All Chapters of Our Last Fall: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

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,

Chapter 2

I could put up with everything else, but that watch was different. It was a birthday gift from my late older brother, Norman, who had spent almost six months saving up for it.Two years ago, he was killed during an undercover mission. They never even found his remains.That watch was all I had left to remember him by.Samson was already so unfair. Meanwhile, I was exhausted, and I didn't even want to fight about this anymore. When I thought about my decision to leave soon, I felt strangely at peace.I looked down at the application in my hands. "Let her have it."Samson paused. "You're not just saying that because you're upset?"I didn't even look up. "Yeah."There was no point in arguing anymore. What really mattered now was the marriage application in my hands.To avoid complications, I couldn't tell him yet that I was leaving.Samson seemed satisfied, even letting his voice soften a little. "I'm off tomorrow. I'll go with you to buy a new watch."Before I could refuse, I

Chapter 3

After work, I went around to a few watch shops, but everywhere I went, I got the same answer. "It can't be fixed."When I got back to the house where I was staying temporarily, I drew a little sunflower on the back of the marriage application. Samson taught me how to draw it when I was a kid.But now, once I had drawn ten of these, he would have nothing to do with me anymore.The next day, I still made a point to stop by Mr. Hall's office.Mr. Hall had been my father's comrade and close friend. After my father was killed in action, Mr. Hall always looked out for me. He was almost like family.He was also one of my superiors. Since I was leaving, I had to let him know, both officially and out of respect.Mr. Hall frowned deeply after hearing my decision. "Are you sure about this? After so many years with Sam, are you just ending things like this?"I nodded. "I'm not right for him.""Not right? Who can be a better match than you two around here?" Another one of my superiors,

Chapter 4

"The radio station isn't Jessica's personal territory and is owned by the military. If she can't understand that, she doesn't deserve to wear the uniform," Samson said to Celia, firmly and confidently."But Jess hasn't been home in days. I don't want you two fighting because of me," Celia said."She's just being stubborn. This isn't about you," Samson replied.Then, the whole mood changed as I heard Celia laughing. "Sam, don't let go! Hold on, I'm going to fall! Ah…! I'm falling! Sam! Catch me!"When I walked in, I finally saw what was happening. Samson was helping Celia learn to ride a bike out in the yard, holding her steady as she wobbled along. In the end, Celia shrieked, fell off the bike, and tumbled right into his arms. "Sam, am I really that stupid? Why can't I get the hang of this after so long?"Samson's voice was gentle. "You'll get it. Just keep practicing."Celia's smile was radiant. "Sam, you're the best!"I couldn't help remembering when I was learning to ride a

Chapter 5

Afraid Samson would notice, I ignored Celia and hurried to gather my things."I'll help you." Samson got there first and picked up my resignation letter backup.I stared at the plane ticket underneath, my heart pounding, terrified he would see it.Luckily, all his attention was on the resignation letter. I quickly tucked the ticket away."You quit?" Samson sounded genuinely surprised."Yeah." I shoved everything else into the box.He sounded annoyed. "You could have told me sooner. You wouldn't let Celia have your job before, but if I had known you were quitting, I wouldn't have bothered putting in so much effort."Maybe realizing he had come off too harsh, he changed his tone again. "Might as well. My allowance is enough for us to live on. From now on, you can manage the house and take care of Celia."I gritted my teeth and pushed myself to my feet, trying to ignore the pain. He reached out to steady me. "Jessica, write a recommendation letter for Celia so no one talks about

Chapter 6

"What?" Samson came out of the kitchen, drying his hands. The living room was quite noisy, so he hadn't caught what was going on.Windy, who worked in the communication room, happened to be there. She was the one who had printed the marriage application for Samson. He even gave her two candies as a thank you, hence why she remembered it clearly.By now, that application should have already been approved. So, seeing it here made no sense. "Didn't you and Jessica submit this ten days ago?""Impossible." Now Samson heard it clearly, but he didn't believe it—until his eyes landed on the bolded title that said, "Marriage Application".His eyes widened in shock. "This can't be!"Ten days ago, he had personally told Jessica to turn it in. He knew better than anyone how much she cared about marrying him."Jessica!" Samson grabbed the application and marched straight into Jessica's room."Sam!" Celia called out.She was secretly overjoyed. Did this mean her chance had finally come

Chapter 7

Everyone glanced at each other, and the living room fell silent again.Samson walked into what used to be the storage room. That was Jessica's new room after Celia moved back in. The space was small, but she always kept it tidy and inviting.He had just been here a few days ago and could still remember the color of the flowers she had put in the vase.But now, the room was empty with a cold shade of gray. There was no trace of Jessica anywhere. What…"Jessica!" Samson suddenly felt something was missing from his heart, and an unfamiliar panic was slowly spreading in his chest. It was as if he were losing control over something.But he was a soldier who had fought on a battlefield. After just a moment of confusion, he pulled himself together.Mr. Hall had always cared about Jessica. The marriage application should have ended up with him. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be him.Samson rushed to Mr. Hall's house.When he arrived, Mr. Hall was just getting out of the

Chapter 8

Had Jessica really planned for all this ten days ago?That was right. When he had gone to see her that day, she looked a little off. But was there really nothing that couldn't be talked through?"Why?" Samson whispered, his eyes starting to redden.Mr. Hall turned away and said nothing.Mr. Jameson scratched his head, looking like he had something to say but couldn't.Then, Mr. Hall finally lost his patience. "If you've got something to say, just say it. No one's stopping you."Mr. Jameson finally blurted it out. "Sam, what's going on with you and Celia? You two are always together. Wherever she goes, you follow."Samson looked stunned and said instinctively, "I think of her as a little sister, that's all. I just took care of her a little more…"Mrs. Hall, who had always been one of his supporters, finally heard something she couldn't accept. She frowned and said, "Regardless, you can't let her move into your home! How does that reflect on you? How do you think that made Jess f

Chapter 9

"But afterward, Celia told others she broke Jessica's watch on purpose, just for the fun of it. She said Jess had no family left, so what could she do about it anyway?" Mr. Sanders said.Even then, he had softened the actual words. If he had repeated her exact phrasing, Mr. Hall would have pinned this on him, too.Mrs. Hall squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her face. "That watch was from Norman. Jess cherished it so much that she couldn't bear to wear it. And now, it's been ruined. How could she?! Sam, you… How could both of you treat her that way?""I…" Samson felt chills in his spine. Jessica must have figured it all out. No wonder she changed after that day. No wonder she left so resolutely.His voice caught in his throat, and it took him a long moment to speak. "I want to confront Celia about this. Face to face."Mr. Hall slammed his hand on the table. "Good. Let's have it! I want to see for myself what kind of person you've been defending all this time!"It didn't

Chapter 10

"You did say it," Flora insisted, her face flushed red as she pulled Lily over. "Lily heard it too."Lily nodded, voice trembling. "You said Norman shouldn't have left Commander Samson with a big problem when he died. You also said Jess was lucky to have a father to rely on, and that after he died, she'd have Commander Samson to support her… You even said Commander Samson never really liked her, and that maybe Mr. Hall pressured him into marrying her…" Her voice trailed off, getting softer and softer, until it was almost impossible to hear.Mr. Hall was furious and slammed his hand on the table. "Samson, you tell me! Who's the one who came begging me to help set you up? Who stood in front of Norman's grave and swore to always take care of Jess?""It was me," Samson mumbled."Louder!" Mr. Hall roared."It was me, Samson Gardner!" Samson yelled.Mr. Hall took a shaky breath, his words sharp and heavy. "If I'd known you'd turn out to be so blind, I never would have entrusted Jes

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