Chapter 1

Day three of my silent standoff with Samson Gardner.

I finally managed to reach my mentor overseas and told him I wanted to join him.

There was a long pause at the other end before he finally spoke, though with great hesitation.

"Jess, you're the only one left in your family now. You're at the age when you should think about getting married. If you come here, how are you going to handle your personal life? Besides, things are changing fast on the international stage. The world isn't nearly as stable or safe as it is back home. And you're a young woman..."

I had already decided, but my chest still tightened with pain. If things had gone according to plan, I would've been marrying my childhood fiancé next month.

But the relationship I thought was built on love turned out to be a crowded mess, where I was always the one giving in.

So, I chose to walk away and do something that actually mattered.

"Sir, my father and brother never backed down when things got hard. I won't either," I said.

He let out a long sigh. "I'll have the office back home to get in touch with you as soon as possible. How much time do you need to get ready?"

"Ten days," I answered.

After the call, I went back to the communication room. I had barely sat down when Samson showed up. With a stony expression on his face, he handed me the marriage application.

"Check your personal details again. We'll need to turn this in soon."

At that time, military personnel were required to submit a marriage application to their superior officers ahead.

After my father and brother died, we had been living together, so he could take care of me. Back then, no matter how late, he would always pick me up himself as he was afraid something might happen to me.

Ever since Celia Smith came back, however, everything changed. I became invisible in my very own home.

This time, Celia took my favorite watch. I tried to get it back, but Samson berated me. After that, he hadn't been home for three days. Even now, he didn't ask how I was doing after seeing me.

You couldn't fake love. He was already over me. It was my fault for being too slow to realize it.

I hesitated, not wanting to make things worse, so I took the form from him. But all I could think about was how to make sure that the application never got submitted.

Maybe he thought I was making things difficult on purpose. He looked even more annoyed.

"It's just a watch. If Celia likes it, why not just give it to her? Who are you trying to impress with this attitude?"

Then he added, "Jessica, when did you turn into someone so petty and unreasonable?"

I looked at him and felt the warmth drain right out of me.

Just a watch?

Of course.

That was always how he was.

From a pen and a notebook to my job and my room... If Celia wanted it, I was supposed to just hand it over. If I didn't, then I would be the selfish one. If I tried to argue, he would simply yell at me and say I was worthless.

In just three months, I lost count of how many times this had happened.