The Blood on His Medals

Summary

After the divorce went through, I took the urns containing my sister and my father and moved to a forgotten coastal town in northern Maine.

I discarded my phone, scrubbed my digital footprint, and signed a lease under my maiden name. I severed every root connecting me to that manicured military garrison, leaving no forwarding address.

Back in their circles, everyone assumed I was throwing a prolonged tantrum. They whispered over highballs at the officers' club that I was prideful, volatile, and bound to return once the chill set in, begging on my knees for reconciliation.