I forwarded the contract to the Navy legal office that afternoon, and Lieutenant Reyes, a JAG officer I trusted, called back within an hour. “Hannah, did you sign a power of attorney last April?” I had not. Then she asked me to compare the signature page with my own handwriting. It was a flawless copy, down to the loop in my last name.

That night, an email arrived from an address I did not recognize. The subject line read, “Please don’t tell Kyle I wrote to you.” Inside was a photograph of a notarized document with my name printed across the top, dated last April, when I was at sea. Beneath the notary’s stamp was a name I knew well. I stared at it, and my hands went cold.