All Chapters of Never His to Keep: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The news that Rosalie would never return to Nelmora left Nathaniel reeling. His vision darkened, and for a moment, he nearly collapsed.He shoved past the men still excitedly discussing their chances with Rosalie and stormed into the house, furious.The living room felt unnervingly empty. Rosalie's belongings were gone.She'd left behind only the gifts he'd given her since their wedding. Jewelry, expensive dresses, and all sorts of unusual trinkets were neatly arranged on the coffee table.A folded note lay on top.Nathaniel picked it up and unfolded it, his fingers trembling before he even realized it. He recognized Rosalie's bold, defiant handwriting at once. The message was brief and brutal."I'm returning everything you gave me. I won't stay with a man who's in love with someone else. You failed."His face burned as though she'd slapped him. He could almost picture the cold, unyielding look in her beautiful eyes as she'd written those words.Failed?Nathaniel had always ex

A pretty, confident young soldier from the military's entertainment troupe had admired Nathaniel for a long time.As the party got into full swing, she approached him and asked him to dance, making no effort to hide her interest.The officers around them began cheering her on."General Farrell's single again! How often do you get a chance like this?"Normally, Nathaniel would have found the attention irritating and turned her down without a second thought. But when he saw the shy, hopeful look in her eyes, he thought of Rosalie.He remembered watching her dance with wild abandon in the center of the dance floor, drawing every eye in the room. She'd been radiant, so full of life that it seemed the whole world was her stage.Compared to Rosalie, the young woman standing before him seemed utterly ordinary, no matter how much effort she'd put into her appearance.Nathaniel gave her a curt shake of his head and turned to leave. But then he overheard several officers nearby, their voi

Evelyn had spent hours making that soup, pouring all her care and hope into it. Yet even a memory of Rosalie nearly burning down the kitchen seemed to mean more to Nathaniel than all her efforts.The crash snapped Nathaniel out of his thoughts.He looked at the soup spilled across the rug, then at Evelyn's tear-streaked face. He felt guilty, but more than anything, he felt helpless.He couldn't seem to escape Rosalie. She was in everything he did, every thought that crossed his mind. No matter how hard he tried to move on, the memories kept pulling him back.He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.Finally, he closed his eyes, utterly exhausted.A few days later, Nathaniel found himself drawn to the military hospital's records room. He used his rank to gain access.He needed to know exactly what Rosalie had suffered. Or maybe he was just looking for another way to punish himself.He asked for Rosalie's medical records from the day she'd taken the beating. Afte

Nathaniel stood in the bustling departure hall, watching flight information scroll across the overhead board as boarding announcements echoed through the terminal. To his surprise, he felt a little calmer.If he could just get on that plane and make it across the ocean, maybe he still had a chance.Boarding pass in hand, he headed toward security when a uniformed military courier hurried through the crowd, making straight for him.The soldier stopped in front of him, snapped to attention, and saluted. Then he held out a sealed envelope marked urgent."General Farrell! We've received reports of enemy activity along the border. Command has ordered you back to base immediately. You're to lead your unit to the border!"Nathaniel's hand froze halfway to the envelope.He stared at the envelope, the weight of the orders sinking in. Then he glanced through the terminal windows at the plane that was supposed to take him to Rosalie.The roar of aircraft engines outside seemed almost cruel

One day, Evelyn came to see Nathaniel.She'd clearly taken extra care with her appearance. Dressed in a simple but elegant dress, she approached him with a gentle, hopeful smile, eager to win him back."Nathaniel, I know things have been hard for you lately. I made you some soup, and—"Nathaniel looked up from the stack of military reports on his desk.His gaze was calm and unreadable. The conflict and guilt he'd once felt were gone, along with every trace of warmth. He knew exactly how he felt now."Evelyn, we're done," he cut her off flatly.Her smile froze. Slowly, the color drained from her face.Nathaniel continued in the same detached tone, as though he were discussing someone else's life."I was wrong. I mistook gratitude and a sense of responsibility for love. But whatever we had ended when I decided to marry Rosie. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with her without even realizing it."He saw how pale Evelyn had gone, but his voice never wavered. His composure on