Chapter 1Five years after divorcing my special forces captain ex, I ran into him at the National Military Commendation Ceremony rehearsal.
The security officer was about to check my ID when he walked in. Her tone did a complete 180.
"Captain Morgan! Didn't expect to see you here!"
He gave a slight nod.
"Let her through with me."
I pulled out my access pass.
"No need. My husband’s got me covered."
His eyes dropped to the badge in my hand.
"Claire… stop pretending. After all these years, still stubborn as hell."
I almost laughed. Said nothing, though.
Well, well. Captain Morgan—still got that ego, huh?
My husband? Yeah, you'd be saluting him right now.
Rehearsal wrapped. I grabbed the uniform, slung my bag over my shoulder, and walked out.
Early autumn wind whipped up dust everywhere. By the time I hit the shuttle stop, my eyes were burning.
I rubbed the grit away—and froze.
Morgan's military-plated SUV, parked right in front of me.
He saw my red eyes. His expression darkened.
"Get in."
"No need. I'll take the shuttle."
His gaze raked over me—head to toe. Stopped at my bag.
"Claire." His voice dropped. ""How've you been... all these years?"
"Great."
He didn't believe me for a second.
"Get in."
The shuttle behind us blared its horn. He didn't move an inch.
Everyone was staring now.
Fine. I yanked the door open.
"Building 3. Family quarters."
Dead silence.
His voice came out hoarse. "You still live there?"
I said nothing.
"That whole zone's marked for demolition. You're alone, and—" He stopped himself.
I knew what he wanted to say.
That's where my mother jumped. Ten years ago today. Because she refused to watch me marry him.
Jumped from the tenth floor.
The heat in the car was suffocating. I rolled down the window.
"You'll catch cold—Roll it up—I'll lower the temp."
"Not anymore." I cut him off. "Do whatever you want."
Silence.
Then his phone rang.
"Babe~ rehearsal done? Coming home soon?"
That voice. I knew it. But not like this—all sugar and silk through the speakers.
"Yeah. Ran into Claire. Dropping her off."
Pause.
"Oh my god, Claire's back? We should totally grab dinner! It's been forever—"
"Serena. Stop."
The line went quiet.
Damon Morgan was gentle when he wanted to be. But when he decided something? Done deal.
Serena knew that. Better than anyone.
The call cut off.
We pulled up to my building.
"Thanks." I pushed the door open.
"Claire." He stopped me. "That uniform you picked up... who's it for?"
"My husband."
He let out a short, bitter laugh. Like I was still playing games.
"Same cut as mine. You used to do this for me too."
I turned back. Met his eyes.
"And?"
"You don't have to pretend with me." His voice softened. "I just want you to be okay. Not... like this."
Like what, exactly?
I glanced at the window. Saw my reflection.
Standard fatigues. Combat boots. Groceries shoved in my bag.
Your average military spouse. Barely scraping by.
Except I wasn't.
I smiled. Sharp. Clean.
"I am okay, Morgan. Better than okay, actually."
He blinked.
"You've changed."
"Yeah." I turned away. "I have."
I walked upstairs. Didn't look back.
Chapter 2
I pushed open the door to the fifth-floor apartment.
Inside, everything looked exactly the same as last year.
Next to the old TV sat my mother's military portrait, framed in polished wood. A single white candle flickered beside it.
I lit a fresh one, tied on an apron, and headed into the kitchen.
Three dishes and soup hit the table fast. Across from me sat an untouched plate—hers.
I ate slowly.
"Mom, ran into Morgan today."
"Yeah, I know—don't start. He can't touch me anymore. And I'm done being that stupid kid who took hits for him."
Only the howling wind outside answered.
I wasn't hungry. I put down my fork, walked into the bedroom, and pulled out an old photo album.
"Look at you back then—total badass. These pictures don't do you justice."
Before I even opened it, a photo slipped out and hit the floor.
I bent down. Picked it up.
Damon. Me. Serena.
Three young faces grinning at the camera.
I stood in the middle, arms around both of them, smiling the widest—right cheek still bruised from training.
Summer. I was thirteen.
Debt collectors showed up at the Morgan house. Every neighbor locked their doors. Even my parents stayed out of it.
But I ran in.
The bat that was meant for Damon? Hit me square in the face.
Fractured cheekbone. Spent the whole summer recovering.
Mom was furious. Told me to stay the hell away from the Morgans.
Until Mrs. Morgan dragged her injured leg to our front door and wouldn't stop thanking us.
Mom softened.
For the next ten years, there was always a plate set for Damon at our table. Every holiday, he got new clothes too.
When Mom wasn't busy, she'd help Mrs. Morgan run the convenience store. If anyone tried to start trouble, she'd rip into them until they never came back.
They called each other sisters.
No one expected that "sister" to climb into my father's bed.
When I came home that day, everything was smashed to pieces.
Mom stood in the wreckage, sobbing. Her face was red with handprints. Dad had that woman behind him.
"Let's divorce. You can have everything. I just want Vivian."
Damon rushed forward to pull Vivian away. Mom slapped him twice.
I shoved her. She fell back, staring at me in disbelief.
I was crying too. But what I said cut deeper than anything.
"Mom—what the fuck? Why'd you hit him?"
All those messy memories—frozen in this one little photo.
After I divorced Damon, I burned everything connected to him.
Guess I missed one.
I was about to toss it in the trash when someone knocked.
Figured it was Mrs. Carter from next door—she always brought casserole this time of year.
I opened the door.
Serena. Arm in arm with Damon.
She lit up like a damn Christmas tree.
"Claire! Oh my god, babe, it's been forever! You look exactly the same!"
"I know this is, like, totally random—hope we're not interrupting anything?"
I looked at them both. Didn't blink.
"Not inviting you in. What do you want?"
Serena's smile flickered. She shot Damon a wounded puppy look.
"She really wanted to see you. Brought you something. No drama, I promise." His voice was careful. Soft.
He set a gift box down in the entryway.
Serena jumped in, all chirpy again.
"So this skincare set is literally life-changing—I swear by it. Thought you'd love it too! We used to swap beauty stuff all the time, remember?"
I glanced down. Same brand my housekeeper used.
"That photo..."
Serena's eyes went glossy. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Claire... oh honey. After all this time, you're still holding onto it."
I crumpled the photo and tossed it in the trash. "You're reading too much into it."
She reached for my hand—stopped mid-air.
"I get it. You're hurt. And if you guys were still together, today would've been your anniversary, right?"
Her voice cracked a little.
"What happened back then... I didn't have a choice, Claire. But if you've really moved on, let us take you out. Dinner. Our treat. And seriously—if you need anything, money, connections, whatever—just say the word. We're old friends, yeah?"
I was about to shut the door in her face.
Then—
Pop.
The candle on the altar flared. Wax splattered.
I smiled.
"Sure. Why the hell not."
Chapter 3
Serena wouldn't shut up.
And her hands? Even worse.
She went on and on about their romantic trip to Turkey last month, then—at a red light—reached over and dabbed her lip balm on Damon's mouth with her finger.
"Every winter, babe. I have to remind you every time. Last time you kissed me so hard I bled. You never learn, do you?"
He grabbed her wrist. "Knock it off."
"Oops! Totally forgot Claire was here. You don't mind, right, Claire? Damon and I are just... used to it."
I cut in.
"Of course not."
"I mean, I've seen you two fuck in my bed before. This is nothing."
Dead silence.
Finally. Peace and quiet.
I stared out the window, watching the city roll by. Thought about how Mom would've been shocked at how much things had changed.
Back then, Dad was hell-bent on divorcing her for Vivian. Nearly drove her insane.
And me? I went behind her back and married Damon.
That's what killed her.
At first, I only hated Dad and Vivian.
Their affair turned Mom from a badass officer into a paranoid wreck.
Time ate her alive.
Later? I hated myself.
After Mom's funeral, I spent what should've been my honeymoon at a border outpost. Alone. For a month.
Back then, I didn't hate Damon.
He was a diamond in the rough. A soldier who'd been through hell and came out stronger.
Before I left, I asked Serena to look after him.
She did a great job.
Cooked in our newlywed apartment like she owned the place. Four dishes and soup, restaurant quality.
I was genuinely grateful.
That year, the three of us got even closer.
Damon treated me better than ever.
First time he earned a commendation bonus? Spent it all on the tactical watch I'd been eyeing.
My birthday? Fireworks across the whole damn city.
Every time he came back from field training, he'd cancel every meeting just to be with me.
I never doubted him.
He loved me. Down to his bones.
Until that day I went to his office unannounced.
The door to his rest room was cracked open.
I heard it. Moaning.
I pushed the door open.
Two naked bodies. Stabbed straight into my eyes like a bayonet.
I screamed.
He covered the woman beneath him faster than I could blink.
"Who the hell told you to come in?!"
"Get out!"
I lost it. Grabbed everything in reach and hurled it at them.
Blood ran down Damon's temple. He still shielded her.
I smashed everything I could.
But I couldn't get close to them.
They were the two people I loved most in the world.
Fear clamped around my heart. My teeth chattered.
"Serena. Look at me."
She crawled out from under the sheets, face swollen from crying, and dropped to her knees.
"Claire, I'm so sorry."
"Damon and I—we shouldn't have—but we love each other. We really do."
"Please. Please just let us be together."
She looked just like she did the first time we met—cornered by thugs on the training field.
I got written up protecting her that day. First time I'd ever been disciplined.
I'd handed her my wedding bouquet.
Told her I hoped she'd find happiness.
Now she was in my husband's arms, begging me to let them go.
Tears streamed down my face. My voice shook.
"When did it start?"
Her lips trembled. She couldn't answer.
He did it for her.
"Does it matter? Are you done? This is a military base, not your living room."
"Doesn't it matter?! Damon! Doesn't it fucking matter?!"
I was screaming now.
He stood up. Naked. Unflinching.
"Fine! You want to know?!"
"Last March. When you insisted on transferring to that border post. That's when we got together."
"I wasn't trying to hide it from you. But you'd just lost your mom. I didn't want to hurt you more, so I went along with the marriage for your sake."
"Serena's sacrificed enough. I can't watch her suffer anymore. I was going to wait until after your mother's anniversary to divorce you."
"But since you found out, let's just lay it all out."
"Let's get divorced. Name your terms. I just want Serena."
That's when I finally understood.
The day I shoved my mother away to stand by Damon?
That's how hard I hit her.
