I had sat there in silence, wearing a plain civilian suit, letting her words wash over me.

I had not told her that the windowless basement she sneered at was the command center for the entire Eastern Fleet.

I had not told her that Nathan’s entire career depended on my signature.

My phone screen lit up again in the dark.

It was a text from Nathan.

*Evelyn, I know you have the packet on your desk. Let’s get this wrapped up tonight. Caroline is anxious to sign the lease on the Alexandria house.*

I did not type a response.

Instead, I opened the draft of the promotion board memorandum on my screen.

The cursor blinked steadily at the bottom of the page.

Under the section titled “Commanding Officer’s Recommendation,” there were three boxes.

Highly Recommend.

Recommend with Reservation.

Do Not Recommend.

If I checked the third box, the Board of Inquiry would automatically open his file for investigation.

All the raw data I had just uncovered would be made public to the promotion board.

His career would be over.

The wedding would be ruined.