Chapter 3 – The First Counterattack
Nathan didn’t sleep that night.
Neither did I.
At 3:14 AM, he was sitting at his desk with his military laptop open. The glow of it made him look like someone I didn’t fully know anymore.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Documenting,” he said.
“Documenting what?”
He didn’t look at me.
“Everything.”
By morning, three things had happened.
First: Nathan had compiled security footage from the driveway cameras at my parents’ estate.
Second: he had taken photos of Caleb’s injury from multiple angles under proper lighting.
Third: he had contacted a military legal liaison.
I stood behind him in silence.
“You’re building a case,” I said slowly.
Nathan nodded once. “Yes.”
I hesitated. “Against your in-laws?”
He finally turned.
“No,” he said. “Against what they think they can get away with.”
A pause.
May you like
Then softer:
“They made a mistake in front of a soldier.”
