Chapter 8 Following the verdict of the Federal Military Tribunal, Richard was stripped of all titles and ranks and sentenced to life imprisonment on multiple counts, including abuse of power, corruption, and domestic abuse. Isabella was also sentenced to twenty years in prison for fraud and child abuse. As for their so-called "precious" son, with both parents behind bars and no relative willing to adopt him, he was eventually sent to a state orphanage. The irony was delicious-the man who had once threatened to abandon Emily in an orphanage now saw his own son end up in one. Meanwhile, my divorce from Richard didn't go so smoothly. Rumor was, he had gone completely insane in prison and was refusing outright to sign the divorce papers. "I won't sign it!" "Catherine is my wife! After everything we've been through, she wouldn't be so cruel as to abandon me! I refuse! I demand to see her! Once she sees me, she'll take me back!" When I heard this, all I could feel was bitter irony and annoyance. See her? That would never happen. Left with no choice, I officially retained a lawyer and filed for a compulsory divorce. At the office of the military legal advisor, when I handed a stack of documents to the officer in charge of my case, we locked eyes, and both froze. The man in front of me was clad in a crisp uniform, a major's insignia gleaming on his shoulders, face stern, eyes sharp. It was Michael Donovan, my old academy rival, and the man I had once bested to become top cadet. Upon seeing me, surprise flickered across his face before he resumed a professional demeanor. "Colonel Hayes." A wave of emotion stirred in me as well. Michael had long shed the youthful recklessness of our academy days, now calm and composed. Yet that stubborn, competitive streak seemed etched into his very bones. I hadn't expected to meet him under these circumstances. Words failed me, all fading into a faint, bittersweet smile. "Major Donovan... I'll be counting on you." He nodded crisply, taking the documents from me with the efficient precision of a soldier. Chapter B 6.84% "Consider it done. I'll have this resolved within a week." He was as good as his word. With ruthless efficiency, the divorce decree, bearing the court's official seal, was delivered to me in just five days. I had won, and finally exhaled completely. With the matter settled, a strange hollowness bloomed in my chest-an aching void where something once was. A complicated mix of emotions pressed on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Against my will, my mind drifted back to my first encounter with Richard. That sunny afternoon in the library, sunlight streaming through the windows, falling on the young man in a white shirt. He had turned and smiled at me-pure and warm. That one smile had captivated me for ten long years. I had once naively believed we would have a fairy-tale ending, hand in hand, growing old together. If I had known then how it would all end...I would have turned and walked away without a second glance. Sensing my momentary lapse, Michael pushed a file toward me, voice crisp. "Congratulations, Colonel Hayes. You've rid yourself of a dead weight." I paused before realization sank in. Indeed I was divorced. Richard was now just a part of my past, a failed chapter I had left behind. I tucked away the decree and offered him a relieved smile. "Thank you, Michael." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "If you really want to thank me, then don't embarrass yourself too much in the upcoming joint inter-command exercise." "Next month, my Timberwolf Special Forces will face off against your Falcon Strike Team." "And... I hear your daughter is adorable. Once the exercise is over, I'd like to meet her." I looked into the determined fire in his eyes, catching a fleeting softness beneath it. For the first time since the ordeal with Richard began, the shadows in my heart seemed to recede, pierced by a sudden, brilliant light. We walked side by side out of the office building, the afternoon sun casting long glimmers over our crisp uniforms. Just like the countless times in our youth when we had trained side by side, competing relentlessly. I gazed toward the horizon, a smile finally curling at my lips. I allowed myself to believe that the future could indeed be as bright as this day.