Chapter 1

Everyone claimed that Mabel Silverstone was the most virtuous wife in the military family compound. Even though her husband, Elliot Foster, took meticulous care of his first love, Zoe Young, Mabel had never once gotten jealous. On the contrary, she even took the initiative to take care of Zoe, the woman who held the most important place in Elliot's heart. That day, Mabel got up early to prepare breakfast. Elliot had abandoned all of his important military duties to personally take care of Zoe just because she'd caught a cold. He'd even ordered Mabel to send their meals to the hospital on a daily basis. Dawn had just broken on the horizon when Mabel left the compound, carrying a thermos in hand. "Are you going to the hospital to deliver food to Zoe again?" Winnie McMahon, her neighbor, asked, carrying a grocery bag. Frustrated, she shook her head. "You're the most virtuous military wife in this entire compound. Not only do you not get jealous over how well Colonel Foster treats Zoe, but you're also so eager to serve them. In my opinion, you really need to stick up for yourself!" Mabel lowered her eyes and said softly, "He'll get angry if I'm stubborn." "So what if he gets angry? What else can he do but divorce you?" "That's right." Mabel lifted her head, wearing a gentle smile. "I'm scared that he'll ask for a divorce." Winnie stared at her with wide eyes. "Are you that afraid of him leaving you?" "I am," Mabel answered easily, though her eyes were devoid of emotion. Winnie breathed out a long sigh. She wanted to give Mabel some more advice, but the latter was already bidding her farewell with a gentle smile. "Thank you for worrying about me, Ms. McMahon. I know what I'm doing." After arriving at the military hospital, Mabel walked over to the ICU with familiar ease. She was just about to knock on the door when she noticed what was going on in the room through the glass window on the door. Elliot was sitting next to the hospital bed. His military jacket was draped on the back of the chair, leaving him in just a white shirt. His back was to the door, and he was staring at Zoe, who was sound asleep. He gently tucked Zoe's hair behind her ear. His gaze lingered on her face for a long time, and his eyes were filled with a deep adoration that Mabel had never seen before. In the next second, he lowered his head slowly, looking as if he were about to kiss her. However, he stopped at the very last second. In the end, he pressed a kiss to Zoe's forehead instead. Mabel could feel her heart squeezing painfully as she stood outside the door. It wasn't that she was jealous. Her heart ached for another reason. She inhaled deeply and waited for a few seconds before knocking on the door. "Come in." When Mabel entered the room, Elliot was back to his usual cold self. He rose to his feet. His military pants hung straight and neatly around his legs, and his shirt was buttoned all the way to the top. It was as if Mabel had hallucinated the gentle man from just moments ago. "The soup is ready," Mabel said calmly as she placed the thermos on the bedside cabinet. Elliot hummed in acknowledgement. "Thanks for your hard work." He glanced at the corner of the room where a wooden bucket was placed. It was filled to the brim with discarded clothes. "Zoe wore those for the last few days," he explained. "Take them back home and wash them yourself. Don't forget that you need to use cold water for her silk pajamas, and you can't twist her cashmere sweater." "I know," Mabel interrupted him, bending over to pick up the wooden bucket. "I washed her clothes when she was hospitalized last year." With the heavy bucket of clothes in her hands, Mabel was about to turn on her heel and take her leave when Elliot called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. "You don't need to send soup tomorrow. Zoe will be discharged from the hospital tonight." "Alright," Mabel replied with a nod. "She has to stay with us for the next few days," Elliot added, his tone suggesting that there was no room for compromise. "Go back home and tidy up the guest room." "Alright." In the three years that they'd been married, Mabel had agreed to every request that Elliot had asked of her. It was rare for him to spare her more than a glance, but she was already carrying the wooden bucket out of the room. Her retreating figure looked thin and pitiful, but her back was ramrod straight. When she got back home, Mabel first soaked the clothes before beginning to clean the guest room. She changed the bedsheets to a set of fresh ones and turned on an aroma diffuser to dispel the mustiness in the room. She then watered the plant on the windowsill and mopped the floor three times. The sky was already turning dark by the time she finished her tasks. Recalling how Elliot had mentioned that he was bringing Zoe home tonight, Mabel put on an apron and went into the kitchen. She cooked Zoe's favorite braised pork ribs on the stove while stirring a pot of seafood stew that Elliot had asked her to prepare. She also made a bowl of salad, making sure to use as little salt and oil as possible since Zoe had been watching her weight recently. As Mabel chopped the vegetables robotically, the scene she'd witnessed at the hospital drifted unbidden to the forefront of her thoughts. Bathed in the sunlight, Elliot's side profile had been especially clear when he'd leaned down to kiss Zoe. He had a sharp jawline and a high nose bridge. There was also a small mole near the corner of his eye. He looked exactly like Luther Reed. The ringing of her phone snapped Mabel out of her thoughts. She wiped her hands before heading to the living room to grab her phone and answer the call. "Hello?" "Mabel! It's me, Zach!" Zach Miller's excited voice echoed from the other end of the line. "Luther isn't dead! He's alive!" Mabel's fingers tightened around the phone when she heard what he said. "He's in Southgate Military Hospital right now! The doctor said that he'll regain consciousness in the next few days. You should come as soon as you can!" The phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. Mabel was rooted to the spot, feeling as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head. A loud buzzing filled her ears. Luther wasn't dead. Zach was still speaking, but she couldn't hear a single word he was saying. "Hello? Mabel? Are you still there?" She didn't know how much time passed before she picked up the phone again with trembling fingers. Her voice quivered as she said, "Okay. I'll rush over as soon as I've settled all my affairs here." Delayed tears of joy streamed down her face when she disconnected the call. They obstructed her vision as she raised her head to look at the wedding photo hanging on the wall. In the photo, Elliot's cold side profile looked like an exact replica of Luther's side profile from her memories. Three years ago, Luther had been presumed to have died in the line of duty. They hadn't even been able to find his body. Luther was her childhood sweetheart and had promised to marry her. Devastated, Mabel had tried to end her own life several times before she'd met Elliot. Elliot looked exactly like Luther, and that had become Mabel's only reason to keep on living. She'd already known that Elliot had Zoe in his heart when she'd pursued him. Zoe's parents had been against her relationship with Elliot, afraid that Elliot's high rank in the military meant that he might be sent on a dangerous mission at any given moment. They'd been worried that Zoe would end up a widow one day. And so, Elliot and Zoe had broken up. Meanwhile, Elliot's parents had also started pushing him to marry. Mabel had appeared in his life at just the right time, becoming the perfect tool to fend off his parents' requests to marry. "I only have Zoe in my heart." Elliot had made it clear to Mabel before they'd registered their marriage. "You're only my wife in name." Mabel had agreed easily. As long as she could look at his face every day, it didn't matter to her in the slightest that there was no love in their relationship. She didn't care that she would have to endure endless hardships either. In the last three years, she'd had to endure Elliot's protectiveness over Zoe. She'd even been asked to give up her job opportunities and chances to further her studies to Zoe. She'd never once denied anything that had been asked of her, all because Elliot's face was her sole reason for living. However, things were different now that Luther was still alive. Mabel started laughing, and it didn't take long before tears mixed with her laughter. She removed her apron and rummaged through the drawer for her documents. Then, she bolted out of the house, not looking back even once. She had to end her marriage as soon as possible so that she could return to her true love's side. It was nearly closing time when she made it to the courthouse. The staff members were packing up their things, but they still rose to their feet when they noticed her enter the building. "Mrs. Foster, do you have some business that you need us to handle?" "I want to file for divorce!"