Chapter 3

Rowan gave my shoulder a pleased pat. "Good. That puts my mind at ease. Time's tight. Will a month be enough for you to say your goodbyes to your family?"

I managed a wry smile and nodded. "Yeah, that's enough."

Rowan saw my face and probably thought I was struggling to let go of Malachi. He gave me a sympathetic look. "Man, this is rough.

"You two just got married not long ago, and now you have to be separated again. If it hadn't been for that earthquake... Well, forget it.

"Just focus on getting better. We'll sort everything out once you're discharged."

After Rowan left, my doctor came in to let me know about my discharge and what I needed to keep in mind once I was out.

It wasn't until the day I was discharged that I found out Malachi had been appealing, insisting he'd made the right call.

He protested, "When there's danger, shouldn't the people always come first? Just because I didn't choose to save Vaela, you're going to punish me?"

Rowan paid no attention to his protests and just kicked him out.

As soon as I got home, Malachi stormed over to me, looking furious. "I'm so pissed off. What's wrong with saving people?

"Just because I didn't save you in time, they're going to fire me?"

With that, he shoved me hard and yelled, "Hey! Can't you see I'm upset?

"Are you just standing there like a statue? Can't you get me a glass of water or something?"

Back then, I would've patiently soothed him and even put in a good word for him with Rowan.

But now, I just didn't want to anymore. I packed my things as if he wasn't even there.

"If you want water, get it yourself. You've got hands, don't you?" I said flatly.

Malachi shot me a glare, then went to pour himself a glass of water.

He added, "Oh, by the way, Selene's sick. Nobody's around to take care of her, so I'm heading over for a few days."

"Whatever," I said.

Malachi looked surprised. He clearly hadn't expected me to be so chill about it, so he eased up a bit. "Alright, don't be so petty.

"Selene and I are just regular friends, nothing more. And hey, aren't you soldiers always about putting the people first? I'm just doing something good, like you always say."

I just mumbled a response while packing, not really caring.

Malachi finally realized what I was doing. "Why are you cleaning up?" he asked.

"Season's changing, just doing some cleaning around the house," I replied casually.

"Okay, I'm leaving now," Malachi said.

Back when he always found excuses to go see Selene, we'd always end up fighting.

Every time, Malachi would use the whole "you're a soldier, you should care about people" thing to shut me up.

But this time, I didn't care anymore.

After he left, I grabbed the train ticket sitting right there on the table. It was in plain sight, but Malachi hadn't even noticed it.

That was right. He never cared about anyone but Selene Fairwind, so why would he care about me?

I left the divorce papers on the table, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the home I once shared with Malachi.

If he cared about Selene that much, then I'd step aside.

Only two weeks left before I had to leave. I rented a small apartment not far from my old place and made it my temporary home.

I'd thought about moving farther away, but my leg still wasn't fully healed, and being close made getting to work a lot easier.

Just a day after I settled in, Malachi stormed over, demanding answers.

He slammed the divorce papers down right in front of me. "Vaela! What kind of stunt are you pulling now? Are you using divorce to mess with me?"

I just watched him rant and point fingers at me like a total drama queen, and for a moment, I actually felt a pang of sympathy for my old self.

When I ignored him, Malachi launched into his classic tantrum routine.

He cried out, "If you dare divorce me, I'll end it right before your eyes."

I watched Malachi's pathetic little performance and called him out without a hint of warmth.

I said coldly, "You won't die, and you know it. If you did, who'd be left to look after your precious Selene?."

Malachi's face twisted with rage as I hit the nail on the head. He jabbed a finger at me, shouting, "Damn you! I'm your husband. How could you say that about me? I might as well just die."

"Are you done making a scene?" I hurled my coffee cup to the floor. "You know damn well if you're guilty. Keep acting up, and I'll spill everything about you and Selene."

Malachi was totally freaked out. He stopped his crying right away and just stared at me, like he'd seen a ghost.

"I... I won't divorce you," he added.

Then he staggered out, barely keeping his balance.

I rubbed my forehead, feeling totally exasperated. How did I never realize Malachi could be such a pain in the ass?

After that, Malachi stopped coming around to hassle me, but every now and then he'd stroll past my door, casting glances inside.

I had no choice but to shut the door as soon as I got home. Honestly, I expected Malachi to show up and start drama again, but instead, it was Selene who turned up at my door first.

She sat across from me, acting all frail. Before I could even say anything, she started with a fake cough.

She said, "Vaela, Malachi didn't do it on purpose. Please don't be upset with him because of me."

I wasn't having any of her drama, so I shut her down right then and there.

I said coldly, "Enough already. Malachi's still at work. He can't see you playing the fragile little victim, so you can stop pretending."

Selene's face showed a flicker of embarrassment, but she quickly sat up straighter, dropping the act. "Alright, let's lay it all out.

"Malachi and I genuinely love each other. If you know what's best for you, you'll just back off."

Vaela arched an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Oh? If you two are so in love, how come you're not together? Maybe you just don't like each other enough?"

Selene's expression froze. "Quit messing with our relationship. I had my own reasons back then," she shot back.

I replied, "Why should I care? If you really want him, why not have him give you the big, fancy wedding you're dreaming of? Oops, silly me, I almost forgot. Malachi's still my husband."

Selene slammed her hand on the table and pointed right at my face, her voice trembling with fury. "Vaela! You wait. One day, I'm going to marry Malachi."

I looked at her like I couldn't care less. "Yeah, sure. I'll be waiting," I said flatly.

Then I turned around and left.