I rang the doorbell. “Juliet,” my mother called from the kitchen. “It’s open.”

I pushed it open and stepped inside. Same floral scent, same wall of framed photos: my brother’s graduation, his wedding, his two boys. No pictures of me in uniform, not even the commissioning portrait I sent five years ago.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” my mother said without looking up. “Logan and Merryl are on their way. Logan just got another promotion, you’ll never believe it.”

I smiled politely. “That’s great, Mom. You’ll have to congratulate him.”

Logan and his wife, Merryl, arrived exactly on time, as always. He wore the kind of blazer that says, “I’m important, but not trying too hard.”

“Hey, Jules,” Logan said as he hugged me briefly, already looking over my shoulder toward Dad. “Long time.”

“Five years,” I replied. He blinked, clearly unsure if I was joking. I wasn’t.