Chapter 2

By the time the plane landed, it was already late at night.

My brother, West Snow, had been waiting at the airport for a while. The moment I stepped into the arrivals hall, I spotted him in the crowd.

“Autumn, over here.”

I smiled and walked toward him, but his expression suddenly froze, his gaze scanning the space behind me. In the past, no matter how busy Felix was, he would always make time to come home with me. Even if it were just for appearances—for the reputation of a senior military officer—he would play the part.

The crowd behind me slowly dispersed. West lingered for a moment longer, searching, then finally withdrew his gaze in disappointment. He turned back to me and forced a smile. Without either of us asking or explaining, we both understood what it meant.

We walked one after the other into the parking lot. He opened the rear door for me, and I smiled faintly before getting in. Startled awake by the sound of the door closing, the cat sleeping in the seat beside me squinted at me groggily. After a few seconds, as if it finally recognized me, it leapt excitedly into my arms.

I hadn’t been back in a year, yet it still remembered me, and it was closest to me. I gently stroked its head, and a bitter feeling welled up in my chest. Years ago, Felix had been just as attached to me. Every time I got home from work, he would press his forehead into the hollow of my neck and murmur, “Autumn, I missed you so much.”

For a brief moment, I felt as if I had returned to the days when we were deeply in love—as if the ten years we spent together were nothing more than a dream. Yet now, the dream was over.

I settled down in Salt River City and opened the café I had always dreamed of running. After leaving Felix, I was finally free to do something I truly liked. No one would sneer anymore that running a café was “serving others” and beneath the dignity of a senior military officer’s wife. I also no longer had to force myself to study dull, exhausting military knowledge just to please him.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. I survived the days without Felix and gradually grew used to living alone. I no longer worried that, in the middle of an intimate moment, he would suddenly rush out because of a phone call from Grace. I no longer feared being locked in a cold, damp basement just because Grace’s daughter, Maple, said she didn’t like me.

Days passed quietly until one day, six months later, Felix called me for the first time. I stared blankly at the phone screen, my eyes fixed on the word ‘Husband’ displayed there. It wasn’t until West reminded me that I snapped back to reality and hurriedly answered the call.

Felix’s patience seemed to have reached its limit. His voice was icy.

“Autumn, you’ve won. Are you happy now?”

I froze, confused by his words.

He cleared his throat and sneered. “If you’re done with your tantrum, get back here. I’m swamped, having to take care of Gracie and her daughter. I’ve lost my own child. I can’t afford for anything to happen to them.

“Autumn, I don’t have time to play these childish games with you.”

I gave a bitter smile. Every time I was unhappy, he always thought I was just throwing a tantrum, as if I were deliberately competing with Grace and her daughter for his attention. There was once when Maple cried endlessly and insisted that I get out of the car and stomp in the rain like a cartoon pig just to amuse her. Without a second thought, Felix shoved me out of the car.

“Autumn, kids can’t cry for too long, or it’ll damage their brains. Getting rained on for a bit won’t kill you.”

It was late at night on the freeway. In a torrential downpour, I walked alone for who knew how long, until I finally collapsed into icy mud. Later, a kind stranger sent me to the hospital.

The doctor said I had developed pneumonia from being in the rain and needed careful care from my family. However, Felix was busy caring for Grace because she had menstrual cramps. He hung up on my calls, again and again.

“Autumn!” His sharp voice on the phone snapped me back to the present.

The corner of my lips tugged, and I said calmly. “I made everything very clear the day I left.”

He paused, clearly stunned. “You’re serious about wanting a divorce? Well, at least come back and handle the paperwork. When are you going to stop throwing childish tantrums?”

My heart felt dead.

“I’ve signed the divorce papers and passed them to my lawyer, Mr. Federick,” I said flatly. “He told me he’s contacted you. If there’s nothing else, please leave me alone.”

“Autumn, you–” Felix seemed like he still had something to say.

Unfortunately, my decision was already made, and I ended the call.