Yay! Wondering if I pulled off the final chapters in your eyes has long been weighing on my mind, and I'm elated to hear you liked them. It's probably obvious from its quality, but chapter 9 was actually the first chapter I had fully fleshed out of this story beyond the initial concept which is to say everything that comes before it was written to lead to this, and I had regularly tweaked this chapter to keep up with where I was taking things prior. As of now, this is probably still the work I'm most proud of, and it makes me so happy that it has resonated so strongly with so many people.

One of the hardest parts I'm finding as a writer is getting into the reader's head specifically regarding how much they can tell where things are heading. I know Lanz isn't betraying Miriam and that they're actually playing Pierre, but I simultaneously don't want the audience to know that for certain while also keeping it from being an unreasonable shock when the truth is revealed. Keeping that delicate balance in check when I know all the answers and can't put myself in the shoes of someone who doesn't is an interesting challenge, even in less twist heavy works like Twin Sizes.

General Irvine was a lot of fun to write. I don't often write villains (in fact, he might be my only one so far?), and even then, he's much less of a direct antagonist than a typical villain. Military types makes for great villains, though, because they can justify to themselves the most heinous acts imaginable, all for the name of country, duty, family, or whatever else they hold dear. In an odd way, I find him relatable at the human level, doing what he thinks best for the people most important to him with that conviction coming from a place of genuine love, though it leads him down a path of carnage.

Rosa, on the other hand, had to be a complete contrast to that. All the love without any of the atrocities. I figured her for the blissful ignorant type, at least when it comes to her husband's military career, someone who sees the good in people without looking too close for all the bad tucked away.

Man, I'm really glad this chapter turned out. I can get across how many times I had to go through the main sequence to make sure it was airtight. "Is this plausible? Would he act this way? Would this guy buy it? etc. ad infinitum." Thank you for all kind words. I always appreciate them no matter when they arrive.