Chapter 4 - The Poisoned Web
By Thursday, the battle spilled onto the internet.
Mara launched a targeted smear campaign on Facebook, posting cropped family photos, tearful video clips, and allegations claiming I had abandoned my aging mother and left my family destitute while living comfortably on military perks. The algorithm ate it up; comments flooded in from distant relatives and gullible strangers calling me cold, selfish, and a traitor to my blood.
My phone rang continuously from unknown numbers. Mom left three voicemails:
*"Barrett, look what you've done to our reputation! Everyone at church is asking questions. Just pay off Landon’s loan and apologize to your sister before she ruins us completely!"*
I saved every voicemail. I screenshotted every post. In tactical operations, you never disrupt an enemy who is actively revealing their firing positions.
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Mara thought public shame would break my resolve. She forgot that I had spent years being evaluated by military psychologists, enduring grueling survival drills, and holding severed arteries together under live fire. Words typed by strangers on the internet were nothing.
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