A Soldier’s Fall, A Husband’s Rise From Ruin

“Charlotte couldn’t turn me down, so her sudden visit didn’t bother you, right?”

I quietly looked at the two of them.

“I didn’t ask you in. What did you want?”

Faced with my short response, Alexander looked a bit uneasy as he glanced at Charlotte beside him.

“Alexander wanted to check on you. He brought a gift, no bad thoughts.”

Charlotte set the gift box at the doorway.

Alexander quickly explained, “This razor worked well for me and I thought you might need one too. Back then, we shared things like this a lot.”

I lowered my eyes to look at it; it seemed to be the same kind the guard used.

“That picture…”

Alexander’s eyes grew wet, his voice rough. “Archie, after all these years, you still haven’t moved on.”

I crushed the photo into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. “You’re overthinking it.”

He lifted his hand as if he wanted to set it on my shoulder, then stopped halfway.

“I get that you’re holding something in your heart. If you were still together, today would be your wedding anniversary.”

“What happened back then wasn’t my choice. If you really let it go, let us take you out for a meal. If you had any difficult moments in life, just say it; we’re old comrades.”

I was about to refuse him right away. Suddenly, the altar candle sparked.

I gave a small smile and changed my answer. “Alright.”

Alexander became much more chatty and his little gestures kept coming.

While talking about their trip to Spain last month, he picked up lip balm and touched it to her lips while waiting at a red light.

“Every winter, I had to remind you, why did you never learn?”

Charlotte grabbed his hand, somewhat upset. “Stop that.”

“Oh, honey, I forgot Archie was here. Archie, you wouldn’t mind, right? Charlotte and I were always like this…”

I interrupted Alexander.

“Of course not.”

“I’ve watched you two rolling around in bed back then; this is nothing.”

The car turned quiet. It finally stayed still.

As I looked out at the road, I thought that if my mother had still been alive, she would have been shocked by all the changes.

Back then, my father insisted on divorcing my mom for Grace, nearly driving her out of her mind.

And my hidden marriage to Charlotte completely crushed her.

At the start, I only hated my father and Grace.

Their betrayal was what turned my mother from a clear and neat woman soldier into a doubtful and resentful woman.

Time slowly wore down her strength.

Later, I hated myself.

After arranging my mother’s funeral, I went alone to the border unit during what should have been my honeymoon, staying there for a month.

At that time, I didn’t hate Charlotte.

She was like a pearl lost in dust, a female soldier who had suffered yet stayed strong.

Before leaving, I asked Alexander to look out for her.

In our newlywed place, he cared for her well, cooking four dishes and a soup that were neat and delicious.

I truly felt grateful to him.

That year, the three of us grew even closer.

Charlotte treated me kinder and kinder.

With the money from my first merit reward, she spent everything to get me the tactical watch I liked.

On my birthday, she lit fireworks across the whole city to celebrate.

Each time we came back from field training, she would cancel all her schedules to stay with me.

I never doubted anything. She cared about me deeply.

Until one day, by chance, I went to her office by myself.

From behind the half-open break room door, I heard close noises.

I pushed the door wide.

Two naked bodies hit my eyes like sharp knives.

I cried out without control.

Her reaction was fast. “Who let you in!”

“Get out!”

I grabbed whatever I could reach and threw it at her like someone who had lost their mind.

Charlotte’s forehead was bleeding, yet she still tried hard to cover the man beside her.