All Chapters of Shattered Bonds Between Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

On the third day after my father's death, Marcus Hale still hadn't come."Chief Collins, I've made up my mind. I want to honor my father's wishes and stay here in Pine Ridge Village to teach the children," I said firmly as I packed up my bags.The chief of the village, Henry Collins, froze before trying to persuade me, "Clara, you worked so hard to follow the military, why would you come back to this poor place and suffer?"I shook my head and looked down at the worn wristwatch on my arm, my father's only keepsake bequeathed to me. "I'm not afraid of hardship. Give me seven days. I'll file for divorce."At seven that evening, I finally returned to our home at Fort Haven. The food on the table was still there, exactly the same as when I had left.Just as I set my bags down, footsteps echoed at the door.Marcus walked in, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in his sharp green uniform. His voice was cold."Is there any food left? The mess hall's closed. Heat something up and pack it

Chapter 2

Even up to the day of my father's burial, Marcus never once made the time to come.All I heard were my father's last words as he held my hand before closing his eyes for the final time. "Marcus is a good man. He serves the country, so it's only right that he's busy. I don't blame him. Don't go back and start fights with him."'But, Father, Marcus isn't busy with the military. He's busy keeping Julia company.'I wiped away my tears, washed the bowls and chopsticks, and put everything neatly away.The countdown to leaving had begun.Six days left.Day One.I went alone to Colonel David Grant's office. He was Marcus' superior."Here's my divorce application with Marcus Hale. I hope the organization can approve it quickly," I said.At that time, military personnel were required to submit a formal application to their superior officers for both marriage and divorce.David's hand paused halfway as he lifted his cup. He immediately set it down and picked up the papers, reading caref

Chapter 3

"Clara, it’s just some stuff. Since when did you become so petty?"Julia tugged at Marcus’s sleeve, her voice soft and pitiful as she said, "I’m sorry, Clara. I only thought that since you weren’t here these past few days, I’d borrow the space for a while. I didn’t expect it to upset you... I didn’t mean for my things to end up on the floor."She even moved as if to bow to me.Marcus immediately caught her, his eyes sharp and cold. "Clara, don’t go too far. Julia didn’t do it on purpose. That’s enough."How many times had he gotten angry with me because of Julia? I couldn’t even count anymore.I refused to play any part in their drama. Hugging my box, I walked straight out, but as I passed Julia, a foot shot out and caught me.Marcus’s gaze sharpened, his hand moving instinctively to grab me, but it was already too late.I crashed to the floor. The contents of the box scattered everywhere, and my wrist scraped hard against the ground.Marcus stepped quickly toward me, his hand

Chapter 4

"Captain Hale, why don't you and Miss Summers feed each other a drink?""Yeah, come on!"Julia sat beside Marcus, her cheeks flushed pink."Don't mess around. Marcus already has a wife."A laugh cut through the room. "Who are you kidding? If Julia hadn't married someone else back then, Marcus wouldn't have given up on himself and gone to that matchmaking meeting. Besides, Clara's not even here."The dish in my hands was steaming hot, but it felt colder than ice.Once, these same men had treated me with respect and warmth. Now, their words made me sick.Marcus slammed his glass down harder than he meant to, his face darkening as he prepared to speak.Just then, I stepped out, coughing lightly, and set the food on the table. "Let's eat."I smiled faintly and pulled out a chair to sit on.However, Marcus suddenly noticed something, his brows knitting together. "Why are there so many dishes Julia doesn't like?"Julia waved her hand gently, her voice soft. "It's fine, I'll just e

Chapter 5

Marcus walked behind Julia, steadying her as they entered, and didn't catch the words at first. "What did you say?"Jake opened his mouth but couldn't summon the courage to repeat it. After a long pause, he stammered, "Captain... Captain Hale, your wife left a divorce agreement on the table..."This time, Marcus heard him clearly. His hand slipped from Julia's arm. She wobbled, her ankle twisting under her. "Ah, Marcus!" she cried softly.However, the man didn't look back. He shoved past the others crowding the room, seizing Jake by the collar. "What did you say? Say it again!"The air thickened with his battlefield aura, a force only someone who had faced war could command. His face was thunderous.The men froze, not one daring to speak.Jake swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "Your wife... she left you a letter. It's on the table."Marcus shoved him aside and, with trembling hands, snatched up the paper.The first line was written in bold strokes: "Application for Dissolu

Chapter 6

Noah pressed his lips together, hesitating before saying, "What about Miss Summers? Before she came back, Marcus and Clara were perfectly fine. You think... maybe Clara overheard what we said?"Instinctively, the men turned their eyes toward the one who had stayed silent the whole time, Charles Long.Feeling the weight of their stares, Charles's face flushed red. "Impossible. Clara filed the divorce papers days ago. It has nothing to do with me!"Noah lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "Doesn't matter how it happened. Clara's the one who stood by Marcus as his partner in all this. She's always treated us so well. Those things we said at lunch... we never should have said them."The others fell into silence.Meanwhile, Marcus was pounding on David's front door with the divorce papers in hand.Bang, bang, bang!The light in the courtyard flicked on, and Grace Grant, David's wife, came to answer. "Captain Hale? Come in, quickly. What do you need David so urgently f

Chapter 7

"Julia had just gotten divorced. I thought, as a single woman, she needed someone to look after her. That’s why I kept her company those days."Grace let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Doesn’t she have family? Why did it have to be you—a married man—taking care of her?"Marcus’s expression darkened."And when Clara went home to her father, you didn’t go with her!" Grace’s chest rose and fell with fury as she snapped the words.Marcus instinctively furrowed his brow, baffled at why she was so angry. "Clara told me at the last minute. I had things to do, so I couldn’t go. I promised her I’d go with her once I finished up."Grace’s face softened slightly. "And what exactly kept you so busy? Did you explain that to Clara?"Marcus nodded. "Julia was sick and in the hospital. I stayed to take care of her. I even told Clara that.""You!" Grace shot to her feet, unable to hold back any longer. She jabbed a finger at his head, her face burning with outrage. "Now I finally understand why Cla

Chapter 8

"William! A few days ago, Clara called to say her father had died and told Marcus to go home right away. I couldn’t leave, so I sent you to pass the message. Did you do it?"Seven-year-old William had just been yanked out of bed. He was about to cry, but his mother’s fury frightened him into silence. He rubbed his head and mumbled, "I told him.""I went to Captain Hale’s office first, but they said he was at the hospital visiting Miss Summers. So I went there instead."David’s brows drew together. "Will, did you find him?"William shook his head. "I only found Miss Summers. She said he had gone out to get food and asked me what I needed him for. So I told her."Marcus’s heart dropped like a stone, his expression dark enough to bleed ink. "And then?"Startled, William shrank behind Grace’s back, stammering, "Then Miss Summers told me to go home for dinner. She said she’d tell him for me. She also gave me a handful of butterscotch candies and told me not to tell anyone else."Tear

Chapter 9

"Julia, I underestimated you."David’s stern voice rang out, and Julia froze.In the next second, she saw Grace standing behind him, holding William by the hand.Fear and panic flickered across Julia’s face. "Colonel Grant, what do you mean by that?"The soldiers who had followed them inside lined up along the wall. The once-quiet infirmary suddenly felt crowded.All eyes were on David, even the doctor and nurse slowed their hands, hardly daring to breathe.Grace broke the silence with a cold laugh. "Julia, last week I sent my son William to tell Captain Hale that Clara’s father had died and she needed him to come home for the funeral. William said you promised to pass it along, then sent him home for dinner. Is that true?"The room fell into deathly silence.Julia’s face went pale. She bit her lip and decided to deny it to the end. "Grace, I truly didn’t know about this. Marcus, you have to believe me."No one answered her. She looked instead at William, who was nervously che

Chapter 10

Julia whipped her head toward Marcus, her eyes red. "Marcus, please, let me explain..."Marcus said nothing. He only looked at her deeply, as if he had finally seen her true face.Around them, the whispers began."What kind of person is this? And she calls herself a teacher?""Julia has gone too far. No wonder she ended up divorced.""From now on, we'd better stay away from her. A woman like that is no different from a viper."...David's voice cut through the murmurs, stern and final, "Julia, I'll be reporting this to the school's leadership. Our base school has no place for someone like you."Grace's eyes flashed with vindication as she glared at Julia.Faced with the disgust of everyone around her, Julia couldn't bear it. She collapsed in a faint, but this time, no one moved to help her.When she awoke, her deeds had already spread through the entire base.The school leadership not only fired her but also recorded her conduct issue in her permanent file. From then on, she

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