Chapter III

I tossed and turned all night, my sleep fitful and shallow. At the first gray light of dawn, I grabbed my suitcase and slipped away.

I headed straight to the Tribal Administration Bureau to revoke my residency and finalize the paperwork for my transfer to the combat zone.

Thanks to the draft order from the Gray Legion in my hand, the process was swift; the clerk didn't ask a single unnecessary question.

As I turned to leave, the clerk called out to me, pressing a packet of high-energy rations into my hand.

"May fortune favor you in battle."

I offered her a grateful smile before finding a cheap motel nearby to settle in.

After dropping off my bags, I headed out to find a bite to eat, only to run smack into Daisy, Lucas, and my in-laws.

Daisy was clad in an expensive silk dress, looking positively radiant—nothing like the exhausted woman one would expect who had just given birth.

"Ella! I knew that was you from a mile away, even though Lucas insisted you wouldn't be caught dead in this part of town," she chirped.

Her eyes darted to the recruitment flyer in my hand, and a smug, knowing smile spread across her face.

"Oh, looking for work? But with that frail frame of yours, trying to be a mercenary? Isn't that just asking for a death wish?"

I didn't answer. A little wolf-girl on the street corner had shoved the flyer at me. I’d only taken it out of pity, seeing her shivering in the biting winter wind.

Taking my silence—and my tightening grip on the paper—as confirmation, Daisy’s grin widened, her arrogance unchecked.

"You should have said something if you needed a job. I could have pulled some strings. We’re all family now, after all. If you’re doing well, you can look after Lucas when he’s old, and I can leave this world in peace."

To them, my silence was as good as a confession.

Lucas, who had looked confused moments before, suddenly darkened.

His brow furrowed, his gaze hardening into pure disdain. baby?"

I stared at the face I knew so well, yet in that moment, he looked like a complete stranger.

I remembered when we first Bonded. I had considered quitting medicine back then, too, worn down by hospital politics.

Back then, Lucas had simply held me close, stroking my

"Why bother helping her? She walked away from a perfectly good position as Chief Physician. If she starves on the street now, it serves her right. She deserves zero sympathy."

"Ella White, you are completely irresponsible. Do you honestly think pulling a stunt like this will force me to give up the back as he whispered in my ear:

"We’re in this together. Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back."

"Quitting isn’t the end of the world. You’re brilliant—you’ll shine wherever you go. I’m with you, always."

Yet here stood the man who swore he’d be with me forever, standing idly by while another woman humiliated me.

He had forgotten his promises, just as he seemed to have forgotten the depth of the love he once held for me.

Even my former in-laws shook their heads in disappointment.

"We must have been blind to let our son Bond with you in the first place!"

"Thank god we're still around. If we weren't, who knows how you'd torment poor Daisy."

Their accusations grew increasingly absurd, drawing curious glances from passing clansmen.

My hands, hanging by my sides, slowly curled into tight fists.

Just as I was about to retort, Daisy stepped forward.

"We’re on our way to get a family portrait taken. Why don’t you join us, Ella? After all, I’m counting on you to help raise the baby in the future."

Lucas cut her off immediately with a cold scoff.

"Look at her. She looks like a beggar. She’d only ruin the picture."

With that, he turned on his heel and marched toward the photography studio, barking at Daisy to keep up.

"Well, we’re off then. I won’t keep you from your... job hunt," Daisy said, patting my shoulder with feigned sympathy.

Watching their retreating figures, I was surprised to find my heart completely still.

To an outsider, they must have looked like the perfect, happy family.

If this was truly what Lucas wanted, then who was I to stand in his way? I could only offer them my silent blessing.