Love in Warzone
On our wedding night, my husband didn't stay long enough to toast with champagne.
He left me alone at the reception and retreated to the chapel.
Because from the very beginning, this stoic, untouchable man had only ever loved my younger sister.
For three years of my marriage, I poured myself into thawing a heart of stone, only to be met with glacial silence.
"Claire," he said coldly, "I'd rather take vows of celibacy than ever love you."
But when the truck came barreling toward me, the man who had resented me his entire life used his own body to shield mine.
Just before I lost consciousness, I saw him gripping the paramedic's sleeve, blood staining his lips.
"Don't tell that crazy woman who saved her… And don't let my family… make things difficult for her."
Tears welled in my eyes. Only then did I realize I wasn't the only one at fault in this marriage.
After coming back to life, I chose to join the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces and head straight to the front lines.
If we were never meant to grow old together in this life, then let my final wish for him be this:
A lifetime of peace, and an eternity of never crossing paths with me again.