My hand shook as I touched my belly, feeling the tight knot of another contraction.

I had kept my rank and my family’s twenty-million-dollar trust a secret from Grant to protect myself.

Now, as headlights cut through the dark rain behind my car, I realized the secret was about to end.

A black SUV pulled into the driveway, its high beams bathing my rearview mirror in blinding white light.

The headlights cut through the wet darkness, illuminating the front porch where Grant and Brielle stood watching.

The vehicle stopped just inches from my rear bumper.

The driver’s door swung open, and a figure stepped out into the pouring rain.

The driver wore a wet utility jacket with the Army emblem visible under the driveway light.

He opened my passenger door, holding a large black umbrella over me to block the pouring rain.

“Colonel Langley, I am Sergeant Miller,” he said, his voice steady against the wind. “General Vale sent me. Let me help you.”

I leaned heavily on his arm, my legs trembling as another sharp contraction gripped my abdomen.