After work, I went around to a few watch shops, but everywhere I went, I got the same answer.

"It can't be fixed."

When I got back to the house where I was staying temporarily, I drew a little sunflower on the back of the marriage application.

Samson taught me how to draw it when I was a kid.

But now, once I had drawn ten of these, he would have nothing to do with me anymore.

The next day, I still made a point to stop by Mr. Hall's office.

Mr. Hall had been my father's comrade and close friend. After my father was killed in action, Mr. Hall always looked out for me. He was almost like family.

He was also one of my superiors. Since I was leaving, I had to let him know, both officially and out of respect.

Mr. Hall frowned deeply after hearing my decision. "Are you sure about this? After so many years with Sam, are you just ending things like this?"

I nodded. "I'm not right for him."

"Not right? Who can be a better match than you two around here?" Another one of my superiors, Mr. Jameson, came in with his mug and jumped in, teasing me.

I managed a bitter smile. Samson and I had grown up together. Because of my brother, he started giving me rides to and from school early on. After my brother died, Sam stepped up to look after me, no questions asked.

He came from a good family and was talented, and everyone expected he would move up fast. I wasn't as exceptional, but I had earned a decent reputation at the broadcasting station.

Pretty much everyone assumed we were meant to be. No one realized the one he really cared about was the girl who had gone back to her hometown—his childhood sweetheart and the housekeeper's daughter, Celia Smith.

"Don't go quiet on us. Is there some kind of misunderstanding? Don't do anything rash. I really think Sam cares about you…" Mr. Jameson babbled.

"Alright, that's enough. Go somewhere else, would you?" Mr. Hall cut Mr. Jameson off before he could finish.

Mr. Hall was quiet for a long time, then finally sighed and patted my shoulder. "You're grown now. It's good for you to see more of the world."

As I left the office and walked away, I could still hear Mr. Jameson muttering, "It's over just like that?"

Mr. Hall sounded annoyed. "Keep your voice down! Do you want to announce it to the whole world?"

Samson didn't come looking for me for the rest of the day. But honestly, I didn't care about the watch he promised me anymore.

That night, I drew another sunflower on the back of the application.

Eight days left.

-

On the third morning, the liaison from the home office delivered my ticket. My departure was right on schedule.

I had officially resigned. Mr. Hall must've already spoken to the supervisor, so everything went smoothly.

As I was packing up and carrying my box out, I overheard two operators gossiping in the hallway.

"Did you hear? Commander Samson wants his childhood sweetheart to work at the station."

"I didn't know we were hiring! Is it just temporary work?"

"No way. She's his favorite. She'll never settle for that."

"That's true. Worst case, Jessica can just give up her spot for her."

"Stop." One of them spotted me and quickly greeted me, flustered. "Hey, Jessica! What a coincidence!"

Both of them looked embarrassed to be caught gossiping about me.

I just nodded like nothing happened and kept walking.

I couldn't blame them for thinking that way. When Celia first came back, Samson had already suggested I give up my job for her.

I had flatly refused, and that was actually how we had our first real argument.

But Samson's favoritism had gotten so obvious that people didn't even bother hiding their opinions anymore.

At this point, it didn't bother me at all. If anything, I just wanted the next few days to pass faster.

Everything was in order. I just needed to finish packing.

When I got back home, I happened to overhear Celia talking about this.

"If I start working at the station, do you think Jess will be upset?"

"The radio station isn't Jessica's personal territory and is owned by the military. If she can't understand that, she doesn't deserve to wear the uniform," Samson said to Celia, firmly and confidently.

"But Jess hasn't been home in days. I don't want you two fighting because of me," Celia said.

"She's just being stubborn. This isn't about you," Samson replied.

Then, the whole mood changed as I heard Celia laughing. "Sam, don't let go! Hold on, I'm going to fall! Ah…! I'm falling! Sam! Catch me!"

When I walked in, I finally saw what was happening. Samson was helping Celia learn to ride a bike out in the yard, holding her steady as she wobbled along. In the end, Celia shrieked, fell off the bike, and tumbled right into his arms.

"Sam, am I really that stupid? Why can't I get the hang of this after so long?"

Samson's voice was gentle. "You'll get it. Just keep practicing."

Celia's smile was radiant. "Sam, you're the best!"

I couldn't help remembering when I was learning to ride a bike as I watched the moment. I kept falling, no matter how hard I tried.

Samson eventually lost patience and took me to a hill, saying, "Just fall a couple of times, and you'll figure it out."

So, it turned out he did have patience. Just not for me.

"Jess, you're back!" Celia spotted me first, waving with a big smile.

I nodded. Samson walked right over, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "So, you finally remembered you still have a home?"

He reached for the box I was carrying, but I stepped aside. "It's fine. You're busy yourself."

Samson frowned. "You're really so…"

Just then, Celia called out to him, "Sam, the sun's getting so hot. I'm going to get burned out here! Can you grab me a sun hat?"

"Sure." He turned and headed inside. I was going to follow him.

"Jess." Celia blocked my way with the bike.

"What is it?" I asked.

She glanced toward the door to make sure Samson was gone, then turned back to me. The sweetness in her expression vanished, replaced by a cold sneer.

"Jessica, you get it now, don't you? I'm the one Sam really likes. If your brother hadn't stuck you with him before he died, Sam never would have given you a second look. If you have any self-respect at all, you'll back off and leave before you get kicked out and embarrass your family."

She paused, eyeing me up and down, then made a show of covering her mouth, like she'd just remembered something.

"Oh, right. I forgot! Your whole family is dead! No one survived! No wonder you're so desperate to hang onto Sam!"

She snickered behind her hand, her face full of smug disdain.

I felt my whole body go cold. My parents and brother had devoted everything to serving others, right to the very end. They had never let anyone down. Why should they have to endure this kind of humiliation?

I glared at her with my blood boiling. "Celia Smith… Apologize. Apologize to my family!"

"Jessica!"

Before I could say another word, Samson came out of the house. He probably thought I was about to hurt Celia and immediately cut me off.

I froze. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Celia raise her eyebrows at me, then suddenly let go of the bike. The next second, pain shot through my side as something heavy crashed down on me. By the time I realized what had happened, I was on the ground, with the bike Celia was riding on top of me.

"Jessica!" Samson rushed over and tried to help me up.

But Celia grabbed his arm, her panic perfectly planned. "Sam, you scared me when you yelled! Oh no, I messed up again! Jess, are you hurt? I'm sorry! It's my fault, I'm so easily scared that I can't even hold onto the bike…"

Samson moved her aside, picked up the bike, and bent down to check on me.

"Are you okay? Celia didn't mean it, don't pin the blame on her."

I shook my head and turned away, my expression full of bitterness. That was when I noticed all my things scattered on the ground, my resignation letter backup and plane ticket lying right on top.

Afraid Samson would notice, I ignored Celia and hurried to gather my things.

"I'll help you." Samson got there first and picked up my resignation letter backup.

I stared at the plane ticket underneath, my heart pounding, terrified he would see it.

Luckily, all his attention was on the resignation letter. I quickly tucked the ticket away.

"You quit?" Samson sounded genuinely surprised.

"Yeah." I shoved everything else into the box.

He sounded annoyed. "You could have told me sooner. You wouldn't let Celia have your job before, but if I had known you were quitting, I wouldn't have bothered putting in so much effort."

Maybe realizing he had come off too harsh, he changed his tone again.

"Might as well. My allowance is enough for us to live on. From now on, you can manage the house and take care of Celia."

I gritted my teeth and pushed myself to my feet, trying to ignore the pain. He reached out to steady me. "Jessica, write a recommendation letter for Celia so no one talks about her behind her back when she starts at the station."

I didn't want to waste another second on this, so I just nodded. "Alright."

For once, Samson actually smiled at me.

"I know I've neglected you lately. That's my fault. Now that Celia's job is settled, I'll finally have more time for you. When the marriage application is approved, I'll go with you to see your parents and brother. We can share the good news with them together."

I closed my eyes for a moment, my chest aching. That day would never come.

Over the next few days, I quietly packed my bags, wrote a letter to the station chief, visited my family's graves, and stopped by the veterans' home to see my father's old friends.

On my last day, Samson happened to be off work.

I was nervous, already thinking up excuses in case I needed to leave early.

However, he found me first. "Celia can't ride a bike, so I'm taking her out for a picnic today."

"Alright." I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That meant I could leave before he got back.

He then added, "Celia's inviting friends over for dinner tonight. Make sure everything's ready ahead of time."

I hesitated. I would be on the plane already by that time.

Celia walked in, looking with a pitiful look on her face. "Sam, don't make it hard for Jess. I can come back and cook for myself."

Samson frowned, clearly unhappy. "You're just sitting around, anyway. What's so hard about making a few extra dishes? You're really disappointing me, Jessica."

I didn't want any more issues before leaving, so I kept my voice steady. "I'll get dinner ready. You two go have fun."

For a second, Samson actually looked guilty. Then, as if he suddenly remembered, he said,

"I'll take you to buy a new watch on my next day off, Jessica."

Three hours before my flight, I finished cooking a big dinner, drew the last sunflower on the marriage application, and placed it neatly where I usually sit.

Mr. Hall drove me to the airport himself. Right before boarding, he gave me that familiar stern look. "Jessica, do your best out there. Don't make our unit look bad."

I saluted him. "I won't let you down, sir!"

"Alright, get going." Mr. Hall waved me off, sounding almost annoyed.

As I turned away, I caught a glimpse. The veteran who had never cried on the battlefield was quietly wiping his face as he looked to the side.

–

That night, Samson and Celia came home with a bunch of friends.

The house was quiet and dark, and Samson was already getting irritated. When he turned on the light and saw the table covered with food, his mood finally softened.

"Where's Jessica?" someone asked.

"Maybe she went out. Let's eat first," Celia said, ushering everyone to sit down.

"What's this?" One of the women at the table spotted the document and called out, surprised. "Commander, why is your marriage application with Jessica here?"