"Take a good, hard look at yourself."

The way Lorraine looked at me, one would think I was some unhinged nuisance causing a scene. Voices filled the room—people trying to smooth things over, others taking cheap shots. It all blurred together.

I wiped my tears and looked straight at her. "I already have. And it isn't my problem. It's yours. So, let's end it. We'll get a divorce."

…

Despite three years of marriage, there was barely anything at home that actually belonged to me. Every penny I had saved had gone into getting Lorraine squared away for unit life.

As for myself, I stretched every dollar till it hurt. Now that I was packing up, everything I owned barely filled a single small bag.

The adjutant, Chester Johnson, knocked on the door and walked in, guilt written all over his face. "Oh, Hunter. Where are you headed with all that? You're not seriously divorcing Commander Ford, are you?"

"I am, Lieutenant Johnson."

"That's not the way to handle this!" he said quickly.

"What happened yesterday was on me. I'm sorry. Don't take it out on Commander Ford. She's young, capable, and easy on the eyes. Three years of marriage, and she's never let you suffer a day. Why throw it all away?

"Besides, if you leave, you're just handing everything over to Rowan. That's not worth it!"

A metallic taste spread in my mouth. I forced the words out.

"Lieutenant Johnson, you've seen how hard I pushed last year trying to earn a transfer. Lorraine had one slot, and I only asked about it once. But what did she do?

"She tore into me, said my thinking was crooked and that I was trying to use her position for personal gain."

Chester faltered, stumbling over his reply. "Well… You are husband and wife. Maybe she didn't want people to talk."

I let out a bitter laugh. "It's precisely because I'm her husband that every ounce of effort I put in gets dismissed. But Rowan, who's got no name, no standing, and does nothing, had her bending over backwards to cover him."

"Is that really what you think?"

Clenching my jaw against the storm of frustration and hurt, I dragged my bag toward the door. "Lieutenant Johnson, I know she sent you here. You don't need to say anything else."

Chester tried to assert himself, but moving into the base housing had made him my enemy. Except for Lorraine, no one could make him apologize to me.

I opened the door, and there Lorraine stood outside, expression cold, staring at my reddened eyes. I pretended not to see her, stepping around her.

She grabbed my wrist, her tone extremely impatient. "Are you done throwing a tantrum? You reported me to the higher-ups, claiming I was involved with Rowan and trying to get us divorced.

"I'm not going to argue with you about it, but I'm human too, Hunter. Try to understand my point of view, will you?"

Every time I questioned her relationship with Rowan, she would fall back on the same line.

"Sure, I'm a commander and your wife, but I'm also human. Anyone can doubt me, but you can never question my relationship with Rowan. You must understand my difficulties."

Because of that single plea for understanding, everyone in the base housing felt free to poke fun at me, whispering behind my back while I worked to support both of them.

I used to refute fiercely, "My wife just pitied Rowan and showed him a little extra care, that's all! I trust them!"

In the end, Lorraine took a widower in as her brother, and I had no idea. What a joke I had become.

Without hesitation, I flung her hand away. "How dare you say something like that, Lorraine? Until your superiors approve that divorce, I don't want to see you!"

I grabbed my luggage and went to the school dormitory.

There was still one slot left for a youth transfer in the second semester. The principal said that as long as I earned the title of Excellent Educator this year, the slot could be mine.

For that slot, I got up at dawn and stayed out late, taking on every school activity I could. I took all the tasks that no other teacher wanted. For two months straight, I ran myself ragged until I unfortunately collapsed.

When I woke, I was lying on the clinic bed. Mom and Dad were present, hovering over me.

"Hunter, why can't you be content being a commander's husband? Why push yourself like this?" Dad grumbled.

"Look at you—you're skin and bones. I can't bear to watch you," Mom said.

Why were they here? I pinched myself hard to make sure this wasn't a dream.

My eyes burned, my voice tight in my throat. "Mom, Dad, me divorcing Lorraine isn't me throwing a tantrum. I'm going to fight for this transfer opportunity. Once I get it… I'll take you both with me."

Maybe it was the sickness that made me more vulnerable than usual, but surprisingly, at that moment, I convinced myself to forgive my parents for ever keeping Lorraine's actions from me all those years.

I would forgive everything as long as my family and I stayed together.

Mom, however, suddenly looked hesitant as she sighed. "Actually, Hunter, we're here to talk to you about something. Because of your report to the higher-ups, Lorraine was punished in the unit.

"She says she doesn't blame you and knows you're fighting for the transfer back to the city when she already has a slot."

Dad quickly nodded. "If you agree to attend the adoption ceremony for Rowan as part of our family, she'll give you the slot."

Any affection I thought I had felt from them vanished in that moment.

This was it. It was all for Rowan again. Mom and Dad only came to me because they feared his reputation might not rise as an orphan. They wanted to be his backing.

I closed my eyes, letting the tears slide down my cheeks. Finally, I exhaled, defeated.

"Fine. I'll be there."

…

The adoption ceremony Mom and Dad threw for Rowan was extravagant, to say the least. Everyone in the base housing had shown up.

Rowan and Lorraine walked in hand in hand, like a perfectly matched couple. I stood off to the side, holding a plate of tidbits, watching Rowan bow deeply to my parents.

They laughed and chatted with him as they helped him up, presenting a symbolic gift to mark the start of their new relationship.

How ridiculous. It had been forever since I saw such heartfelt smiles from them.

Rowan then walked over to me, opening his arms with an almost teasing warmth. "Hunter, from now on, I'm your older brother. Now, aren't you going to hug your big bro?"

His gentle expression hid a subtle provocation. My whole body went rigid. I gripped the plate so hard my knuckles whitened, and I was speechless.

One teased, "Hey, Rowan. Is Hunter now your brother-in-law or younger brother?"

The other joked, "And are you guys actually sharing a wife?"

Lorraine's face darkened instantly. "Zip it!"

She turned to me. "Hunter, he's your brother now. You might not be used to it yet, but at least save him the embarrassment. Come on, acknowledge him, or they won't stop poking fun at him."

Mom and Dad looked earnest, pressing me to acknowledge Rowan as my brother.

Of course, they had thought of everything for Rowan. If I recognized him as my brother, the one getting mocked would be me.

Faced with my hesitation, Rowan tried to smooth things over. "Alright, everyone, let's not push Hunter. I was an orphan, but now, I have Mom, Dad, and Lorraine. Honestly, what more could I ask for?"

He inched closer and spoke in a lowered voice. "Your parents and wife are now all mine. Did you really think you ended up in the hospital two years ago because of an accident?

"Let me be honest, as your older brother. It was Lorraine who had someone tamper with your medication because she didn't want the higher-ups to choose you over me for the position.

"Ever wondered why last year's promotion slot changed? Well, she destroyed all your chances."

A loud crash pierced the air. My hands had shaken so badly that I couldn't hold the plate, and it had slipped from my grip.

No wonder the doctor had looked at me so strangely back then. It turned out Lorraine had been manipulating my guilt to keep me from interfering with their lives, all so she could be with Rowan!

I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved Rowan to the ground, ready to strike him across the face. Before I could do that, though, Lorraine did it to me first.

"Are you a lunatic or what?" she screamed. "Rowan has been minding his own business, walking on eggshells around you. Seriously, what the hell has he done to you?"

She sneered. "No wonder your parents hated you so much that they had to look for someone else to be their son. A person like you doesn't deserve love."

Mom and Dad stayed close to Rowan, cold eyes fixed on me. It was only thanks to a kind neighbor that I was helped to my feet and led aside to rest.

After the commotion, the adoption ceremony went on as if nothing had happened. Mom and Dad smiled and chatted with Rowan, completely unbothered.

I sat alone, pressing a cold towel to my face, when I suddenly saw a school staff member rushing to my door.

"Hunter, the school just confirmed—you got the transfer slot back to the city! Pack your things and head to the station now! The bus from the city is already here to pick you up!"