Chapter 1

"I'm sorry, but Chloe's life matters more right now. I have to go!"

I had been through this exact scene more times than I could count, yet the moment Evan Shaw lowered his head and apologized to me, my heart still ached.

This was the 56th wedding ceremony I was holding with Evan. Every time we reached this moment, some obstacle inevitably tore us apart.

The first time, Chloe Brooks, one of the female soldiers under his command, got hurt in an accident, and he left, even though it tore him up to do it.

The second time, Chloe got promoted. Evan was so overjoyed that he cried, abandoned me at the altar, and rushed off to see her.

The third time, the wedding date I chose happened to fall on her mother's death anniversary. Evan flew into a rage, accused me of having no compassion, and walked out on me again.

…

I had lived through that same humiliation 55 times.

And today, everything seemed to be going perfectly for once.

That was until Evan's phone rang at the worst possible moment, right there on the stage. A woman's soft, tearful voice came through the speaker, and Evan's calm expression shattered into pure panic.

I knew he was going to leave again.

Still, I couldn't stop myself from speaking, my voice thick with despair. "Evan, just give me ten more minutes. Once we swap rings, you can leave right away. You know perfectly well she isn't actually dying!"

I had never begged him for anything, but this time, I abandoned every ounce of my pride and clung tightly to his sleeve.

He looked up, and this time, he didn't bother hiding the impatience in his eyes.

"Are you done? I've told you before that if you're going to be a military wife, you need to understand sacrifice and see the bigger picture. I'm serving the people here!

"Besides, Chloe is standing on a rooftop right now, waiting for me to get there. If you waste even one minute of my time and something happens to her, can you live with that responsibility?"

He tossed my bridal bouquet aside and strode out of the chapel.

The guests below had seen this play out too many times to count, yet they couldn't help but complain.

"Lillian White just can't take a hint, can she? Isn't she embarrassed? He obviously doesn't want to marry her. She's so pathetic!"

"How many weddings has it been now? She may still want to get married, but I'm tired of showing up. If it weren't out of respect for Commander Shaw, I would've gone up there and teach her a lesson myself."

Every word from the crowd pierced my chest.

I stared at Evan's figure as it blurred through my tears, and the emotions I had been forcing down finally broke loose.

"Evan Shaw! If you walk out today, then we're over for good!" I shouted through my tears.

That finally made Evan stop. He turned, his brow furrowed in irritation.

"It's not the first time. Do you really have to make such a scene?" he asked, impatience lacing his voice. "Fine. I'll make it up to you with another wedding next month. I promise I won't leave then, but this is an actual emergency!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned away again. Even with my eyes red and swollen from crying, he couldn't be bothered to spare me a second glance.

The laughter continued, and my parents' expressions grew darker by the second.

In the past, whenever this happened, I would've collapsed into a sobbing mess on the floor, waiting for someone to comfort me.

I would wait for Evan to return so that I could grab his hand and ask him repeatedly if he loved me. I would demand he prove in front of everyone that I was the woman he wanted to marry. I would then humble myself and beg him to set another wedding date.

But this time, I didn't even have the strength to run after him.

When Evan and I first started dating, I told him I hated waiting.

Because of that, he would arrive half an hour early to every date and wait for me instead. Once, he even stood in the pouring rain for half an hour just to make sure I never had to wait a single second.

Now, he had pushed back the most important day of our lives for five years.

There was a simple explanation for this—he just didn't love me anymore.

I made my way onto the stage alone. The excitement that should've come with a wedding was gone, replaced by utter exhaustion.

Facing the mocking looks below, I spoke calmly.

"The wedding is over. This will be our last."