soldier was about to be blamed for something he didn't do.""
I swallowed.
"Private Tyler Bennett.""
The name meant nothing to most people.
But to me, it meant everything.
"He made a mistake during the mission.""
Daniel nodded.
"But it wasn't his fault.""
"No.""
I looked at Victor.
"It wasn't.""
Victor smiled.
"And that's where she made her mistake.""
My eyes narrowed.
"What?""
"You protected him.""
"Yes.""
"And in doing so, you protected the people responsible.""
I froze.
Because I knew what he was trying to do.
He wasn't telling the truth.
He was twisting it.
Victor stepped closer.
"You changed the report.""
My father looked at me.
"Did you?""
The question hurt.
More than I expected.
Because even after everything...
Even after the slap...
Even after the humiliation...
Part of me still wanted my father to believe me.
"Yes.""
The word came out.
My father looked devastated.
"I changed one sentence.""
I looked at Victor.
"Because the original sentence blamed Tyler.""
Daniel spoke.
"And Captain Allen was right.""
Victor ignored him.
"But the replacement sentence removed another name.""
I felt my chest tighten.
My father looked at me.
"Whose name?""
I didn't answer.
Because this was the moment I had feared.
The moment I had spent seven years avoiding.
Victor stepped forward.
"Tell them, Captain.""
His voice became colder.
"Tell them whose name you protected.""
My hands trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From memory.
The fire.
The smoke.
The radio.
The voice on the other end giving an order.
An order that changed everything.
I looked at my father.
Then at Mark.
Then at General Matthews.
And finally at Daniel.
"I'm sorry.""
Mark's expression changed.
"Emily...""
I whispered the name I had buried for seven years.
"The person I protected...""
I took a breath.
"Was my father.""
The entire cathedral froze.
Richard Allen stared at me.
Confusion.
Pain.
Shock.
All at once.
"I don't understand.""
I looked at him.
"You were there.""
His face went pale.
"No.""
"You were.""
"Emily, I was never in Afghanistan.""
I looked at Victor.
Then back at my father.
"Not physically.""
A pause.
"But your decision was.""
The silence became unbearable.
Daniel closed his eyes.
Because he knew the truth was finally out.
My father whispered:
"What did I do?""
I answered.
"The question isn't what you did.""
I looked at the folder.
"The question is...""
My voice broke.
"How many people knew you did it?""
And from somewhere near the back of the cathedral, another voice answered.
"I know.""
Everyone turned.
A woman stood there.
Holding a second folder.
My mother's face drained of color.
Because she recognized her.
My father whispered her name.
"Sarah...""
The woman looked directly at me.
And said:
"Emily, I'm your father's first wife.""
My heart stopped.
Because I knew my mother was my father's only wife.
Which meant one terrifying possibility.
My father had been hiding a family before me.
May you like
And Sarah wasn't here to expose him.
She was here to reveal why I had been chosen to join the Army in the first place.
