Chapter 1 - The Eviction of Illusions
"Babe, what’s wrong?" Marcus demanded, his hands fluttering over Serena’s shoulders, checking her for injuries. He didn't even glance at his daughter. He didn't look at me. His entire universe had narrowed to the woman wearing his shirt and my patience.
"Your psycho wife just assaulted me!" Serena shrieked, pointing a manicured finger at me. "She came out of nowhere and lunged at me!"
Marcus finally turned his head. The color completely drained from his face, leaving his skin a sickly, ashen gray. He looked at my mud-caked boots, the tactical vest still strapped to my chest, and the cold, dead look in my eyes. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
"Jessica," he stammered. "You... you weren't supposed to be back for another three weeks. The agency said—"
"The agency says a lot of things, Marcus," I interrupted, my voice dropping to a low, lethal register. I kept my arms tightly wrapped around Chloe, whose face was buried in my neck. She was still trembling, her tiny fingers clutching the collar of my fleece. "Like how you were supposed to be guarding our daughter. Not playing house with a parasite."
Serena gasped. "Excuse me? Marcus, are you going to let her talk to me like that?"
Marcus puffed out his chest, trying to summon the authority he had faked for five years. "Jessica, calm down. Let’s be adults about this. Serena and I... we have a connection. I was going to tell you when you got back. It’s over. I’m keeping the house, and we can figure out a fair custody arrangement for Chloe."
I stared at him. The sheer, unadulterated audacity of this man would have been hilarious if my daughter wasn't covered in bruises.
"You’re keeping the house?" I asked softly.
"Yes," Marcus said, gaining false confidence. "My name is on the mortgage. I pay the bills here while you're off playing soldier. Serena is moving in."
I let out a single, humorless laugh. It echoed off the vaulted ceilings.
"Marcus," I said, shifting Chloe's weight so I could reach into my tactical pouch. "Did you actually forget who you married? Or did you just convince yourself of your own lies?"
I pulled out a small, encrypted black phone—my secure agency device—and tapped the screen.
"The deed to this estate is held in a blind trust," I stated, my voice echoing like ice cracking over a frozen lake. "A trust established by my grandfather. You don't own the house, Marcus. You don't own the cars in the garage. The venture capital firm you 'founded'? Seeded entirely by my trust, under a contract that allows me to pull the capital at any moment for breach of morality."
Marcus blanched. "You... you're bluffing."
"Am I?" I pressed a button on the screen. "I just authorized a complete freeze on your corporate and personal accounts. I also triggered the security protocol on the smart-home system."
Right on cue, the automated voice of the house AI chimed over the hidden speakers. "Lockdown protocol initiated. Unauthorized personnel have five minutes to vacate the premises before law enforcement is dispatched."
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Serena looked wildly around the room. "Marcus, what is she talking about? You said you were a millionaire! You said she was just a government drone!"
"Get out," I snarled, the last thread of my restraint snapping. "Both of you. If you are still in my house in four minutes, I will show you exactly what a 'government drone' learns to do to domestic terrorists."
