Chapter 6 - The Call That Should Never Have Happened
Daniel ended the call without another word.
Anna stared at him.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel looked toward the boys.
“Not here.”
“Daniel.”
He rubbed a hand over his face.
“General Holloway is on the promotion board.”
Anna’s stomach tightened.
“And?”
“And my decision was already final.”
“To decline the command?”
“Yes.”
“What happens if your mother told him otherwise?”
Daniel gave a humorless smile.
“At best, I look indecisive.”
“At worst?”
“I look dishonest.”
Anna’s anger shifted.
This was no longer about Evelyn trying to send her to Denver.
This could damage Daniel professionally.
He had spent twenty years building that career.
Anna knew what it meant to him.
She also knew how much it had cost them.
“When did she call him?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel immediately called his aide.
The conversation lasted less than two minutes.
When it ended, his face confirmed the answer.
“What?”
Anna asked.
“Holloway wants to see me today.”
“Today?”
“At eleven.”
Anna glanced at the clock.
It was nearly eight.
“You have to go.”
Daniel looked at her.
“So do you.”
“No.”
“Anna.”
“You’re not bringing your pregnant wife and two exhausted kids into a meeting with a general.”
A reluctant smile crossed his face.
“That would make an impression.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“I don’t want you going anywhere until I understand what she told him.”
Anna stared.
“You think Evelyn might contact me again?”
“Yes.”
“She already did.”
“I mean in person.”
Anna’s eyes widened.
“You think she’s coming here?”
“My mother hates unfinished arguments.”
Anna thought about that.
He was right.
They checked out of the hotel and returned to the terminal.
Daniel arranged for a car service.
Caleb asked where they were going.
“Home,” Daniel said.
Anna looked at him.
He immediately corrected himself.
“To the house.”
That mattered.
He was not assuming.
Anna appreciated it.
Their house sat thirty minutes from the airport.
Anna had left it the previous afternoon believing she might not return for months.
Walking back inside felt strange.
The living room looked exactly as she had left it.
A folded blanket on the couch.
Toy cars beneath the coffee table.
Daniel’s framed photograph on the bookshelf.
The family picture beside it.
Anna watched Daniel stand in the entryway.
He seemed almost stunned.
“Everything looks smaller.”
“You’ve been living in tents.”
“That may be it.”
The boys ran upstairs.
Daniel carried the luggage in.
Anna noticed he left her suitcase near the door.
He did not take it upstairs.
Again, he was not assuming.
At ten fifteen, Daniel changed.
He moved through the bedroom quietly.
Anna sat on the edge of the bed watching him fasten his tie.
For years, she had loved watching him prepare for work.
There was precision in every motion.
Today she saw tension underneath it.
“What are you going to say?”
“The truth.”
“That your mother lied?”
“That I declined the command.”
“And if they think you changed your mind?”
“I’ll correct it.”
Anna looked at him.
“That simple?”
“No.”
Daniel adjusted his collar.
“Nothing involving a general is simple.”
She almost smiled.
He came closer.
“Will you stay here?”
Anna raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t get to order me.”
“I’m asking.”
She saw the difference.
“Yes.”
“With the boys?”
“Yes.”
“Call me if my mother appears.”
Anna nodded.
Daniel hesitated.
Then he placed his hand lightly against her belly.
The baby moved beneath his palm.
His face softened.
“I’ll be back.”
Anna looked at him.
Those words had become complicated.
Daniel understood.
He corrected himself.
“I plan to be back by one.”
Better.
Anna nodded.
He left.
At 10:52, the doorbell rang.
Anna’s entire body tensed.
She looked through the side window.
Evelyn Mercer stood on the porch.
She wore a cream coat and held a leather handbag.
Her silver-blonde hair was perfectly styled.
She looked composed.
Anna almost laughed.
Of course she did.
Anna opened the door but kept one hand on the frame.
“Hello, Evelyn.”
“May I come in?”
“No.”
Evelyn blinked.
Anna had never refused her entry before.
“I want to explain.”
“You explained by email.”
“Anna.”
“You pretended to be my husband.”
Evelyn’s face tightened.
“I made a mistake.”
“A mistake is sending a message to the wrong person.”
Anna’s voice remained calm.
“You created a message from the wrong person.”
Evelyn looked past her.
“Are the boys here?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to see them.”
“No.”
The answer surprised them both.
Evelyn’s expression cooled.
“You’re keeping my grandchildren from me?”
“I’m keeping adult conflict away from them.”
“I love those boys.”
“I believe you.”
Anna took a breath.
“That does not give you access to my home after what you did.”
Evelyn’s face changed.
For the first time, she looked less like a confident matriarch and more like a woman realizing she had lost control.
“Daniel will calm down.”
“This isn’t about Daniel calming down.”
“He always does.”
Anna’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s how you’ve been treating him, isn’t it?”
Evelyn said nothing.
“Like he’ll eventually return to the decision you prefer.”
“I know my son.”
“So do I.”
“You know the version of him that comes home.”
Anna felt the words hit.
Evelyn continued.
“I know who he is when duty calls.”
There it was.
The old competition Anna had never wanted.
Family versus duty.
Wife versus career.
Love versus service.
Anna stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her.
“My husband is not divided into your version and mine.”
Evelyn looked at her.
“No?”
“No.”
Anna’s voice strengthened.
“He is one man.”
“And that man had a future before you.”
Anna’s heart pounded.
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Evelyn seemed surprised.
Anna continued.
“And he has one now.”
“With you.”
“With his family.”
Evelyn’s mouth tightened.
“You don’t understand what he gave up.”
Anna looked directly at her.
“Neither did I.”
That stopped Evelyn.
Anna continued quietly.
“Because he never told me.”
For the first time, guilt touched Evelyn’s face.
Anna saw it.
“So congratulations.”
Anna stepped closer.
“You protected him from me so well that neither of us knew what the other was losing.”
Evelyn looked away.
Her phone buzzed.
She checked the screen.
Her expression changed.
Anna noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Evelyn.”
The older woman hesitated.
Then she looked toward Anna.
“Daniel’s meeting started early.”
Anna’s blood went cold.
“How do you know?”
Evelyn did not answer.
Anna suddenly realized the worst part.
May you like
Evelyn had not merely called General Holloway once.
She was still in contact with him.
