Elara's POV

“You love fried carp fillet, don’t you? I’ll have her make it for you right now,” Callum added.

Before I could react, he shoved me into the kitchen, ignoring my struggle, and tossed a slimy, foul-smelling fish onto me.

“Make a good meal for her. Don’t cause trouble,” he ordered, then shut the kitchen door behind me with a loud bang.

I rushed forward and yanked at the doorknob several times, but it wouldn’t budge.

Outside, I could hear Callum speaking softly to Briar. Inside, the fish slime clung to my clothes and skin, and I sank weakly to the floor.

Fried carp fillet was my specialty dish. Ironically, I’ve always hated fish. Just the smell alone made me nauseous.

But Callum loved it. When he was young, a fish bone had injured him, and ever since, he could only crave fish but didn’t dare eat it.

After we got married, he told me the story, and I decided to learn the dish just for him. I searched through recipes and even asked the chef at a state-owned restaurant to teach me.

To make it, every tiny bone in the fish must be sliced open, requiring a lot of effort and patience.

Each time, my back would ache, and my stomach would churn for days.

Back then, he used to feel guilty about it, massaging my back and complaining that his greedy appetite caused me so much pain. He even refused to let me make the dish again.

But now, he seemed to have forgotten all of that. Forgotten that he used to rather go without it than let me suffer.

I was lost in thought when the kitchen door opened. Callum walked in and paused when he saw me.

Then he stepped forward and lifted me up. “Why aren’t you cooking? Are you mad at me?”

He chuckled lightly and pulled out bandages to wrap my wounds. “I already apologized to her for you. She’s not holding a grudge, okay? You’re overthinking. There’s nothing going on between us. I know you’ve had a hard time here. When we move to Washington, I’ll make it up to you.”

After saying that, he grabbed the dead fish and began cooking himself.

I stared at his back, my mouth opening and closing several times. He never used to step foot in the kitchen. He always said cooking would mess with his shooting precision.

So, how did he suddenly become so skilled after seven or eight years away?

In the end, I said nothing.

I had already made up my mind to leave him. There was no point in asking questions anymore.

Dinner tasted like sand in my mouth as Briar clung to Callum throughout the meal.

First, she claimed her arm hurt from when I pushed her earlier, so she needed him to feed her. Then, she brushed a grain of rice from the corner of his lips and popped it into her own mouth before gasping dramatically and apologizing to me, saying it was just a reflex, and I shouldn’t misunderstand.

Callum’s gaze kept drifting toward me. But when he saw that I kept my head down and stayed silent, his expression darkened.

After dinner, I tried to say I needed to help my younger siblings with their homework so I could sleep in their room.

But my mother-in-law dragged me back toward the master bedroom and shooed the giggling siblings away in a low voice. “Don’t disturb your sister-in-law and brother.”

Turning to me with a grin full of implication, she said, “You’re shy, aren’t you? You’ve waited long enough for your husband. Hurry now, let me hold a grandson by next year.”

I pressed my lips together. Not wanting to disappoint her, I forced myself to enter the bedroom.

I planned to come up with a reason to sleep separately, but the moment I stepped inside, I froze.

Callum sat stiffly at the table, his expression cold and unreadable.

He slowly lifted his eyes at the sound of the door opening, his gaze like ice.

In his hand was a crumpled copy of my application letter to join the National Rural Service Program and a divorce agreement.

Suddenly, my mind went completely blank.

Elara's POV

He slapped the letter down on the table, his voice cold enough to frost over. “What is this?”

Then something seemed to click in his mind. “No wonder you were acting weird today. First, you jumped to conclusions about Briar and me. Then at dinner, when we were talking, you didn’t even get jealous.”

His face twisted with sudden anger. “So, this is it. You’re planning to divorce me and run off! You’re a woman. Why would you go to such a remote place alone? Someone must be taking you there, right? Who is he? How long have you two been together?”

The absurdity of it almost made me laugh. He had built a whole life with another woman in Washington, and yet here he was accusing me of cheating.

I calmly walked forward, picked up the application letter and the divorce papers. “I originally planned to go to the Northwest to find you. That’s why I had someone draft the letter. And the divorce agreement doesn’t belong to me. I was helping someone else deliver it. I’m giving it back tomorrow.”

Callum stared at me, skeptical at first, but when he saw my expression hadn’t changed, the frost on his face finally melted. He let out a relieved laugh and said, “I knew it. You waited for me all these years, loved me all these years, how could you possibly divorce me?”

I lifted my head and met his eyes. “But if you ever betrayed me, if you ever settled down with another woman, then yes, I would divorce you. I waited because I love you. But that doesn’t mean I’m some fool who’d forgive betrayal. So, Callum, in these eight years, have you betrayed me?”

He froze for a couple of seconds before smiling helplessly and reaching for my hand. “Why are you suddenly talking like this? Of course, I wouldn’t betray you. If I ever did, may I die a terrible death. How about that?”

He even raised his hand dramatically, as if making a casual oath, smiling like it was all a joke.

If I hadn’t met his comrade, if I hadn’t seen his wedding photo with Briar, I would’ve believed him without question.

But now, the cold in my chest was bone-deep.

He looked at me with a face full of affection and cooed, “Elara, you’re the person I love most in this world. Those hard years in the Northwest, I survived them by looking at your photos every night. All I dreamed of, these eight years, was working my way up, getting transferred somewhere better, buying a big house, and bringing you all to live with me, so you could finally have the life of a respected officer’s wife.”

“There was one time, I fell off a snowy cliff and was unconscious for days. The doctors said I might not make it. But the moment I thought about leaving you a widow at such a young age, I forced myself to wake up. Elara, come to Washington with me. From now on, I’ll never let you suffer again,” he even added.

I wiped the faint dampness at the corner of my eyes and gave a quiet reply. “Alright.”

Callum, you lied about never betraying me. So, I guess it was okay that I lied just now, too.

That night, we slept on the same bed. When he tried to hold me, I subtly shifted away. After the second attempt, he sighed and rolled over, no longer moving. Only then did I finally drift off.

In my dreams, all I saw were memories of us when he used to ride his bike every day to take me to high school in town, and after class, he’d pull a warm roasted sweet potato from his sleeve for me.

When winter came, he secretly sold the family’s eggs so he could buy me a bright red scarf from the supply store.

Once, while we watched a movie about a man proposing to a woman, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “When we get married, I’ll buy you a wedding dress just like that.”

But in the end, Briar was the one who got to wear that exact wedding dress he promised me.

Elara's POV

When I woke up, my pillow was soaked with tears. I wiped my face, stepped out of the bedroom, and saw the whole family gathered around the table, each wearing a different expression.

One glance was enough. My mother-in-law’s eyes were red, and when she saw me, she quickly looked down in guilt. Briar, on the other hand, leaned against Callum with a bright, triumphant smile.

In that moment, everything became clear. They had confessed everything to his mother.

Even so, I pretended not to notice, quietly walked over, and made myself a cup of malted milk.

“Elara, come here a moment. I need to discuss something with you,” Callum said.

My hand trembled around the cup. Even though my heart had long gone cold, the bitterness still stung.

I answered softly and sat down.

“Elara,” he began, “I’m planning to sell our marital home. The place was assigned to you by the steel factory, so the sale needs your signature.”

My fingers tightened around the cup.

Still, Callum continued, as if nothing were wrong. “I’ve already found a place in Washington. Selling this apartment will be just enough to cover the down payment for that one.”

Briar chimed in too, voice overly sweet, “We picked that apartment after comparing so many! And the bathtub, I love it. It’s perfect for two peop— Ow! Callum, why’d you hit me? Fine, fine, I won’t say it.”

She shot him a teasing, intimate look, then smiled smugly at me. “But don’t worry, Elara. I’ve tested it for you. It’s very comfortable.”

Despite her provocation, I ignored her and kept my head down for a long moment before finally saying, “Alright. I’ll handle the sale tomorrow.”

Callum pressed his lips together like he wanted to say more, but before he could, I stood up, walked straight to the wall, and took down the photo we had taken at the studio the day we got engaged, the one he insisted we capture as a memory.

Without hesitation, I threw it into the trash can.

His pupils shrank as he rushed over to grab my arm. “What are you doing?! How can you throw away our engagement photo?”

I answered calmly, “If we’re selling the house, we should clear out everything inside, right?”

Pretending not to see his complicated expression, I picked up the little ornament he once made for me out of bullets and tossed that into the trash as well.

Piece by piece, I threw away everything tied to our memories until nothing was left.

Callum pressed his lips tight, then suddenly relaxed as if struck by a thought. “Well, you’re right. Once we get to Washington, we’ll have to hold another wedding anyway. And we’ll take new wedding photos. This old picture won’t matter. And these little trinkets are old anyway. Once we settle in, you can buy new decorations.”

Not replying to what he said, I simply murmured, “I’m going to the bedroom to pack. Mom, you should help the kids pack their things, too.”

After that, I closed the door behind me.

A few minutes later, my mother-in-law slipped inside. Her eyes were red as she grabbed my hands, guilt all over her face. “Elara, don’t blame Callum. He had no choice. He was just trying to repay a debt. I know you’re hurting. This is my fault. Mine and Callum’s.”

I gently pulled my hands out of hers. “Please stop. I don’t blame him.”

Her lips trembled as she tried to comfort me over and over. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my daughter-in-law. Always! I promise you, Callum will treat you well.”

I let out a small laugh and nodded vaguely. “Got it.”

After she left, I began sorting through my belongings and realized that there wasn’t much. Everything I owned fit into a single small suitcase.