Chapter 7 - THE RING
The ring had been taken from Daniel during captivity.
Nathan wore it during biometric and legal recordings.
Our marriage certificate was amended to match his fingerprints.
The system did not only replace military identities.
It replaced family relationships through paperwork.
Nathan had attended one anniversary dinner under Daniel’s name while I believed my husband was traveling.
I remembered the evening.
He had felt distant.
I blamed grief.
The truth was more unsettling.
I had sat across from a stranger trained on my life.
Nathan said he never touched me without clear consent.
That mattered.
It did not make the deception acceptable.
The archive showed dozens of continuity spouses.
Some knew.
Some did not.
Some cooperated to preserve benefits and status.
Then Brooks uncovered Mercer’s personal file.
He had his own continuity replacement.
The man in custody might not be the Mercer who shot Daniel.
Daniel examined him through glass.
Then shook his head.
May you like
“Wrong scar.”
Read Chapter 8 to discover where the real Logan Mercer had been hiding.
