Chapter 10 - THE ROAD AHEAD
Six months later.
The cool autumn breeze rustled through the orange and red leaves along Maple Street in Cedar Ridge.
I had taken a four-day weekend leave from Fort Campbell to help Hannah pack her bags for her freshman year at Vanderbilt University, where she had been accepted into the pre-law program on a full academic scholarship.
The old Cole house had been sold to a young veteran family who had already painted the front porch a bright, welcoming white and planted vibrant mums along the driveway.
My sister and I stood near the trunk of my SUV, loading her final suite boxes.
Brooke walked over from across the street, holding three hot coffees from the local bakery.
"Are you two ready for the drive to Nashville?" Brooke asked, handing us the cups.
"Born ready," Hannah cheered, jumping into the passenger seat. "I can't wait to get into my dorm!"
Brooke smiled, looking at me. "How does it feel, Staff Sergeant? Knowing your sister is going to be a hotshot lawyer?"
"It feels like justice," I smiled, leaning against the truck. "She's going to make sure nobody gets framed in this state ever again."
My phone chimed in my pocket. A text notification from Colonel Whitmore:
Staff Sergeant Cole: Your unit's deployment orders to Europe have been finalized for early next year. You have been selected to lead the primary logistics platoon. Congratulations.
I looked at the screen, a deep, overwhelming sense of pride and peace washing over my heart.
Four years ago, I had fled this town in the dark, terrified, broken, believing I had lost my family and my future. I had been erased, lied about, and branded a disgrace by the people who were supposed to love me.
But I hadn't stayed erased.
I had returned in uniform, backed by truth, justice, and an unshakeable inner strength that no lie could ever destroy.
I put my phone back in my pocket, took a sip of hot coffee, and looked up at the clear blue Tennessee sky.
"Hey, Becca!" Hannah called out from the truck window, laughing. "Are we going or what?!"
I smiled, pulled my patrol cap onto my head, and stepped into the driver's seat.
May you like
"Let me lead the way," I said.
And as we pulled off Maple Street, heading down the open highway toward a bright, endless horizon, I knew that the past no longer held any power over me. I was Rebecca Cole—a sister, a survivor, a leader, and a soldier—and my story was just beginning.
