Chapter 8 Two years later, I had already worked my way back to the same military rank I had held before marrying Declan. I was not as young as I used to be, but my future was still wide open. Many of the senior officers were eager to introduce me to potential suitors. I did not turn them down. I had long since decided I would never throw away an entire forest just to cling to one rotten tree. One afternoon, after returning from a coffee date with a 30-something brigadier general, I saw a familiar figure outside the housing complex. When he spotted me, his eyes lit up with excitement. "Sierra, I'm back!" Declan looked much more weathered. Life in prison certainly was not pleasant. With his temper, I could only imagine how much he had been tormented behind bars. I had lived through that nightmare myself, so I knew the pain, but I felt no sympathy for him. As he stepped closer, I instinctively took a step back to keep the distance. A flash of hurt crossed his face before he forced a casual smile. "We haven't seen each other in two years. Why are you being so distant with me? I searched everywhere for you. I didn't expect you to come back as a colonel here in Cranefields. Sierra, you're still the brilliant woman you always were." That overly familiar tone made my stomach churn with disgust. "Declan, there's no need for us to reminisce. Why are you here?" My indifference stung him like a needle. His expression darkened, and his lips trembled as he forced the question out. "I just... I just need to know. Is there really no way for us to go back to how things used to be?" I knew he already had the answer in his heart. Still, I curved my lips into a mocking smile, just as he once had in my past life. "What do you think, Declan? Why on earth would I go back? You're the one with a criminal record now. Do you think you're on the same level as me?" Declan's face turned ashen, as if he had received a huge blow. "You used to love me so much... I already know I was wrong. Sierra, Jane and I weren't what you think. Can't you really give me another chance?" I did not answer his question, but the man beside me did. "If you and your childhood sweetheart 'weren't like that' and you could still frame Sierra as a spy, what would you have done to Sierra if you two really had something going on? 1/3 +25 Bonus "Besides, you're a grown man. Don't tell me you don't understand the most basic boundaries. You made your choice back then. Now that your life is in shambles, why would anyone want to pick up your trash?" Declan's face turned red with anger from the tongue lashing. "Who are you to meddle in other people's business? Sierra is my wife!" "Not anymore," I snapped, cutting him off. My voice was firm, each word sharp and clear. "The moment you went to prison, I filed for divorce. Did you forget?" I added, "Let me introduce you to Elliot Baxter, my date. I've got a very good impression of him now, and if nothing changes, he'll be my husband. Declan, you're the outsider now." Declan left looking devastated. He had once relied on my love to plot against me, never imagining that day would come. His beautiful family was gone, and his bright future was gone too. Due to his criminal record, he had already been discharged from the military, and no decent place would hire him. I later heard that he was spotted unloading cargo at the docks. He was only 30, yet he was already looking like a 50-year-old man. Ten years had passed, and Jane finally finished serving her harsh sentence and was released. With no parents or home, she naturally thought of Declan. She shakily made her way to the Huxley residence, only to be thrown out. The same Irene, my former mother-in-law who had once sung Jane's praises, looked at her as though she were a curse. "If it weren't for you, Declan would never have gone to prison! You wretched little tramp, get out of here!" She shoved Jane to the ground, and Jane, shaking with rage, spat out blood. Even so, she still refused to let go. When Declan came home from his dock job, she reached out to stop him. "Declan, do you still remember me?" Declan looked up nonchalantly, his eyes reddening the moment he saw her. Jane thought he felt sorry for her and was about to throw herself into Declan's arms. The next second, she froze in place, staring at her chest in disbelief. Declan slowly withdrew the knife from his hand and closed his eyes. "You betrayed me, Jane." Hearing his words, Jane laughed bitterly. "Declan, how can you be so shameless? Did I beg you to help me back then? You were the one who was eager to scheme against Sierra! You're the real coward, the most despicable of them all." She never imagined she would die at Declan's own hands. Declan was convicted of murder and sent back to prison, but he never walked out again. As for me, I had rewritten my fate. 2/3 +25 Bonus 1 found a husband far better than Declan, climbed the ranks, and became one of the most respected female officers in the force. Beatrice told everyone she had seen my worth from the very beginning. When my subordinates reported news of Declan's death in prison, I was already preparing to retire and travel the country's beautiful landscapes with my husband. Hearing that news, I just smiled faintly. "The past is all behind us now."