The Ring of Truth and Lies

The moment I pushed the door open, every voice in the room went silent.

Natalie froze, then her expression darkened as she looked me over. "Who told you to come here?"

Her voice was sharp. "The field hospital is short-staffed. Leaving without approval is desertion."

Then, she noticed my reddened eyes. Her gaze shifted away, and her voice lost a little of its sharpness. "What did you hear?"

Natalie had always been strict about work, even to the point of cruelty. She made no exceptions, even for her own husband.

I still remember when I was first transferred to the war zone five years ago. I had nearly died more than once under gunfire and explosions.

All I wanted was to see her.

After getting through all the hoops, I eventually took an illegal border van back to Hartwell and walked until my shoes were ruined, just to speak to her face-to-face.

I thought she would be happy to see me.

Instead, Natalie shoved me away the second she saw me.

She had berated me. It was as if she couldn't see my exhausted, filthy state. "Liam, do you have no respect for discipline? If you come back without authorization again, I won't go easy on you just because we're married."

I wouldn't have believed that she had blocked my transfer for Noah's sake for five whole years if I hadn't overheard this conversation. I wouldn't have believed it for a second that she intended to bring him back and mentor him herself.

I placed two sets of documents on the desk. When I spoke, I sounded calmer than I expected. "This is my application to return to headquarters."

I looked at her. "It's been five years. With my qualifications, I should be back by now."

Natalie rubbed her temples, exhaustion written across her face. "Stop being impulsive, Liam. The transfer rules are clear. Headquarters can't have direct family members in the same department."

Her tone sharpened once more. "This decision came from above. Stop making things difficult for me."

Husband and wife—that was what we were supposed to be.

She stood there, elegant and untouchable, a department chief whose every word could move hundreds of people. Even the pen on her desk cost more than I made in months.

And me?

I had gone willingly to a war zone because she begged me to help her.

I slogged through sand, mud, blood, and smoke for five whole years. My hands bore frostbite scars. My clothes were threadbare and thin, having been washed countless times. The colors had even faded to a pale hue.

I couldn't grasp which aspect of myself made her life so hard.

"I won't make things difficult for you." I pulled the second document from beneath the transfer application and placed it in front of her. "Let's get divorced."

I met her eyes. "The policy can't change, but our relationship can."

Natalie went still as she stared at me in disbelief. "Liam, what do you think our marriage is? When did you become this calculating? All this just to get what you want?"