Chapter 3

I thought Felix and I could part on good terms. It never crossed my mind that he would rush to Salt River City overnight.

His off-road vehicle screeched to a sudden stop right in front of me. The window rolled down slowly, and I calmly met his ice-cold expression. Felix gripped the steering wheel tightly, saying nothing.

After a long, suffocating standoff, he finally slammed his fist against the wheel and snapped impatiently, “You’re the admiral’s wife. What more could you possibly want?”

Yes. I was the admiral's wife, someone everyone envied. What could I possibly be dissatisfied with? However, I was also a woman who needed her husband’s love and care. If he didn’t love me, then I’d leave. It was that simple.

“Felix, my stance couldn’t be clearer,” I said. “I want a divorce.”

“D*mn it!” Felix shoved the door open violently and grabbed my arm. “Autumn, are you sure you want to give up this family?”

I looked at the hand that had once held mine as we trudged through muddy roads together, and all I felt was ridicule. In that instant, I realized something clearly for the first time—I felt annoyed by him.

I frowned and shook his hand off. “Felix, what exactly do you want?”

His hand froze midair.

After a long pause, he finally sighed, his tone noticeably softer. “I… want you to come home.”

Looking at his restrained expression, my irritation only deepened. Felix was a smart man. How could he not understand why I insisted on divorcing him? He was just pretending not to know.

I took a deep breath and used the very last bit of patience I had to explain it to him. “Felix, you said it yourself that Grace is the woman you love most. You said I stole her place as the admiral’s wife. You said Maple was obedient and well-behaved, and that you wanted to be her father. You were also the one who forced me to answer those ridiculous military questions, which led to our child’s death and nearly cost me my life.

“Now, I’m doing exactly what you wanted. I’m willing to divorce you and give up the title of admiral’s wife. I want you and your true love to be together finally, so why are you refusing it now?

“Felix, I’ll say this one last time. I want a divorce. Do you understand? I want a divorce.”

Felix rubbed his temples, looking as though his soul had been drained from him, cigarette after cigarette burning between his fingers. When the pack was finally empty, he crushed it into a ball and threw it to the ground.

“Autumn, I…”

He was the one who refused to cut ties with Grace and slowly wore away every ounce of love I had for him. So why did he look like the victim now?

I ran a hand through my hair irritably, forcing down the anger in my chest.

“I’ve entrusted all divorce matters to Mr. Federick. If you refuse to cooperate, he’ll file for divorce on my behalf. Felix, this is over between us.”

After that night, Felix seemed to vanish from my world entirely. My life returned to its routine of running the café, keeping everything in perfect order. When I had free time, I attended coffee expos and met people who shared the same interests.

“Autumn, it’s cold today. The exhibition hall doesn’t have heating. You should wear more layers.”

A familiar male voice sounded from behind me.

I turned around abruptly, and my gaze collided with Felix’s tender eyes.