After my third deployment, my wife filed for divorce. «I’ve met someone better,» she said …

No. I’m giving you information. What you do with it is your choice.

Roy walked to the back door. Children, let’s go to Freddy’s for dinner. As he left with the children, Roy sent a precomposed message to Colonel Barrett.

Confirmation on Resnick. Proceeding to Phase 2.

Opening Moves The following weeks unfolded like a chess match. Two days after his return, Roy received divorce papers citing irreconcilable differences.

Bridget’s attorney, Veronica Slate, a predatory divorce lawyer known for targeting military personnel, demanded the family home, full custody of the children, and 70% of Roy’s military pension. Roy hired Franklin Delacruz, a former JAG officer who specialized in protecting service members’ rights. After reviewing Roy’s evidence, Franklin’s weathered face creased with concern.

This goes beyond a simple divorce case, he said in his office. If your intelligence about Perry Wexler is accurate, your wife may be unwittingly involved in espionage. I believe she’s unwitting, Roy admitted.

Manipulated, certainly. But legally complicit? That’s what I need to determine. And this evidence you’ve gathered, some of it may not be admissible in family court due to how it was obtained.

Roy nodded. I’m aware. That’s why we need parallel tracks.

One for family court, one for federal investigation. Franklin leaned back. You want to draw them out.

Use the divorce proceedings as bait. Exactly. They believe I’m just a desperate husband fighting to keep his children.

Let them think that while we build the real case. The initial hearing was scheduled for September 15th. In the intervening month, Roy moved into a small apartment but exercised his legal right to equal parenting time.

The children were confused and upset by the sudden changes, especially when Bridget began allowing Perry to stay overnight. Why does mom let Mr. Perry sleep over when you can’t live with us anymore? Max asked during one weekend visit. Sometimes adults make complicated decisions, Roy answered carefully.

But I want you to know that none of this is your fault. And I’m going to make sure you’re both taken care of. When alone, Roy continued his investigation.

With Colonel Barrett’s unofficial blessing, he coordinated with a small team of military intelligence specialists who helped track Perry’s movements and communications. What they uncovered was disturbing. Perry had targeted three other military families before the Donovans, each time using the same methodology.

He goes after families where the service member has access to classified intelligence, explained Captain Morales, a cybersecurity specialist assisting Roy off duty. Gets close to the spouse, engineers a divorce, then maintains access to the children as a step-parent figure. Children talk, especially to adults they trust.

They repeat things they’ve overheard, show things they’ve found. It’s insidious. And effective, Roy added grimly.

Have we identified his handler yet? Working on it, we’ve traced communications to a shell company in Delaware that we believe is a front. But here’s something interesting. Large sums are being moved into accounts accessible to your wife.

Roy’s expression darkened. Show me. The financial trail revealed that Bridget had recently opened a private account where significant funds were being deposited, funds that coincided with Roy’s deployment schedules and security clearance upgrades.

The pattern suggested payment for specific intelligence milestones. She’s not just being manipulated, Roy realized. She’s being compensated.

The betrayal cut deeper than the affair. Roy had dedicated his life to protecting his country, only to discover the enemy had been sleeping in his bed, raising his children, all while selling whatever information they could extract from his home, his personal effects, and possibly his children’s innocent conversations. When Roy confronted Bridget about the money during a custody exchange, her reaction confirmed his suspicions.

You’re spying on my private accounts? She hissed, glancing nervously toward where Perry waited in the car. That’s illegal. Is it more or less illegal than accepting payments from foreign nationals in exchange for access to military intelligence? Roy asked quietly.

Because that’s what the evidence suggests, Bridget. You’re insane. She snapped, but her voice trembled.

Perry is a pharmaceutical representative. The money is from investments he’s helping me make. Investments that coincidentally align with my deployment dates and security clearance changes? Roy leaned closer.

Think carefully about what you’re involved in. For the children’s sake, if not your own. For a brief moment, uncertainty flickered across Bridget’s face.

Then Perry honked the car horn, and her expression hardened again. The judge will hear all about your paranoid accusations and surveillance, she said. Enjoy your visitation while it lasts.

As September 15 approached, the legal battle intensified. Veronica Slate filed emergency motions alleging Roy was unstable and potentially dangerous due to PTSD, a condition he’d never been diagnosed with. The court ordered psychological evaluations for both parents.

Meanwhile, the parallel federal investigation accelerated as Roy’s military contacts uncovered connections between Perry Wexler slash Pavel Resnick and known foreign intelligence networks. The evidence was mounting, but they needed to catch him in the act of receiving or transmitting classified information. Three days before the custody hearing, Roy received an encrypted message from Colonel Barrett.

Handler identified. Moving to secure. Maintain cover until confirmation.

That evening, as Roy prepared dinner for the children during his parenting time, Max asked a question that chilled his blood. Dad, is it bad if I told Mr. Perry about your special computer when he asked where you keep your work stuff? Roy kept his voice casual. What did you tell him exactly, buddy? Just that you have a locked cabinet in your office where you put your special laptop when you come home from deployments.

He said he wanted to get you a surprise. Roy hugged his son. That’s not bad at all…