Chapter 7 - The Family Reunion Interrupted
Before Daniel could stammer out another excuse, quick footsteps echoed down the hallway behind us.
My father and mother appeared around the corner, followed closely by Aunt Linda, who looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
“Daniel! There you are,” my father called out, his voice still unsteady with shock. Then he stopped, taking in the tense, suffocating atmosphere between us. “What’s going on here? We saw you bolt from the ballroom. And Emily... what did you mean by what you said out there?”
Daniel straightened his jacket frantically, trying to force a mask of injured innocence back onto his face. “Dad, thank god. Emily is... she’s confused. She’s letting old sibling rivalry get the better of her. She’s spinning some wild story about my mission in Eastern Europe.”
My mother rushed forward, grabbing my arm. “Emily, stop this right now! Your brother is a decorated hero. He’s a lieutenant colonel who earned the respect of his commanders! How can you stand there and humiliate him like this after your little surprise ceremony?”
I looked down at my mother’s hand, remembering every single time she had brushed past my report cards to praise Daniel’s mediocre achievements. Then I looked at my father, who still wanted so desperately to believe his golden son was infallible.
“Ask him why his unit’s combat logs from eighteen months ago were classified under a double-black seal,” I said calmly. “Ask him why his commanding officer quietly reassigned him away from active combat duty right after the mission.”
My father turned slowly toward Daniel, his brow furrowing with deep confusion and dawning dread. “Daniel? Is that true? What is she talking about?”
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Daniel’s face drained of what little color remained. He looked at our father, then at me, realizing the trap had finally snapped shut.
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