My heart was pounding against my ribs, but my hands remained steady.

“The drafts contain multiple versions of the anonymous tip sent to your command,” the officer said.

“They were edited over a period of three weeks,” he added.

“Three weeks?” I asked.

Three weeks ago, I was still deployed in the field, sleeping in a tent and eating rations.

While I was serving my country, my husband and his mother were drafting my ruin.

“There is also a digital receipt,” the officer said.

He scrolled down, revealing a transaction log.

“A payment of four thousand dollars to a private laboratory in the city,” he read.

“For the altered DNA profile,” Hayes noted.

“Yes, sir,” the officer said. “The payment was made using a credit card registered to Patricia Vance.”

I looked at Daniel, who had slumped against the kitchen counter.

“She wanted to take Emma from me,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

“She said you didn’t deserve her,” Daniel muttered, his head hanging down.

“She said your career would always come first.”

“So you let her destroy my life?” I asked.