He Forged My Name to Give Away Our Home, So I Gave Away His Chapter 06

He Forged My Name to Give Away Our Home, So I Gave Away His Chapter 06

By that afternoon, the administration issued a formal notice: I was placed on a three-day administrative leave.

The official justification was written in flawless, sterile HR language: Emotional volatility; temporarily unfit to handle controlled pharmaceuticals.

Daisy ripped the paper off the bulletin board, practically vibrating with rage.

“Volatile? They’re the ones popping sedatives like candy! Chloe is the one on heavy medication, but you’re the one suspended? This is total garbage!”

I gathered the torn pieces of paper from her hands.

“Don’t throw it away. Keep it.”

“Why keep this trash?”

“Because it’s paper trail.”

She blinked, understanding instantly, and immediately laid the scraps back flat on the desk.

“I’ll tape it back together perfectly.”

I changed out of my lab coat. The moment I walked out of the hospital clinic, I found Chloe waiting for me at the bottom of the concrete steps.

She was dressed in her full service uniform, shoulders back, posture immaculate—as if she wanted to demonstrate exactly how secure her position remained.

“Ava. I heard about your suspension.”

I stepped around her, continuing down the path.

She followed closely behind.

“Ethan had nothing to do with Director Vance’s decision.”

I stopped and looked back.

“But you did?”

She didn’t deny it.

“I actually spoke to the Director. I asked him not to be too severe with you.”

I let out a dry chuckle.

“You spoke to him, and magically, I got suspended right after?”

She said softly, “If you had just let this go early on, none of this would be happening to you.”

“What about the house?” I asked.

She went silent.

“What about my position at the pharmacy?”

Still, silence.

“Chloe,” I said, my voice dead calm. “Your definition of ‘letting it go’ requires me to hand over my home, my career, and my dignity on a silver platter to you.”

Her expression fractured.

“That wasn’t my intention.”

“Your intentions don’t matter. Your actions are printed right here on this base.”

She took a step closer, lowering her voice.

“Ava, do you honestly believe those little recordings and handwriting tests can actually take down a Major? At worst, Ethan gets a slap on the wrist from command. At worst, Director Vance writes a formal apology letter. But at the end of the day, you still have to work here. You still have to live in this community. If you burn every single bridge, who is going to stand up for you?”

As her words echoed across the steps, several nurses nearby paused to watch.

Daisy marched out of the double doors.

“I will!”

Chloe shot her a dismissive glance.

“And what can a junior lab assistant do for her, Daisy? Go on suspension with her?”

Daisy choked on her words, her face turning a furious shade of red.

I reached out, gently pulling Daisy back.

“She’s right,” I said quietly.

A flash of triumph flickered in Chloe’s eyes.

“Which is why,” I continued, looking Chloe straight in the eyes, “I need to collect enough hard evidence before I burn the entire house down.”

The triumph instantly vanished from her face.

I walked down the remaining steps.

Ethan’s military Jeep was idling by the curb. He was leaning against the hood, a folder tucked tightly under his arm.

I walked up to the passenger side.

“Get in,” he ordered.

“Did you order my suspension?” I asked.

“No.”

“Did you know about it?”

He hesitated for a fraction of a second.

I had my answer.

“You knew, and you didn’t stop it.”

His brow furrowed deeply.

“Director Vance noted that your focus has been compromised lately. A few days off to clear your head is actually good for you, Ava.”

I smiled.

“You people love deciding what’s good for me.”

He flung the passenger door open.

“We’re going home.”

“I don’t have a home.”

“Ava Bennett.”

I looked at him coldly.

“Have the keys to the new house been released yet?”

He evaded my gaze.

“Chloe is moving her things in tonight.”

“Congratulations,” I said evenly.

His voice turned rigid.

“Don’t be sarcastic with me.”

“Should I hire a marching band instead?”

Suppressing his anger, he thrust the folder toward me.

“This is a priority reassignment for base housing. You’re moving back into the senior hospital dorms. I’ve already given orders to have the unit fully furnished for you.”

I didn’t reach for the folder.

“Using my marital home to play the savior for your old flame, and giving me a temporary dorm room that command can evict me from at any notice. Your logistics are truly impressive, Major.”

“Do you really have to view me as some sort of villain, Ava?”

“Are you a good man, Ethan?” I countered.

A gust of wind caught the folder in his hand, flipping the cover open. The document inside already bore an official base stamp.

And there was my name, printed neatly on the line.

Applicant: Ava Bennett.

I reached out, snatching the document from his grip.

“Did I apply for this, too?”

Ethan’s face shifted instantly, his hand darting out to grab it back.

I stepped away.

“Is forgery a habit now, Ethan?”

He lowered his voice, his tone laced with desperate authority.

“It was the only way to secure you a unit immediately!”

I held the stamped document up to the light.

“I will ask you one last time: who signed my name to this?”

Several passing soldiers slowed down on the sidewalk to watch.

Chloe rushed down the concrete steps, her face filled with anxiety. “Ethan, please, don’t fight out here in the open.”

I kept my eyes locked on my husband.

“I had an administrative clerk sign it on your behalf,” he finally admitted, his voice tight.

I let out a clear, sharp laugh.

“First, it’s a waiver giving away our house. Second, it’s an application forcing me into a dorm. What’s next, Ethan? Are you going to have a clerk sign our divorce papers on my behalf, too?”

His face went thoroughly pale.

“What did you just say?”

I folded the housing reassignment form and slid it securely into my purse.

“Thank you for providing piece of evidence number two.”

He gripped the edge of the Jeep’s door so hard his knuckles turned stark white.

Chloe stepped right up to his side.

“Ava, stop using divorce to threaten him.”

I looked at her calmly.

“Why are you getting so anxious, Chloe?”

Chloe clenched her teeth.

“Don’t worry,” I added, “it isn’t your turn to panic just yet.”

That evening, I didn’t return to the hospital apartments.

I drove straight to the state forensic lab downtown.

The technician behind the counter reviewed both stamped documents, then looked up at me. “Mrs. Bennett, are you certain you want to file a formal, certified forensic analysis?”

“I am certain.”

“This could heavily impact your husband’s federal standing and your military dependency status,” he warned.

I took the pen from his hand.

“I don’t have a husband anymore.”

As I began filling out the verification form, my phone buzzed in my bag.

It was the third missed call from Ethan.

I let the screen go dark. A second later, a text message flashed across the glass: [Ava, don’t force my hand to use administrative measures to stop this.]

I took a screenshot, saved it to my secure drive, and then signed my legal name at the bottom of the lab contract.

This time, no one else could write it for me.