Chapter 2 - The Tactical Divorce
The transition from a military briefing room to a divorce court was jarring, but for Rachel, it was just another theater of operations. She knew Mark’s playbook: he would paint her as the 'unstable soldier' who couldn't handle domestic life.
She met with a JAG-recommended civilian attorney, a shark in a tailored suit.
"They have the money, Rachel," the lawyer warned. "They have the 'socialite' narrative. They’ll claim that pool party incident was a psychotic break. If they frame you as a risk to the child, you’ll lose custody before you even get to the discovery phase."
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Rachel opened a file. It wasn't full of legal documents. It was a dossier of Mark’s and Caroline’s finances. During her time in intelligence, she had learned how to track money, not just movements. She had documented the illegal offshore accounts Caroline used to dodge taxes, the illicit real estate deals Mark had signed his name to, and the blackmail material Caroline held over local officials.
"They aren't going to frame me," Rachel said, her voice a flat, steady line. "Because if they move to take Ethan, I don't go to family court. I go to the IRS, the SEC, and the district attorney with evidence of grand larceny. Mark wants a divorce? I’ll give him an investigation that ends in handcuffs."
