Done Chasing the Cold-Hearted Commander

Thick smoke choked my lungs, and my vision gradually blurred. Before my consciousness sank into darkness, the last things I heard were the footsteps of Nathan rushing out while carrying Veronica and the faint sound of sirens approaching from the distance.

…

When I came to, I was already lying in a ward at the military general hospital. Nathan was opening the document envelope I had risked my life to protect. Inside were sheets of paper.

"Our marriage certificates? You almost got yourself killed for these?" His voice tightened. "Vivian, your left leg is fractured, your lungs are shredded from the smoke, and we almost lost you on the table!"

I reached out and took the envelope back. We were both in the military. Without our marriage certificates, how was I supposed to submit a divorce report to the army's political department?

Nathan's forehead creased as he watched me clutch the document envelope. "The three of us would've made it out perfectly fine, but you just had to force this absurd ultimatum on me just to see who I'd pick first?

"Arson is a severe disciplinary infraction, Vivian! I saved Veron first because she was completely defenseless, while you've had survival training."

I stared at the ceiling and hummed in response.

"Viv." His tone softened as he attempted to explain himself. "Since I've already decided to focus on our family, I won't have any further involvement with Veronica.

"Veron… Her family's going through a hard time, so I'm merely providing some assistance through official channels, arranging a place for her to stay temporarily."

Veronica was having a hard time, so he helped her all the way to the bedroom. He talked a big game about focusing on our family, yet his body was completely enthralled by a younger, fresher piece of meat.

At long last, I lifted my gaze to look at him. My eyes were as still as a lake, utterly calm and without the slightest ripple. "I know. I understand."

He was driven mad by my calmness. He shot to his feet, only for his gaze to catch the large burn scars on my arm. "Vivian, was one scar not enough? Are you going to use even more injuries to tie me down?"

"This won't happen again. I won't do anything so foolish anymore."

He wanted to say something else, but his encrypted communicator rang. He hurried to the window to answer it.

I couldn't hear the contents clearly. I only faintly caught the sound of Veronica's emotional voice.

Nathan comforted her in a soft voice before turning to look at me. "There's an urgent matter with the exercise review. I have to go to headquarters. So, you focus on recovering from your injuries."

With that, he turned and left.

…

In the days that followed, I stayed quietly in the military hospital. Nathan had his men send over nutritional supplements and fresh flowers, and the internal line rang every day. I always had the nurse on duty answer it, instructing her to only say, "Her condition is stable, so you don't have to visit her."

On the day I was discharged, I went to settle the bill alone on crutches. I had just handed over my documents when an old woman shoved me aside. "My son-in-law is one of the leaders here. Let me handle mine first."

I frowned. "Please wait in line."

The elderly woman shot me a look. "Which department are you from? My son-in-law is Major General Linwood! If you delay me from getting my medicine, can you afford the consequences?"

As soon as her words fell, Nathan had already rushed over from the other end of the corridor with Veronica. He pulled me aside and lowered his voice. "Veron's mother has a heart condition. She can't get worked up. You're a soldier. It's only right for you to give way to a civilian."

Veronica supported Mrs. Schuman, who was wheezing, and with teary eyes, she apologized, "I'm so sorry, Vivian… My mother's old illness flared up, and I was afraid she wouldn't agree to take the expensive medicine, so I told her Nathan's my boyfriend…

"Please don't hold it against him! He's just a softie who can't bear to see an old woman suffer."

I wordlessly drank in the sight of the three people in front of me. So, because Mrs. Schuman had fallen ill, he had left me alone in the hospital with a fractured leg and burn injuries? Forget it. None of it mattered anymore.

I nodded and turned to leave. I had only taken two steps when I heard Veronica's tearful whisper. "Nathan, is Vivian mad? Will she pull another one of her stunts again? I don't want to ruin your future…"

Nathan's voice was featherlight, yet it still reached me clearly. "Don't overthink it. She grew up without parents, so she can't understand how you feel."

My fingers tightened around my crutch until my knuckles turned white as I took one step after another down the long hospital corridor.

Nathan's footsteps approached from behind me. "I'll take you back to the compound, Vivian."