After the Last Autumn

He's Not Going Anywhere

The answer was obvious. It pierced into me like a needle buried deep in flesh.

The moment I returned to the dorm and shut the door, my body finally hit its limit. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed onto the bed without even the strength to move.

I did not know how long I slept, but somewhere in my haze, I vaguely heard someone speaking.

When I forced my eyes open, I realized June was sitting beside the bed at some point, staring at me with concern written all over her face.

"Ian, people from your department said you never showed up to work today. I was worried something had happened to you, so I rushed back right after the meeting ended."

She paused and reached out to touch my forehead. "Are you feeling any better now? Does anything still hurt?"

I instinctively turned my head away.

June frowned slightly at the reaction, but her voice softened even more. "Ian, Morgan is my subordinate. It's only natural for me to take extra care of him. I know you've felt wronged lately, but at least give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?"

She looked at me gently. "What do you want? Just say it. I'll give you anything."

I stared at the unfamiliar tenderness in her eyes for a long moment before finally speaking in a quiet voice. "I want a divorce."

She froze, almost seeming to think she had misheard me. "Ian, did the fever mess with your head? What nonsense are you talking about?"

I shook my head and repeated myself. "I said I want a divorce. Can you give me that?"

The smile on her face vanished instantly. She shot to her feet, her voice turning sharp.

"Ian Crowe, what the hell is wrong with you? You're a grown man—you're seriously jealous of some younger guy? You want a divorce over something this insignificant? Since when did you become this unreasonable?"

Before I could say another word, she stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

Leaning against the headboard, I let out a long sigh.

Clearly, she still did not understand.

I wasn't asking for permission. It wasn't a request—it was the ultimatum.

Once the noise outside faded, I picked up my phone and glanced at the screen. A new text message had just come in. My plane ticket had been successfully booked.

Departure time: tomorrow afternoon.

There were still more than ten hours left before the flight, but the airport was at least a four-hour drive from the base. Ignoring my exhausted body, I quickly grabbed my suitcase and headed out.

After all, the base shuttle was the only transportation out of this place.

Luckily, I caught the final bus of the day.

After boarding, I casually pulled out my work card and tapped it against the scanner.

The machine immediately flashed an alert. 'Invalid card. Please scan again.'

My heart skipped.

I hurriedly tried a second time.

Still invalid.

The driver shot me an impatient look. "Are you leaving or not? If your card doesn't work, get off already. Stop holding everyone else up."

Hearing the passengers starting to complain behind me, I had no choice but to drag my suitcase back off the bus.

I pulled out my phone and logged into the work card system, and that was when I realized my card had been frozen half an hour ago.

I did not even need to guess who had done it. Other than June, the station chief, who else had that kind of authority?

If I wanted to leave this place, the only option was to get her to unfreeze it.

When I arrived outside June's office, the door was slightly ajar.

"Morgan, my body's not in good condition right now. The doctor said I need to be careful during the first three months…"

"I know. I just want to hold you. I'm not doing anything else."

A moment later, Morgan's voice drifted out again.

"June… Ian was so angry at you today. What if he really divorces you? What are you going to do then?"

"Relax. I already froze his card. He's not going anywhere." June sounded completely unconcerned. "I'll go comfort him in a few days. I'll say a few nice things, and he'll calm down. Isn't that how it always goes?"

Morgan lowered his voice, still unwilling to let it go. "But what if… What if he's really determined to leave this time?"

June let out a laugh as if she had just heard the world's biggest joke. "Even if he leaves, where's he supposed to go? His parents died in a car accident two years ago. Go home? Besides this place, he doesn't have a home anymore."

My mind exploded with a loud buzz. For a moment, I thought my heart would burst apart inside my chest.

Before I could even recover from the shock, I heard Morgan's voice.