Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 101 - Chapitre 110

A few weeks passed.Life at Fort Jackson settled into a strange rhythm.Dominic worked nonstop. Some nights he came home exhausted after training medics all day. Other nights he was called back to base in the middle of the night. Sophia managed the house, the babies, and her still-healing leg the best she could.Her new orthopedic doctor had confirmed what she already suspected.Another surgery was coming.But that night… none of that mattered.It was poker night.Joe and Raz had arrived earlier with a cooler of beer and their usual loud energy. Angelo had taken a seat at the table, and Dominic shuffled the cards while Hailey ran circles around the living room.Sophia sat on the couch feeding Giovanni while Gianna slept beside her.Patrick stood near the kitchen counter watching everything quietly.Joe leaned back in his chair, grinning.“This game needs some excitement.”Dominic raised an eyebrow.“Joe…”Joe just laughed.“You’ll see.”About twenty minutes later there was a knock on

Fort Jackson had started to feel like home.Not perfect.But familiar.The twins were growing quickly. Gianna had Dominic’s dark eyes, Giovanni had Sophia’s stubborn personality, and Hailey had fully embraced her role as the tiny boss of the house.But outside their quiet street on base…The world was changing.The war overseas was getting worse.News played constantly on television screens around the base. Soldiers talked about deployments in low voices. Training schedules had become longer, harder, and more urgent.Dominic felt it every day.More medics were being trained.More units preparing to leave.Everyone knew what it meant.One evening Dominic came home later than usual, dropping his bag near the door while Sophia rocked Gianna in the living room.“You look like hell,” she said.Dominic rubbed his face.“Long day.”Patrick glanced up from the kitchen table.“What happened?”Dominic sat down slowly.“I got called into the command office today.”Sophia looked up immediately.“

Sophia was standing in the kitchen one afternoon when the phone rang.She wiped her hands on a towel and answered immediately.“Dom?”There was a long pause on the other end.Sophia knew that pause.Her stomach tightened.“What is it?”Dominic sighed heavily.“They extended us.”Sophia felt the words like a punch to the chest.“How long?”“Five months.”Sophia sat down slowly at the kitchen table.“That means…”“Seventeen months total.”Sophia rubbed her forehead.“That’s insane.”Dominic sounded just as frustrated.“No one here is happy about it.”Sophia looked out the window at the backyard where Hailey was playing while her father watched the kids.“When did you find out?”“Yesterday.”Sophia shook her head.“You waited a day to tell me?”Dominic sighed.“I didn’t know how.”Sophia’s voice softened slightly.“You just say it.”Dominic was quiet for a moment.Then he spoke again.“I’m coming home.”Sophia blinked.“What?”“For three weeks.”Sophia sat up straighter.“You’re serious?

The morning Dominic had to leave came too fast.Sophia had barely slept the night before. Every time she closed her eyes she kept thinking about the same thing—him walking away again.The house was quiet when the alarm went off.Dominic sat on the edge of the bed tying his boots while Sophia watched him from under the blankets.Neither of them spoke for a moment.Finally Sophia whispered,“I hate this part.”Dominic looked up at her.“Me too.”Sophia slowly sat up, her leg stiff from the cold morning air.“You just got back.”Dominic shrugged.“Three weeks went fast.”Sophia smirked sadly.“Fast for you maybe. I was counting every second.”Dominic stood and walked over to her.He kissed her forehead softly.“I wish I could stay.”Sophia looked up at him.“Then stay.”Dominic sighed quietly.“You know I can’t.”Sophia didn’t argue.Because she did know.Hailey was the first one awake.She waddled into the living room rubbing her eyes just as Dominic picked up his bag.“Da?”Dominic kne

The morning after surgery, the hospital room felt strangely calm.Too calm.Sophia lay back against the pillows, staring down at the thick white cast that ran from her hip to just below her knee. It felt heavy, uncomfortable, and painfully familiar.“Unbelievable,” she muttered.Patrick sat beside the bed flipping through a magazine he wasn’t actually reading.“Third time’s the charm?”Sophia shot him a look.“Not funny.”Patrick raised his hands.“Just trying to lighten the mood.”Sophia sighed and rested her head back against the pillow.“I just got back to walking normally.”Patrick nodded.“I know.”Sophia rubbed her face.“Now I’m back to this.”Angelo leaned in the doorway.“At least this time they casted it.”Sophia raised an eyebrow.“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”Angelo shrugged.“You won’t be chasing toddlers for a while.”Sophia smirked.“You underestimate my stubbornness.”Later that evening her phone rang.Dominic.Sophia looked at the screen for a moment befor