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The life Major Robert Crawford had built
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was a testament to stability and love, a
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sanctuary he carried with him even
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10,000 m away. At 42, he was a design
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specialist for a prominent electronics
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firm and a major in the National Guard.
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A dual life that had brought him immense
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pride and a deep sense of purpose.
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His world revolved around his wife Kathy
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and their 15year-old daughter Stacy.
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Kathy at 40 possessed a timeless beauty
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that had only deepened with the years.
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Her dark brown hair, the warm sparkle in
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her eyes, and a figure that seemed to
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defy the passage of time made her the
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most captivating woman he had ever
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Their 18 years of marriage had been a
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fortress of trust and passion, a love
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that remained vibrant and intense even
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when he was deployed. Their intimacy,
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both physical and emotional, was a
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constant reassurance that their bond was
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He had never once doubted her fidelity,
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nor she his. The thought of their life
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unraveling was a distant, impossible
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notion, but the impossible arrived on a
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quiet evening in Afghanistan, delivered
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through the grainy screen of a video
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call. The urgency in Stacy's voice cut
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through the static, a harbinger of the
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She was in a quiet corner of the house,
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her eyes wide with a fear he had never
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seen. "Dad, you have to come home," she
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pleaded, her voice a soft, terrified
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whisper. "The reason," she explained,
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was a man named Donald Connelly, the
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mayor. He had a fancy car and a
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reputation that now, in Stacy's mind,
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was dangerously intertwined with her
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mother's. Kathy was spending several
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nights a week with him. The words hit
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Robert like a physical blow, a
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concussive force that left him gasping
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for air. Stacy's description of the
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mayor, his big car, and her mother's
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clandestine excitement, confirmed her
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worst fears, and now his. He promised he
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would come home, his voice a calm he
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didn't feel, and assured her that
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everything would be okay, no matter
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what. The call ended, leaving him alone
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in the stark, desolate reality of his
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tent. The image of his daughter's
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terrified face burned into his mind. He
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moved with the cold efficiency of a man
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on a mission. The paperwork for a 30-day
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emergency family leave was completed
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with a soldier's precision. The long
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flight home was a blur of a sleepless
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churning mind, a 26-hour journey filled
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with annoying dread. He arrived on a
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Friday night, the mid- November twilight
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casting long, ominous shadows. He parked
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his rental car a half block from his
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house, the familiar glow of the living
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room and kitchen lights now feeling
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He watched his wife moving through the
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house, a shadow of the woman he knew. He
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discreetly called Stacy, his heart
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hammering against his ribs. She
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confirmed his fears. Her mother was
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getting ready to go out, filled with an
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excitement that felt like a betrayal.
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He told her not to judge, to wait until
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he had the full story, a lie he told as
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much for himself as for her. He told her
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his plan, to follow them and assess the
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situation. He was in his full camo
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fatigues, a uniform of duty and honor, a
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stark contrast to the dishonor that was
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They exchanged quiet words of love, a
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promise that their small, broken family
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would always be a team, no matter what.
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At 7:00, a sleek black Mercedes pulled
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into his driveway. A tall, slender,
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well-dressed man stepped out. Donald
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Connelly. Instead of going to the door,
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he stood on his phone and the lights in
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the master suite went dark. A minute
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later, the front door opened and Cathy
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emerged, locking it behind her. She
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walked briskly toward the car, a wide
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Robert's heart shattered into a million
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pieces as he watched her glance back at
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the house, a fertive, guilty look to
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make sure Stacy wasn't watching.
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The mayor helped her into the car, but
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not before they shared a warm, intimate
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kiss. Robert's training kicked in, a
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cold, focused instinct taking over. He
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managed to snap a photo of the kiss, a
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piece of damning evidence that would
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fuel his resolve. He followed them. the
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anonymous rental car, a silent, stalking
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presence in the sparse evening traffic.
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They drove to the Ryson Hotel where he
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watched them exit the car and enter the
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building, their arms wrapped around each
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other, a picture of a loving, long-term
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He snapped another photo. The sight of
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their easy comfort, a fresh wave of
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pain. He waited until they were inside
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before dawning his camo hat and
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sunglasses, a disguise he hoped would
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make him blend into the evening crowd.
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He entered the hotel. The polite smiles
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and thank you for your service comments
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from strangers, a surreal, painful
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juxtaposition to his personal mission.
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The information board listed a charity
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ball on the third floor, and the live
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orchestra music that filtered down to
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the lobby left no doubt as to their
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He took the stairs, avoiding the
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elevator, a small act of defiance and
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caution. On the third floor, he found
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the ballroom. He passed the entrance,
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catching a glimpse of them inside, a
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perfectly happy couple greeting friends
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and supporters. He noticed she wasn't
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wearing her wedding rings. As he walked
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past, his wife's gaze flickered in his
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direction, but there was no recognition.
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To her, he was a ghost 10,000 mi away,
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fighting a war she had betrayed.
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He retreated to the men's room, locking
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himself in a stall, the sanctuary of his
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uniform now feeling like a cage.
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Warm tears, a rare sight for a man like
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him, ran down his cheeks. He wiped them
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away. There was no time for self-pity.
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He was a soldier, and a much different
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enemy needed to be faced. He remained in
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the stall for 30 minutes, letting the
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festivities reach their peak. When he
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emerged, he walked slowly along the
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wall, a ghost in his own life. A silent
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observer in a room filled with oblivious
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revelers. His uniform, a badge of honor,
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got him past the ticket taker, who
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saluted him and said, "Welcome, sir."
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The irony was a bitter pill. He found
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them dancing to a slow song. His wife's
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arms wrapped around the mayor's neck,
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her head against his chest, his hands
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possessively on her bottom. Robert's
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blood ran cold. It took every ounce of
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his willpower to not storm the floor and
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do what his training screamed at him to
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do. But violence would only bring a
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fleeting satisfaction and a jail cell.
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What he needed was indisputable proof
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and a plan for revenge.
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He took several more photos as they
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danced, kissed, and caressed each other
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at their table. He had seen enough. He
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retreated to the hallway, finding a
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bench where he could watch the ballroom
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doors and the elevators.
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His military training had taught him
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patience, and it paid off. Two hours
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passed before the ball began to wind
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down. He watched as his wife and the
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mayor made their exit, their laughter a
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knife to his heart. They stood just
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outside the door for a moment talking
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and then holding hands, they walked to
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the elevators. Instead of pushing the
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down button, they pressed the one for
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the 11th floor. The move was so brazen,
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so open that it stunned him. He was only
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15 ft away, his name tag clearly visible
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on his uniform, but they were so lost in
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each other that they never gave him a
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second glance. He waited for the
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elevator to return, but it didn't.
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He went to the registration desk,
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showing his government ID and requesting
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the mayor's room number for an urgent
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message. The attendant, after some
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hesitation, disclosed the room number,
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He took the elevator to the 11th floor,
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found the room, and pressed his ear
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against the door. He heard only soft
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Unsatisfied, he located the stairwell,
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wedged a handkerchief in the door to
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prevent it from locking, and settled in
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to wait. It was midnight.
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Stacy had told him her mother usually
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came home between 2 and 3 in the
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morning. He had a long, agonizing wait
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ahead of him, a vigil of pain and
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humiliation. The waiting was a slow
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descent into a dark abyss. He kept
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imagining them in there, his wife and
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her lover. the sounds. He could now hear
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a soundtrack to his worst nightmare.
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He felt his life spiraling, his love,
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his trust, his honor, all being
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systematically dismantled by the two
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people inside room 114.
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Around 1:30, he heard moaning and then
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distinctly his wife's voice. "Yes, oh
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God, yes, do me, don. Do me hard like
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that. You're so good."
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The words were a fresh wound, the sound
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a horrific echo of his most intimate
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moments with her. He returned to the
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stairwell, tears streaming down his
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face, the moaning a ghost in his ears.
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At 2:00, he took up his final position
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against the wall outside their room, his
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cell phone ready to record. 15 minutes
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later, the chain was removed, the door
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clicked open, and he began recording.
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They emerged flushed with satisfaction,
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the mayor's arm protectively around her,
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her head leaning on his shoulder.
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They shared a brief, intimate kiss
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before turning to the elevators.
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That's when Kathy saw him, a silent
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accusatory figure in a uniform of
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"How was your rendevous with your lover,
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Kathy?" he asked, his voice a low, cold
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rasp. Her face went pale. Robert, no.
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This can't be happening. She stammered,
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placing a hand over her heart before
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sinking to her knees. This wasn't
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supposed to happen. You weren't supposed
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The mayor, Donald Connelly, finally
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registered the situation. He tried to
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deny it to save face.
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It's not what it looks like, Major. She
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was just helping with my new campaign.
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Robert's laugh was a bitter hollow
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campaign tactics, mayor. Is that what
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we're calling it now? Cheating with a
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married woman whose husband is serving
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He looked at Kathy, still on the floor,
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Your wife, he said, turning to Connelly.
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She's all yours. You can keep her.
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You've both made it clear you don't
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respect me, our daughter, or the uniform
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I wear. You're both cowards.
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He told Cathy not to come home that
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night, to stay with her lover.
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He would be home to comfort their
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daughter, and on Monday, he would be
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filing for divorce and telling the news
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media everything. He instructed her to
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stay away until his leave was over, a
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30-day sentence for her betrayal. He
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walked away, leaving them in the
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hallway, his wife on her knees sobbing,
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and the mayor, stunned and silent. He
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arrived home to find Stacy waiting, her
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face etched with worry. She embraced him
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tightly, her small body trembling.
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I missed you so much," she whispered
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He confirmed her worst fears, but she
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insisted she wasn't worried about her
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mother. She felt neglected and
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forgotten, a casualty of her mother's
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affair. She pleaded to go back to
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Afghanistan with him, a desperate plea
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to escape the shattered life they had
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left behind. He explained that she
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couldn't, but he would make a plan.
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He would call his mother to see if Stacy
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could stay with her until his deployment
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ended. He held her as she cried, a
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father comforting his child in the ruins
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of their family. He secured the house, a
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final definitive act, and slept on the
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couch. The bed he once shared with his
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wife now a symbol of her betrayal. The
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next day, Stacy, her resolve hardened,
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took a phone call from her mother. A
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conversation Robert listened to from a
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distance. Stacy's voice was cold. a
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stark contrast to her mother's tearful
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please. She told Cathy that she was the
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one who had urged her father to return
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and that she was tired of being a
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distant second to the mayor and her
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mother's need for a new life. When Cathy
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begged her not to hurt the mayor,
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Stacy's anger flared. She hung up, a
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final definitive cut. Later, when Cathy
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called again, Robert passed the phone to
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Stacy without a word.
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The conversation was a brutal one-sided
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exchange where Stacy demanded an
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explanation for her mother's actions and
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accused her of betraying the family for
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6 months. Kathy, sobbing, confessed her
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love for both of them, but Stacy's
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sarcasm was merciless.
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She agreed to pack her mother's clothes
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and birth control pills, which she said
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she would leave at the curb for her to
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pick up. Robert retreated to his office,
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a sanctuary of a military mind in a
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civilian world. He meticulously planned
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his next steps. He would hire a divorce
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lawyer, transfer their joint funds, and
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change the beneficiary on his life
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insurance and retirement plans to Stacy.
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The mayor, however, was a different kind
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of challenge. He had to be exposed. A
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phone call from Ray Swanson, a city
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councilman and the mayor's friend,
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confirmed his suspicions that they were
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trying to sweep the affair under the
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Swanson offered money and a quiet
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resolution, but Robert, his resolve like
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He warned Swanson that he had dealt with
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the Taliban and would not be intimidated
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by a cowardly wife stealer and his
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friends. He told him that the only
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acceptable resolution was a public
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confession and the mayor's resignation.
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The following Monday, he met with John
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Foster, a former sergeant from his
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National Guard Company who now worked
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for the local paper. He gave Jon the
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photos and videos, the irrefutable
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evidence of the affair, and a story
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about a soldier's wife and a dishonest
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John, seeing the pain in his eyes and
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the weight of the betrayal, promised to
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That afternoon, Robert met with R.J.
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Collins, a divorce lawyer, with the
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fitting first name of Revenge Joy. He
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laid out the entire story, the betrayal,
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the evidence, the mayor's involvement.
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Joy, a woman in her 50s with a sharp
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mind, listened intently, her face a mask
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of cold fury. She was the weapon he
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needed. A week later, the divorce papers
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He called Kathy and asked her to meet
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him at the house on Monday afternoon.
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She arrived, a ghost of her former self,
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and sat at the kitchen table. He told
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her someone would be there to serve her
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the papers, and she went pale. She
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pleaded with him to listen, and he
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agreed. She confessed everything. The
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loneliness, the depression, the allure
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of being treated like royalty by a man
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She admitted to fabricating a story
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about their separation and divorce, a
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lie that had spiraled out of her
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She said she didn't know if she loved
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him, but that she enjoyed his company.
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As she finished her confession, the
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doorbell rang. It was the process
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Kathy, tears streaming down her face,
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took the manila envelope, the final
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official document that marked the end of
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their 17 years together. She had made
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her choice and now the consequences had