MY BROTHER SPENT SIX YEARS TELLING EVERYONE I HAD WASHED OUT OF THE NAVY, SO I STOOD SILENTLY IN THE BACK OF HIS SEAL CEREMONY—UNTIL THE MAJOR GENERAL SAW ME, FORGOT HIS MICROPHONE WAS ON, AND SAID, “OH WOW, YOU ACTUALLY CAME?” WHAT DID HE KNOW ABOUT ME? / Chapter 15 / 20

Chapter 15 - The New CommandThe morning of the Division 9 restructuring ceremony was crisp, bright, and entirely devoid of the artificial glamour that had marked Tyler’s graduation months ago.

There were no press cameras flashing in our faces. No proud, hypocritical parents sitting in the front rows. No hollow handshakes or rehearsed smiles.

Just a tight, highly skilled team of federal investigators, forensic auditors, and intelligence operatives who knew the true cost of truth and accountability.

I stood at the podium in the main briefing room of the underground headquarters, wearing a crisp civilian suit, my silver investigator badge pinned proudly to my lapel.

“We didn't build this division to protect reputations,” my voice rang out steady, clear, and unyielding across the silent room. “We built it to protect the integrity of the service. If someone wears the uniform—whether they’re an ensign stealing supply funds or an admiral selling classified contracts—they answer to the same standard.”

In the front row, Sarah Vance gave a subtle, respectful nod.

After the briefing concluded, I walked out into the private courtyard overlooking the naval station. The salt air was cool against my skin, carrying the familiar, distant sound of gulls and crashing waves.

My phone buzzed one last time.

A letter scanned and forwarded from the federal penitentiary in Colorado. It wasn't from Tyler—he had refused my letters for weeks. It was a brief, handwritten note from my mother, written on cheap institutional paper:

“Chloe, your father’s health has failed since the trial. We are living in a small apartment in Phoenix now. We finally read the audit reports. We were wrong about everything. I don't expect you to forgive us, but I want you to know... I am finally proud of the woman you became.”

I stared at the screen for a long moment, reading the words twice.

Then, I pressed delete.