“And Evelyn is just a bitter, single woman sitting in a gray office in D.C., jealous of everything we have.”

She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my simple navy-blue trousers and knit sweater.

“You’ve always been jealous of me, Evelyn,” Caroline said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

“You couldn’t find a husband, so you went into the Navy to feel important.”

“And now that Nathan is about to become a Commander, you want to drag him down to your level.”

“You want to feel like you have power over him.”

I looked at Nathan.

He was staring at the Persian rug, his jaw clenched, refusing to meet my eyes.

“Nathan,” I said. “Did you tell her about our conversation?”

“He didn’t have to,” Caroline interjected, her chest heaving.

“I saw the email notifications on his phone earlier.”

“And I know people, Evelyn.”

“I had a friend look into what your little department actually does.”

I felt a cold stillness settle over me.

“An unauthorized search of military records is a federal offense, Caroline,” I said.