By the time the plane landed, it was already late at night.

My brother, West Snow, had been waiting at the airport for a while. The moment I stepped into the arrivals hall, I spotted him in the crowd.

“Autumn, over here.”

I smiled and walked toward him, but his expression suddenly froze, his gaze scanning the space behind me. In the past, no matter how busy Felix was, he would always make time to come home with me. Even if it were just for appearances—for the reputation of a senior military officer—he would play the part.

The crowd behind me slowly dispersed. West lingered for a moment longer, searching, then finally withdrew his gaze in disappointment. He turned back to me and forced a smile. Without either of us asking or explaining, we both understood what it meant.

We walked one after the other into the parking lot. He opened the rear door for me, and I smiled faintly before getting in. Startled awake by the sound of the door closing, the cat sleeping in the seat beside me squinted at me groggily. After a few seconds, as if it finally recognized me, it leapt excitedly into my arms.

I hadn’t been back in a year, yet it still remembered me, and it was closest to me. I gently stroked its head, and a bitter feeling welled up in my chest. Years ago, Felix had been just as attached to me. Every time I got home from work, he would press his forehead into the hollow of my neck and murmur, “Autumn, I missed you so much.”

For a brief moment, I felt as if I had returned to the days when we were deeply in love—as if the ten years we spent together were nothing more than a dream. Yet now, the dream was over.

I settled down in Salt River City and opened the café I had always dreamed of running. After leaving Felix, I was finally free to do something I truly liked. No one would sneer anymore that running a café was “serving others” and beneath the dignity of a senior military officer’s wife. I also no longer had to force myself to study dull, exhausting military knowledge just to please him.

In the blink of an eye, half a year passed. I survived the days without Felix and gradually grew used to living alone. I no longer worried that, in the middle of an intimate moment, he would suddenly rush out because of a phone call from Grace. I no longer feared being locked in a cold, damp basement just because Grace’s daughter, Maple, said she didn’t like me.

Days passed quietly until one day, six months later, Felix called me for the first time. I stared blankly at the phone screen, my eyes fixed on the word ‘Husband’ displayed there. It wasn’t until West reminded me that I snapped back to reality and hurriedly answered the call.

Felix’s patience seemed to have reached its limit. His voice was icy.

“Autumn, you’ve won. Are you happy now?”

I froze, confused by his words.

He cleared his throat and sneered. “If you’re done with your tantrum, get back here. I’m swamped, having to take care of Gracie and her daughter. I’ve lost my own child. I can’t afford for anything to happen to them.

“Autumn, I don’t have time to play these childish games with you.”

I gave a bitter smile. Every time I was unhappy, he always thought I was just throwing a tantrum, as if I were deliberately competing with Grace and her daughter for his attention. There was once when Maple cried endlessly and insisted that I get out of the car and stomp in the rain like a cartoon pig just to amuse her. Without a second thought, Felix shoved me out of the car.

“Autumn, kids can’t cry for too long, or it’ll damage their brains. Getting rained on for a bit won’t kill you.”

It was late at night on the freeway. In a torrential downpour, I walked alone for who knew how long, until I finally collapsed into icy mud. Later, a kind stranger sent me to the hospital.

The doctor said I had developed pneumonia from being in the rain and needed careful care from my family. However, Felix was busy caring for Grace because she had menstrual cramps. He hung up on my calls, again and again.

“Autumn!” His sharp voice on the phone snapped me back to the present.

The corner of my lips tugged, and I said calmly. “I made everything very clear the day I left.”

He paused, clearly stunned. “You’re serious about wanting a divorce? Well, at least come back and handle the paperwork. When are you going to stop throwing childish tantrums?”

My heart felt dead.

“I’ve signed the divorce papers and passed them to my lawyer, Mr. Federick,” I said flatly. “He told me he’s contacted you. If there’s nothing else, please leave me alone.”

“Autumn, you–” Felix seemed like he still had something to say.

Unfortunately, my decision was already made, and I ended the call.

I thought Felix and I could part on good terms. It never crossed my mind that he would rush to Salt River City overnight.

His off-road vehicle screeched to a sudden stop right in front of me. The window rolled down slowly, and I calmly met his ice-cold expression. Felix gripped the steering wheel tightly, saying nothing.

After a long, suffocating standoff, he finally slammed his fist against the wheel and snapped impatiently, “You’re the admiral’s wife. What more could you possibly want?”

Yes. I was the admiral's wife, someone everyone envied. What could I possibly be dissatisfied with? However, I was also a woman who needed her husband’s love and care. If he didn’t love me, then I’d leave. It was that simple.

“Felix, my stance couldn’t be clearer,” I said. “I want a divorce.”

“Damn it!” Felix shoved the door open violently and grabbed my arm. “Autumn, are you sure you want to give up this family?”

I looked at the hand that had once held mine as we trudged through hardships together, and all I felt was ridicule. In that instant, I realized something clearly for the first time—I felt annoyed by him.

I frowned and shook his hand off. “Felix, what exactly do you want?”

His hand froze midair.

After a long pause, he finally sighed, his tone noticeably softer. “I… want you to come home.”

Looking at his restrained expression, my irritation only deepened. Felix was a smart man. How could he not understand why I insisted on divorcing him? He was just pretending not to know.

I took a deep breath and used the very last bit of patience I had to explain it to him. “Felix, you said it yourself that Grace is the woman you love most. You said I stole her place as the admiral’s wife. You said Maple was obedient and well-behaved, and that you wanted to be her father. You were also the one who forced me to answer those ridiculous military questions, which led to our child’s death and nearly cost me my life.

“Now, I’m doing exactly what you wanted. I’m willing to divorce you and give up the title of admiral’s wife. I want you and your true love to be together finally, so why are you refusing it now?

“Felix, I’ll say this one last time. I want a divorce. Do you understand? I want a divorce.”

Felix rubbed his temples, looking as though his soul had been drained from him, cigarette after cigarette burning between his fingers. When the pack was finally empty, he crushed it into a ball and threw it to the ground.

“Autumn, I…”

He was the one who refused to cut ties with Grace and slowly wore away every ounce of love I had for him. So why did he look like the victim now?

I ran a hand through my hair irritably, forcing down the anger in my chest.

“I’ve entrusted all divorce matters to Mr. Federick. If you refuse to cooperate, he’ll file for divorce on my behalf. Felix, this is over between us.”

After that night, Felix seemed to vanish from my world entirely. My life returned to its routine of running the café, keeping everything in perfect order. When I had free time, I attended coffee expos and met people who shared the same interests.

“Autumn, it’s cold today. The exhibition hall doesn’t have heating. You should wear more layers.”

A familiar male voice sounded from behind me.

I turned around abruptly, and my gaze collided with Felix’s tender eyes.