Chapter 1

At thirteen, I lost my brother. He entrusted me to Nathan Foster, a soldier in the same camp.

At twenty, I was forced into marriage with Nathan, trapped by a scheme he'd fallen into.

He resented me. He gave every cent of his pay to his fallen first love. I stayed silent, never complaining.

Until one day, he sold my brother's last belongings behind my back. Then he left in the middle of the night, rushing to the capitavia to comfort that woman.

I finally decided to leave.

I took a train south, heading for Southern Frontier, which my brother had once spoken of. I signed up as a field medic.

There was someone my brother had loved. I wanted to see her.

*****

The day I passed the Field Medic exam, I went to the military housing and asked the commander, Joe Grant, to help me file for divorce.

When I left, Joe tried to persuade me, "Marriages aren't something you can walk away from. If Nathan doesn't sign this report, it won't count."

Winter had really settled in Harborville, and the wind was sharp as knives.

The wind made my eyes water.

I stood outside the military housing for ages, then said softly, "He's been dying for this."

Joe shook his head and let out a sigh.

*****

I went back to the military housing.

As soon as I stepped through the gate, I froze.

Nathan stood tall and silent, his back ramrod straight, right in the middle of the courtyard, without saying a word.

His silhouette had always been unwavering, like an iron wall, year after year.

After seven years of marriage, I'd never once managed to get close to him.

David Foster, Nathan's father, stood there with a face like thunder, gripping a cane studded with thorns, and brought it down hard.

A vicious, bloody welt instantly appeared across Nathan's wheat-colored back.

Before I could react, a bright yellow figure darted past me and rushed forward.

Charlotte Lynn was still in her performance costume from the art troupe

She threw herself in front of Nathan, shielding him without a second thought.

Charlotte's eyes flashed with anger as she glared at David, her voice ringing out, clear and unwavering. "It's a new era now. Everyone's about free love.

"Even if you beat Nathan to death, he'll never care for that dutiful wife he was forced to take."

David, a soldier for decades, stood there with a cold, severe expression. But Charlotte stood her ground, completely unafraid.

She was fearless, and that was exactly why Nathan liked her.

David was so furious he snapped, "You dare show up here."

He raised the thick cane at her, but Charlotte stared him down, not flinching at all.

The women in the housing were all watching, eager for some drama.

Charlotte's mother was seriously ill, and life had been tough for them.

Nathan was worried about them living outside, so he insisted on bringing them to stay here.

That was how we ended up with David so furious he was about to beat Nathan, while Charlotte was desperately trying to shield him.

The cane came down again.

Nathan, who'd been silent the whole time, finally reacted.

He shot to his feet and yanked Charlotte behind him.

Another bloody welt appeared on his back.

All eyes were on them.

Then, everyone turned to look at me, standing right at the gate.

Some gave me sympathetic looks, others sneered, and a few stared with pure disdain.

For a moment, it was like that cane had struck me instead.

Honestly, that really stung.

*****

That night, David couldn't help but feel for his son.

He handed me some ointment on the sly and asked me to wait until Nathan was asleep before putting it on his wounds.

I was in my room, packing up my things.

Over on the Southern Frontier near Cloudridge, the neighboring country kept stirring up trouble.

The military housing had decided to strike back, and war was about to break out.

The hospital director said that within two weeks at the latest, someone would take us down south.

Bullets didn't care who they hit. Whether one was a soldier or a medic, there was no guarantee one would make it back alive.

"So, you've got two weeks to think it over," the director said.

But for me, there was nothing left to think about.

I had nothing holding me back.

My brother was my only family, and in the end, he got killed by a stray bullet.

As for love, I lowered my gaze to the ointment in my hand. I never really had anyone like that in my life.

*****

I quietly slipped into Nathan's room late at night.

He kept to a strict routine, like any soldier.

At this hour, he'd be fast asleep.

I pushed the door open, and the room was pitch black.

I didn't dare turn on the light, so I tiptoed over to the bed.

It hit me that we'd been married for so many years.

And at this moment, stepping into his bedroom felt like I was sneaking around.

I couldn't tell if it was funny or plain sad.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, watching him in the faint moonlight.

His back must've been pretty badly injured. He was lying on his stomach, without a blanket over him, and his brow was still furrowed.

All these years, the thing I saw most on his face was that furrowed brow.

Even in his sleep, his brow never relaxed.

Was he really that unhappy, in his sleep?

I was momentarily stunned.

I twisted open the ointment, and the moment my hand brushed his back, Nathan suddenly grabbed my wrist.

The darkness around me felt suffocating. I almost let out a scream.

Nathan was already sitting up.

He reached over and flipped on the light.

I felt like a sneaky thief caught red-handed, suddenly exposed with nowhere to run.

The ointment was already lying on the floor.

I couldn't tell if I'd dropped it myself, or if Nathan had knocked it out of my hand.

Nathan stared at me.

Nathan's face was red with anger, his voice sharp. "Hannah, quit pretending."

I froze for a second.

It took me a bit to figure out what he was getting at.

David found out Nathan had gone to see Charlotte and was planning to bring her here.

He thought I was the one who ratted him out.

I had nothing to say.

Nathan let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Charlotte would never be like you, always meek and useless, running to my dad for every little thing."

I blanked out for a second.

Suddenly, I remembered what my brother had told me when he left all those years ago. "Little Hannah, you need to be more obedient from now on.

"Not everyone is like me. If you don't behave, no one's obligated to look after you."

But after all those years of being good, all I got was being called "always meek and useless."

Nathan's face was grim as he got out of bed and left the room without another word.