Chapter 341
[ 522 words ]
Chapter 341:
She realized she couldn’t stay in this limbo forever. She needed to go home. There were loose ends from the funeral she couldn’t keep avoiding: the last of her mother’s belongings still sitting in boxes, the sympathy cards piled unopened on the kitchen table, the house that would need to be sold. She had responsibilities outside this emotional warzone. Responsibilities she had been hiding from long enough.
During a silent breakfast, she finally announced her decision. “I’m going home today.”
Jarrod stopped eating, his fork halfway to his mouth. His expression was unreadable, a blank slate. “Are you leaving me?” he asked, his voice carefully neutral, but she heard the tension coiled beneath the surface.
“No,” she clarified, surprised by the question. “I need to go back to the house. There are things I have to take care of. My mother’s affairs. The estate. I can’t put it off anymore.” She paused, her voice dropping. “This isn’t about us. It’s about what I owe her.”
She expected him to argue, to try and keep her on the base where he could control her environment, where she was safe under his watch.
Instead, he nodded slowly. “Okay,” he said, the single word shocking her. “I’ll go with you.”
Caroline was taken aback. “You will?”
“I need to make sure you get home safely,” he stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “And that you have everything you need while you’re there.” He added, “K. C. Bell will drive us. It’ll be a protected transport.”
A wave of relief and surprise washed over her. His support was the last thing she expected. The plan was settled. They would go to the house, and then Caroline would stay there while Jarrod returned to the base.
𝗗оwո𝘭o𝘢𝖽𝘢𝘣𝗹𝖾 рDFѕ 𝗼𝘯 𝘨𝖺𝗹𝗻𝘰𝗏e𝗹𝘀.𝖼𝘰𝗆
As they prepared to leave, packing a small bag for her, Jarrod spoke quietly, his back to her as he placed a few items into his own duffel with his left hand, his right arm held motionless at his side.
“My emergency return has been processed,” he said. “I have to deploy with my unit tomorrow.”
The news hit her like a physical blow. The thought of him leaving, going back to a dangerous mission where he could be hurt or worse, stirred a fresh wave of anxiety that was sharp and sickening. Suddenly, their fight, the photo, all of it seemed trivial in the face of his potential departure.
He turned, watching her reaction, his eyes searching her face for any sign of concern. “This trip to your home… it’s the last chance I’ll have to see you for a while.”
Caroline’s heart clenched. Despite her anger, despite her suspicion, the thought of him leaving terrified her. She looked at him, really looked at him, seeing the soldier beneath the possessive man. The man who was about to walk back into a war.
She gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, signaling her understanding.
The unspoken tension between them shifted, the anger dissolving into the poignant, heavy sorrow of impending separation.
The black, armored SUV moved silently through the Virginia countryside. K. C. drove, a thick privacy divider separating him from the two passengers in the back.
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