Chapter 2 - A Different Kind of Armor
The next morning, I packed my car before the sun even rose.
I did not say goodbye to my parents or my brother.
I drove straight to the hotel where Ethan’s family was staying, carrying the heavy garment bag over my shoulder.
When Ethan’s mother, Eleanor, opened her hotel room door, she took one look at my face and pulled me inside.
"What happened?" Eleanor asked, her voice filled with maternal concern.
"They destroyed them," I said, my voice trembling for the first time. "All of the dresses."
Eleanor stared at me in shock as I explained what my family had done in the middle of the night.
"We have to call Ethan," she said, reaching for her phone. "We can delay the ceremony. We can buy something off the rack."
"No," I said firmly, putting my hand over hers.
"Sarah, honey, you can't get married in your civilian clothes," she argued gently.
I unzipped the garment bag and revealed the dark blue uniform.
Eleanor’s expression changed instantly.
She looked at the silver insignias, the colorful ribbons, and then back up at my face.
Her eyes filled with a fierce, protective pride.
"They wanted to humiliate you," Eleanor said softly.
"They wanted to remind me that I am under their control," I replied.
Eleanor reached out and smoothed the lapel of the uniform jacket.
"Walk in exactly like this," she said, her voice hard as steel. "Let them see exactly who you really are."
"My father will think it's a joke," I warned her.
"Oh, I doubt that," Eleanor said, a strange, knowing smile touching her lips. "Especially not when he sees who is sitting in the front row."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"Ethan’s grandfather flew in late last night," she explained. "He wanted it to be a surprise."
I knew Ethan's grandfather was a retired military man and a prominent venture capitalist, but I had never met him.
"Why would that matter to my father?" I asked.
"Because," Eleanor said, handing me my dress shoes. "My father-in-law is General Arthur Sterling."
My breath hitched.
General Arthur Sterling was a legend in the Air Force.
But more importantly, his investment firm was the primary debt holder for my father's failing construction business.
My father had been bragging for months that this wedding was his chance to network with the Sterling family and save his company.
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"Does Ethan know?" I asked.
"Ethan knows everything," Eleanor smiled. "Now, get dressed, Captain. You have a war to win."
