Before I could respond, Nolan entered the room.
“Blair, honey.”
He approached with soft, apologetic eyes.
“I am so sorry. She just… lost her mind.”
I stepped backward.
“She needs psychiatric help,” he continued. “I didn’t want any of this.”
“You went to her house at nine-thirty at night carrying a pie?”
He sighed.
Then he leaned closer.
His voice dropped.
“Listen carefully, Blair.”
Something changed in his face.
“You’re up for Colonel next month. You’re waiting on a Top Secret security clearance upgrade.”
I stared at him.
“If this turns into a domestic violence scandal—if the military finds out your mother is unstable and you’re covering for her—what do you think happens to your promotion?”
There it was.
Not concern.
Leverage.
“Sign the psychiatric hold,” he whispered. “Let me handle this.”
Then he brushed a piece of lint from my uniform.
“Choose your career, Blair.”
A pause.
“Choose us.”
I looked into the eyes of the man I’d married.
He thought I was afraid of losing my career.
