“You have no idea what you’re starting.”
I looked at her.
Then at my daughter.
Then back at her.
“Actually, I do.”
The woman frowned.
I adjusted my jacket.
The same jacket I’d worn through deployments, emergencies, and years of leadership.
Then I answered.
“What you’re seeing isn’t the beginning.”
She blinked.
“What?”
I helped Emily to her feet.
“It’s the end.”
For the first time all night, Margaret had nothing to say.
Outside, the evening air felt cool.
Fresh.
Free.
Emily sat in my car and cried.
Not from
