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?"