Chapter 1

In the seventh year of Julia Fenner's marriage to Colonel Everett Warden, she carried her family papers to the housing office to buy a subsidized faculty apartment and was told the record in her hand was a forgery.

How could that be possible?

Certain the clerk had made a mistake, Julia politely asked her to check again. "My husband transferred my records after we married."

The clerk checked the county and military-family registry again, her patience visibly thinning, and looked at Julia with something close to scorn.

"There's no mistake. Everett Warden's lawful record lists two other people: his wife, Lydia Warden, and their son, Peter."

Chapter 1

Julia Fenner sat frozen before the counter, her head buzzing as if a knot of wire were rolling around inside it, tightening with every turn.

Lydia Warden? Wasn't she supposed to be the widow of one of Everett's men? Why was she listed as his wife?

Julia read the record the clerk had turned toward her one more time.

Wife: Lydia Warden. Son: Peter Warden.

Julia's name did not appear anywhere on Everett's dependent record with the Army.

She left the housing office in a daze and went to the address the clerk had given her, the residence listed on Everett's dependent record.

She could not make herself approach the door. From outside the yard, she heard warm laughter filling the house.

Everett handed the boy a large bag of candy. "Look what Dad brought you."

Peter jumped up and wrapped his arms around Everett's neck. "I love you, Dad."

Lydia emerged from the kitchen smiling. "Wash your hands. Dinner is ready."

The scene inside was warm and complete, while Julia felt frozen to the bone. Unable to bear another second, she fled.

The sun had been down for hours by the time she returned home. Nora Dawson, the housekeeper, hurried to meet her.

"Ms. Fenner, thank goodness you're back. Colonel Warden has called several times. He was frantic when no one knew where you were. Please call him before he worries himself sick."

Julia lifted her head blankly. The telephone rang before she responded, and Mrs. Dawson answered. It was Everett.

"Colonel, Ms. Fenner just came in. Yes, I'll put her on."

The instant Everett's voice reached her through the receiver, Julia could no longer hold back her tears.

He noticed immediately. "What's wrong, Jules? Did you miss me? I'll ask the general for leave tomorrow and come home."

Before that day, the promise would have delighted her. She would have admitted that she missed him with her whole heart.

They had been married seven years, yet Everett came home only on summer and winter leave. Whenever Julia asked to live near Fort Ashcombe, he insisted the conditions were too harsh.

She had never imagined he was legally married elsewhere, or that the marriage certificate and household papers he gave her were forged.

"Life near the base is hard, Jules. I couldn't stand watching you suffer there. Wait until I earn my transfer, and then we'll never have to live apart again."

Julia had never doubted him or asked a single question.

Now she said, "Don't request leave. I want to apply for family housing near your unit."

"I already told you, I don't want you living under those conditions. Did something happen? I'll come back tomorrow."

His concern did not sound false, yet hearing the answer she had expected made Julia suddenly calm.

She wiped her tears. "Nothing happened. I think I'm coming down with a cold."

"Take care of yourself. Ask Mrs. Dawson to make soup. Your students matter, but your health matters more. Take your medicine and don't make me worry. I'll visit as soon as I can."

He sounded as tender as ever. Julia's tears kept falling, and just before the call ended, she heard the boy in the background.

"Dad, hurry. Mom cut her hand."

Everett rushed away without hanging up properly. Julia listened to the open line for a full minute.

Then she ended the call and dialed another number.

"Professor Amos Bell, I accept the position at Briar Ridge Research Station."

Professor Bell's voice became grave. "Have you thought this through, Ms. Fenner? Project 403 is a classified appointment. Your public identity will be sealed, and you may have to work under another name for the rest of your life."

Julia had never been more certain.

"The work is urgent," he said at last. "You have two weeks to settle your affairs. A secured transport team will collect you when the time comes."

Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Julia submitted her resignation to Walter Harris, the school principal, after classes ended.

He valued her deeply. She had taught at Latchford Community School for years, and her students adored her, but he knew he could not force her to remain.

"None of us wants to lose you, but everyone knows how devoted you and Colonel Warden are. Sooner or later, you were bound to join him near his post. He must hate leaving you alone. I won't stand in your way."

Everyone believed Julia and Everett shared an enviable marriage. No one knew the entire thing was a performance built on forged papers.

"Principal Harris, that isn't why. Everett..."

He waved with the confidence of someone who thought he understood. "I was young once too. Besides, you and the colonel have been together long enough to start thinking about children."

Years earlier, Julia had been badly injured protecting Everett, and with that injury she had lost her chance at motherhood.

Everett's relatives had always treated her coldly, but no one had openly blamed her for being unable to continue the family line.

She had believed Everett defended her. Now she understood they never complained because he already had a son.

Julia stopped trying to explain.

A new teacher would take her class. All she needed to do was complete the handover during her remaining days.

When Julia left the school, she saw Everett waiting beneath the large tree near the gate. A car stood beside him, with someone sitting inside.

Another teacher spotted him and called, "Colonel Warden, here to pick up Ms. Fenner?"

Everett looked up at once. The moment he saw Julia, he crossed the distance and pulled her into his arms.

Classes had just ended, and teachers and students crowded the gate, but no one found the embrace unusual. Whenever Everett returned, he always waited there for Julia.

His uniform carried the stale smell of an overnight journey. Once, Julia would have held him tighter because that road-worn scent proved how far he traveled for her.

She looked at the dark stubble along his jaw and the shadows beneath his eyes. Her throat closed before she could speak, and tears came first.

"What's wrong? Are you still sick? You have to care for yourself when I'm gone. Fall weather changes quickly. The moment I heard you had a cold, I requested leave and drove through the night."

Everett wiped her tears in a panic. His warm, dry palms cradled her face, and his gaze overflowed with concern.

The love in his eyes felt like a dull blade pressing slowly into her heart, painful precisely because part of her still wanted to believe it.

Until—

"You must be Ms. Fenner. Everett speaks of you often." Lydia stood just behind his shoulder.

Julia went rigid. She could not believe he had dared bring his lawful wife home and stand her directly in front of her.

Everett noticed nothing. He released Julia, stepped beside Lydia, and introduced her. "Jules, this is Lydia. She is...the widow of one of my fallen men."

A fallen man's widow. Julia forced a smile. Before she could respond, Everett's aide, Daniel Chase, ran over and whispered urgently in his ear.

Julia watched his face change. He turned to her immediately. "There's an emergency at the unit. Go home without me."

He took Lydia by the hand, put her in the car, and left.

Everett had lied again. Julia had clearly heard the words hospital and child.

She did not know what drove her to follow them. At Latchford County Hospital, she stood outside the room and listened to Everett berate the staff.

"He's had a fever for half the day. Why hasn't it broken? And why did it take more than one attempt to place the IV? What kind of care is this?"

The head nurse, Mabel Quinn, was Julia's close friend. She frowned at him. "Colonel Warden, stop bullying my staff. The boy fought the needle, and they had to try twice. That does not justify shouting at nurses."

"Dad, I feel awful." Tears covered Peter's pale face.

Everett's anger vanished. He gathered the boy into his arms and soothed him, while Mabel stared as if the room had tilted beneath her.

"Everett, what did that boy just call you?" Fury filled her eyes.

"How could you do this to Julia? She was injured saving your life and lost her chance to become a mother, and you built another household behind her back? You brought them into my hospital and expected me not to tell her?"

Silence held the room for a moment before Everett answered in a low voice. "Lydia is my lawful wife. If you care about Julia at all, you'll keep this from her.

"I hid it because I love her, but the Warden family needed an heir. You're her friend. You don't want to destroy her, so you know what shouldn't be said."

"You're out of your mind. You expect me to help you lie to her?"

"I saw the transfer request involving your father's position. If you want it approved without trouble, you know what to do." Everett's stare was cold enough to silence the rest of Mabel's protest.

"Nurse, I know I am not worthy of Everett, but our child is innocent. Please take good care of him." Lydia began to cry, and Everett drew her against him.

"No one will neglect my son. And you need to stop thinking only about Peter and care for yourself. I'll have the doctor prescribe something to build your strength. You gave the Warden family its heir. Never say you are unworthy of me again."

Julia watched from outside as he held Lydia's face with the same gentle hands that had touched hers at the school gate.

He treasured Lydia too. Then what was Julia to him? She staggered backward and knocked a cup from a passing patient's hand.

Hot water splashed across the back of her hand, raising an angry red patch. The patient was unharmed and kept asking, "Ma'am, are you all right?"

Julia seemed unable to feel the burn. She turned and ran from the hospital without looking back.

Chapter 3

By the time Julia returned home, blisters had risen across the burn on her hand. Her hollow expression frightened Mrs. Dawson.

"Ms. Fenner, what happened? That burn needs treatment. I'll call Colonel Warden." The housekeeper reached for the telephone.

Julia stopped her. "Please don't. Just put some burn ointment on it."

"You don't want to worry him, do you? He normally returns every six months, but this time it has only been two. He must have come because he heard you were ill. If he sees this burn, he'll be beside himself."

Mrs. Dawson brought the ointment and applied it carefully. "Am I pressing too hard? Does it hurt?"

Everyone believed Everett loved Julia completely. No one knew his devotion was divided between two women.

Julia touched her cheek with her uninjured hand and discovered it wet with tears. She wiped them away and forced a smile. "Thank you. It doesn't hurt."

After Mrs. Dawson left, Julia began packing and realized how little of Everett actually existed inside the house.

He stayed only briefly each year. A few uniforms remained in the closet, along with photographs of the two of them on her dresser. There was almost nothing else.

The warning signs had always been there. She had simply trusted him too completely to see them.

Everett did not return that night. Julia tossed until well after midnight before sleep finally came.

The next morning, noise in the living room woke her. Expecting Mrs. Dawson, she entered to find Lydia and Peter inside her home.

Peter stood on a chair reaching for a small wooden train on the cabinet, the only keepsake Julia still had from her parents.

"Don't touch that," Julia shouted.

The boy startled but refused to release it. Lydia lifted him down and placed him on the floor.

"Ms. Fenner, Peter and I will be staying here for a while." Lydia smiled, but no warmth reached her eyes.

Julia ignored her and walked directly to Peter. "Give it back."

He hid both hands behind him and lifted his chin. "I found it, so it's mine."

"You wouldn't fight a child over one little toy, would you? He's curious. If Everett were here, he would let his son have it. You already know Peter belongs to him, don't you?"

Julia gave Lydia one cold glance and reached for the train. Lydia understood from her silence that the secret was already exposed.

"So you truly know. Yet you still refuse to leave Everett. Today I'll show you who matters more to him." Lydia shoved Peter hard enough to send him to the floor, and the boy began screaming.

"What happened?" Everett appeared in the doorway carrying a suitcase. Seeing Peter on the floor, he crossed the room and lifted him at once.

"Everett, don't blame Ms. Fenner. This is our fault. I failed to teach Peter not to grab what belongs to someone else." Lydia snatched the train from his hands.

"Ms. Fenner, he's young and doesn't understand. Here."

Julia wanted only the keepsake and ignored Lydia's performance. As she reached for it, Lydia released the train before their hands met. It struck the floor and shattered.

It was the only object Julia's parents had left her.

She dropped to her knees and gathered the broken pieces. Splinters covered the floor, and there was no way to restore it.

"You attacked a small child over a wooden toy?" Everett asked coldly.

Julia rose and met his eyes. "A wooden toy? Everyone else may be ignorant, but you knew it was the only thing I had from my parents."

Everett faltered. Lydia wrapped both hands around his arm and filled her eyes with tears. "I didn't know it mattered so much. This is my fault and Peter's. We should never have come. Don't be angry with Ms. Fenner. We'll leave."

She pretended to turn away, but Everett caught her immediately. Guilt entered his eyes as he faced Julia.

"Peter is ill. Let them stay for a few days. Don't make this harder than it has to be. I'll build you another train. All right?"

Julia almost laughed, yet her eyes burned. "Fine. They can stay as long as they like. I'm leaving soon anyway."

She placed the fragments carefully inside a cloth bag and turned away. Everett seized her wrist and searched her face. "Where are you going?"

Chapter 4

Everett's grip tightened when Julia tried to pull away. He refused to release her and stared into her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"Let go. I need to..." She struggled, but the suitcase belonging to Lydia and Peter remained in Everett's other hand, and the truth nearly escaped her.

Lydia placed one hand over Everett's and pinched Julia's arm lightly with the other. At that small touch, Everett loosened his grip.

"Everett, don't hold Ms. Fenner so hard. She must be going to school. Don't worry. I'll replace whatever Peter broke."

"Don't bother," Julia said coldly.

She shook Lydia's hand away and left the house. She told herself again and again not to care, yet her mind kept replaying the intimate sight of Lydia's hand resting over Everett's.

The memory made acid rise in Julia's stomach.

Fighting the nausea, she organized her class's progress and recorded every detail in a notebook. She was leaving, but she still wanted to make the transition easy for her students.

That afternoon, she entered the classroom intending to tell them she had resigned. Before she could begin, Principal Harris knocked and interrupted.

"Ms. Fenner, this boy will sit in your class for several days. Colonel Warden said he's a distant relative. I assume he already told you."

The chalk snapped in Julia's fingers. The faint scrape against her nails seemed deafening after the principal's words.

Everett had told her nothing. Perhaps he believed his disguise was perfect. It was not enough to bring the boy into Julia's home; now he had placed him inside her classroom. Did he truly believe she was a fool?

Principal Harris led Peter to an empty desk at the back. Julia used every ounce of restraint she had left.

This was a school, and Peter was a student. Julia turned away, closed her eyes for one hard second, then faced the board and began the lesson as though nothing had happened.

Peter disrupted the class repeatedly. Julia limited herself to verbal warnings until, near dismissal, he cut a lock of hair from the girl sitting in front of him.

"Peter, come to my office."

School had ended, and the office was empty except for Julia and the boy.

For the first time, she studied him carefully. He had Everett's height and build. Even at six, he seemed older than the other children, and his eyes and brow were unmistakably Everett's.

Julia drew a deep breath and reminded herself that a child was not responsible for his father's betrayal.

"Tomorrow, ask your mother to move you to a lower grade. This is third grade, and at six you cannot keep up."

Peter stared at her. "You're the one who's six. I'm eight."

The pages beneath Julia's hand fluttered in the breeze. She thought she had misheard and asked again, "Eight?"

"I'm eight." Peter spotted Lydia entering the office and ran toward her happily.

Lydia examined him, then walked to Julia's desk. "Ms. Fenner, Peter has been difficult. I'll discipline him."

She picked up a wooden ruler and struck him several times. Peter howled, while Julia heard only the words I'm eight, repeating as old memories raced through her mind.

When Everett proposed, he knelt before her and said, "Jules, I will cherish you, love you, and respect you for the rest of my life. Marry me."

When she woke in the hospital after taking a knife meant for him, his eyes had been full of pain. "Even if you can never have children, I will never leave you."

Every time she asked to live near his post, he held her and promised, "I don't want you suffering there. Once I earn my transfer, we'll never be separated again."

The memories dissolved beneath Peter's cries. He was eight. Everett had lied from the beginning and continued lying for seven years.

Lydia shoved Peter hard enough that he knocked a chair and desk onto Julia's foot. Julia stood abruptly, and a fierce pain tore through her abdomen. She tried to lift the furniture, but Lydia hooked a foot in her path and sent her down.

"Ms. Fenner, however badly he behaved, you shouldn't beat him." Lydia helped Peter up while crying.

"What happened?" Everett rushed into the office. The moment he saw Peter's swelling ankle, he lifted him.

"Don't blame Ms. Fenner. Peter was unruly. He deserved to be corrected."

Julia had never seen anyone turn on a dime like that. She forced herself upright despite the abdominal pain. "Peter, tell him who hit you."

The boy's eyes shifted. Then he buried his face against Everett's chest. "Ms. Fenner did."

Julia stared at him. "That's a lie."

"Enough." Everett's voice cracked through the room. "He's a child. Why would he lie? Jules, I never imagined you'd treat a student this way. What happened to your integrity as a teacher?"

Julia swayed as the pain intensified and her face drained of color. "I never imagined you'd care this much about a dead man's child. Is he really one of your men's son, or is he—"

"Peter fainted from the pain. We have to get him to the hospital." Lydia screamed. Everett looked down at the boy's closed eyes and hurried away.

As Julia watched his back disappear, another wave of pain brought her to the floor.

A teacher entered at that moment, saw her collapsed, and ran to support her.

Pain pulsed through Julia's abdomen. She gripped her colleague's sleeve. "Everett...he just left. Please bring him back. I need the hospital."

The teacher ran after him. Time had never moved so slowly. When she returned, she was alone.

"Colonel Warden seemed to have an emergency. He left before I could finish speaking."

Julia could no longer remain conscious. Darkness swallowed the office.

Chapter 5

Julia felt as if she had lived through an endless dream. It began with Everett giving her every tenderness she had ever wanted and ended with a woman and child proving that all of it was false.

Their seven-year marriage was false. Everett's love was false. Every promise from beginning to end was false.

She woke to nurses talking in the hallway.

"That boy only scraped his ankle. Why does he come back every day for a bandage?"

"He's the son of one of Colonel Warden's men, killed in the line of duty. The colonel dotes on him. He comes in for every dressing change."

"The mother seems far too attached to the colonel. I don't understand him. The woman he calls his wife is lying here pregnant, and he hasn't visited once."

"He may not even know she is pregnant."

Julia's heart lurched. Her hand moved slowly to her abdomen. She was pregnant?

Tears slipped down her cheeks. Once, she had wanted a child more than anything, but now—

This child had arrived at the worst possible time.

Mabel entered, saw that Julia was awake, and hurried to support her.

"Why didn't you press the call button? Does anything still hurt? Is your abdomen cramping?" Mabel arranged pillows behind her and checked her carefully.

Julia looked at her and remembered what she had overheard at the hospital. She did not blame Mabel for remaining silent. Everett had created this betrayal.

"I don't want to continue the pregnancy."

Mabel stared at her in shock, but Julia's expression left no doubt.

"Your injuries...if you end this pregnancy, you may never have another chance."

Julia spoke softly. "Mabel, I know everything. I can't bring his child into this. Don't tell him."

Mabel opened her mouth several times, unable to argue. At last, she held Julia's hand. "I'll arrange it. Quietly."

Everett did not arrive until that afternoon. He behaved with his familiar attentiveness, watching Julia's every movement.

When she tried to sit, he supported her immediately and adjusted the pillows behind her.

She barely moved her lips before he poured water and lifted the glass toward her.

No matter what he did now, her heart no longer responded.

Mabel came back for her. Seeing Everett in the room, she looked uncomfortable. "Jules, we're ready for you."

After she left, Everett's eyelid twitched. "Prepare for what?"

Julia did not answer. She moved his hand away calmly. "There is one more examination before discharge."

"I'll go with you." The words had barely left him when Lydia rushed into the room looking distressed.

"Everett, Peter keeps crying that his ankle hurts. He wants you."

Everett hesitated only a moment. "Jules, I'll come back soon."

Julia expected nothing from him now. She answered simply, "All right."

A vague uneasiness followed Everett to the door. Julia seemed different. He looked back once before leaving.

She stood steadily by the window and watched him go. He exhaled in relief. He was imagining things. Julia loved him. That could not change.

Chapter 6

The abortion was brief. Julia felt as though she had fallen asleep and awakened to discover something gone from her body, as though it had never existed.

Everett did not return to the hospital. Julia was discharged alone the next day. The front door stood partly open, and before she entered, she saw Everett and Lydia wrapped around each other.

Lydia's breathing came in broken gasps. "Everett, it's broad daylight."

"So what? Peter is at school. What are you afraid of? You're the one who tempted me."

Julia stopped, rooted where she stood. Inside, Everett drew Lydia's hand toward his belt and murmured, "Go on."

Julia made herself watch, punishing herself with every second of it. Her eyes burned and her chest seized, and still she did not move.

Veins stood along Everett's forearms, his ears flushed, and his broad shoulders covered Lydia almost completely. Julia knew every detail of the way he looked when desire overtook him.

Remembering the countless nights he had looked at her the same way made Julia violently ill.

Her retching interrupted them. Everett pulled his clothes together and hurried to the door, where he found Julia crying and struggling not to vomit.

He reached for her shoulder. "What's wrong, Jules? Why aren't you still at the hospital?"

The heat of his palm reached through her coat. Julia shuddered and struck his hand away. "Don't touch me. You're disgusting."

Her vision darkened, and pressure closed around her chest. Everett caught her before she fell.

"Even if you're furious, you have to protect your health. This is my fault, not Lydia's. Now that you've seen us, I won't lie. She has endured a great deal for years. Hit me or curse me if you need to."

Julia had imagined this moment. She thought he might beg endlessly, kneel, or plead for forgiveness. She had never imagined this calm entitlement.

There may have been guilt in his eyes, but he spoke as though his betrayal were reasonable.

Her disappointment became so complete that it left her strangely calm. "Continue. I came for something and still have to go to the school."

Her composure irritated him. Everett grabbed her arm. "What else do you want from me? You couldn't give me children, and I still kept this home with you for years. Everyone knows how well I treated you.

"You're almost thirty. Who's going to want you if you leave me? If you love me, why can't you accept the people who matter to me? I made the mistake every man makes. Can't you forgive me once?"

"Of course. You did nothing wrong. This is all my fault. I was blind enough to save you from that knife." The words tore Julia apart even as she spoke them.

Seeing the grief in her eyes, Everett regretted lashing out. He softened his voice. "I lost my head. Forgive me, Jules. You're going to school? I'll drive you."

Julia ignored him and walked away. Everett followed close behind. Neighbors greeted them with the same familiar praise: "Colonel Warden certainly treasures his wife. He escorts Ms. Fenner everywhere."

Julia had heard those words for years. Once, they filled her with happiness because the whole town seemed to recognize his love. Now they sounded cruelly ironic.

She said nothing on the way. At the school gate, Everett forced an embrace around her. "We'll discuss this tonight. I'll pick you up after classes."

"No."

Julia had come only to complete the transition to the new teacher. She no longer had lessons and spent the day organizing records in the office.

Classes had been over for some time when she handed over the final materials.

Only seven days remained before her secured transport would arrive.

At the school gate, she looked automatically toward the old tree, then laughed at herself. Seven years, and her body still looked for him without being told. Whenever Everett came home, he had always waited under that tree.

As she stood distracted, Lydia appeared suddenly, seized Julia's arm, and dropped to her knees.

"Ms. Fenner, if you hate me, I'll leave. But you cannot hurt my son. Peter is my whole life."

Chapter 7

Julia had not even understood Lydia's accusation when Everett hauled Lydia to her feet. Lydia kept trying to kneel, and he had to half carry her away from Julia.

"Jules, no matter how angry you are with me, you cannot punish a child. Tell me where Peter is. Lydia will not press charges if he comes back safely."

Everett spoke loudly enough for everyone at the school gate to hear. Curious and condemning eyes turned toward Julia, but she ignored them and met his gaze with her head high.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't seen Peter today."

"Ms. Fenner, I know you cannot have children and hate seeing Peter in Everett's home, but he is innocent. Please tell me where you hid him."

Lydia broke away from Everett and dug her nails into Julia's arm. Julia stepped back, trying to shake her off, and Everett's mother struck her across the face.

"You barren little tramp. It wasn't enough to cling to my son for years? Tell us where you hid my grandson. If he has so much as a scratch, I will make you pay."

Estelle Warden's slap knocked Julia to the ground and split her lip. As the older woman stood over her cursing, the crowd's curiosity hardened into disgust, and Julia felt the last warmth leave her heart.

"I did not hide him."

Everett lowered his eyes and walked toward her. He had barely extended a hand when his aide shouted, "We found him."

Everyone turned. The aide carried Peter, whose clothes were covered in yellow mud. Everett crossed the yard, took the boy, and inspected him from head to foot before finally breathing again.

Lydia rushed over. "You frightened me to death. Why did you follow a stranger? Tell us who took you."

Peter pointed at Julia on the ground. "She did. She locked me up and left me on the ridge."

Estelle answered instantly. "Take her to the discipline room. A few days alone will teach her to confess."

Two household guards seized Julia and began dragging her away. Everett saw her bloodless face and flinched. "Mother, wait—"

"She will only be confined long enough to reflect. Wrongdoing requires consequences."

Julia looked at Everett. "I told you I had nothing to do with this."

Everett turned his back. "If you did wrong, accept the punishment. I'll bring you out when you've reflected."

The final hidden hope Julia had carried for him disappeared.

They threw her into the narrow discipline room behind Warden House. Each day she curled beneath the tiny barred window and watched a small square of daylight move across the wall.

Three days passed without one visit from Everett. The food left outside had spoiled, and Julia could not force herself to eat. She watched the light and prayed for time to move faster.

On the fourth night, someone tapped against the outer wall.

"Now you understand who matters to Everett. You were never going to defeat me."

Lydia's satisfied voice slipped through the barred opening. Julia managed a weak smile and refused to argue.

"Don't think silence will save you. I'm never giving you another chance at my husband. Die in there, Julia."

Lydia pushed burning straw through the opening. Fire spread across the dry floor. Julia crawled to the door and pounded until her hands split, but no one answered.

She no longer knew how much time had passed when the door crashed inward.

"We are with Project 403. The research schedule moved forward, and transport leaves tonight. Intelligence will record you as a casualty of this fire so your public identity can be sealed."

A station officer supported Julia into the waiting vehicle. Once clear of the flames, she dragged air into her lungs.

The truck began moving. Firelight receded in the mirror, and Julia finally lost consciousness. Just before darkness took her, the corner of her mouth lifted.

From that moment on, she had another life.

Goodbye, Everett. For good.