Chapter 1

Ethan came back safe after six months of deployment — and he brought back a girl with a swollen belly.

I was standing at the entrance to the Fort Bragg family housing area, holding my son. My face went black.

Around me, the wives who’d come out to gawk let their coffee slosh out over the rims of their paper cups, splashing across the pavement.

Ethan saw me. His eyes flickered away.

“Honey, let me explain—”

I let out a cold laugh.

Sam, in my arms, looked at his father and the girl, then turned back and asked, wide-eyed and confused: