No one looked at me.
The Truth I Never Shared
To my family, I was Emily Carter. Thirty-eight. Single. Always busy. Always distant.
To the Department of Defense, I was Brigadier General Emily Carter, Commander of Joint Task Force Aries.
I oversaw America’s offensive cyber operations.
I had earned my star three weeks earlier in a classified promotion ceremony deep inside the Pentagon. No press. No photographs. Just signatures, oaths, and a quiet acknowledgment from people who understood exactly what that rank meant.