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
Chapter 340 [ 481 words ] Chapter 340: “Are you serious right now?” she shot back, her voice rising. “You’re trying to shift the blame for your own violent behavior onto me?” She sat up, clutching the duvet to her chest like a shield. “Why are you so obsessed with
Chapter 339 [ 496 words ] Chapter 339: “Please,” he pleaded, his voice raw with a concern that felt real, but she couldn’t trust it. “Let me check your head. Just let me make sure you’re okay.” She finally looked at him. Her eyes were filled with pain, betrayal, and
Chapter 338 [ 472 words ] Chapter 338: The back of her skull connected hard with the solid oak headboard. A sharp, white-hot pain exploded behind her eyes. The room spun violently, the dim lights smearing into blurry streaks. Jarrod froze instantly. The sound, the sudden slackness in her body,
Chapter 337 [ 514 words ] Chapter 337: His left hand swept up her side, gripping her ribs tightly, his thumb brushing the sensitive underside of her breast. His right arm remained motionless against the mattress, the rigid field splint a cold, unyielding barrier between them. Caroline’s brain finally booted
Chapter 336 [ 477 words ] Chapter 336: Caroline let out a shaky breath, crawling under the heavy duvet, feeling the lingering heat of his body on the sheets. She listened to the sound of the water turning on in the bathroom, her heart still racing from the intense encounter.
Chapter 335 [ 482 words ] Chapter 335: She struggled to keep up with his furious pace, the oversized command jacket swallowing her completely. Jarrod suddenly stopped. His sharp eyes had noticed that her bare legs were covered in goosebumps. He cursed under his breath, a low, guttural sound, realizing
Chapter 334 [ 495 words ] Chapter 334: Jarrod ignored the salute completely. He bypassed Evan as if he weren’t even there, closing the distance to Caroline in two long strides. Without a single word, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the collar of Evan’s jacket. With
Chapter 333 [ 491 words ] Chapter 333: Caroline sighed in relief, recognizing the awkward but harmless young corporal from the medical bay. She stepped out of the shadows, wrapping her arms tightly around herself, her teeth chattering audibly. “I got turned around,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “I was
Chapter 332 [ 497 words ] Chapter 332: K. C. Bell was standing guard twenty feet down the hall, his back currently turned as he checked something on his datapad. Caroline opened the door slightly wider, intending to call out to him in a low whisper. Just as she leaned
Chapter 331 [ 555 words ] Chapter 331: Before stepping into the shower, Caroline had stripped off her soiled scrubs and sealed them inside a biohazard disposal bag she found beneath the sink. She had placed the bag in the collection chute by the door, as instructed by the faded
Chapter 330 [ 464 words ] Chapter 330: The information didn’t land as a joke. Instead, it solidified the cold knot of dread in her stomach. The image of the laughing woman, Elena, flashed in her mind. His celibacy wasn’t a quirk; it was a memorial. Her lips formed a
Chapter 329 [ 542 words ] Chapter 329: A flicker of something, not quite humor, but a pained, weary irony, touched Caroline’s lips. The smile was a fragile thing that never reached her grief-stricken eyes. The image of the base’s most formidable commander, a man of terrifying intensity, being reduced
Chapter 328 [ 473 words ] Chapter 328: She gestured for Caroline to follow her down the hall into Exam Room 2, while K. C. took up a guard position outside the door, his arms crossed over his chest. Inside the exam room, Evelyn instructed Caroline to sit on the
Chapter 327 [ 500 words ] Chapter 327: Evelyn’s gaze was blunt. “She’s the apex predator’s mate, Riley. Colonel Romero does not share, and he certainly does not appreciate young corporals offering snacks to his legally wedded wife.” The reminder hit Evan like a physical blow to the chest. The
Chapter 326 [ 504 words ] Chapter 326: She didn’t correct him. She couldn’t. Instead, she nodded weakly, burying her face deeper into the crook of his shoulder to hide the lie in her eyes. Jarrod tightened his left arm around her, vowing silently to protect her from the world,
Chapter 325 [ 494 words ] Chapter 325: The physical warmth of his body completely contradicted the icy chill of doubt spreading through her chest. She realized that while he was holding her, a piece of his heart was locked away in that hidden lockbox. She silently vowed that she
Chapter 324 [ 484 words ] Chapter 324: She heard the distinct, heavy sound of combat boots approaching the door from the hallway. Jarrod was returning. Panic flooded her system. She absolutely could not let him know she had invaded his privacy and found his secret. Moving with desperate speed,
Chapter 323 [ 493 words ] Chapter 323: She stretched her stiff muscles under the duvet and immediately noticed that the space beside her on the bed was empty. Jarrod was gone, likely called away to manage base operations or deal with the fallout of his interrupted debrief. She sat
Chapter 322 [ 486 words ] Chapter 322: He reached out, his large, calloused hand gently cupping her jaw, his thumb brushing softly over her cheekbone. “My place is exactly where you are,” he said firmly. “Nowhere else on earth.” The quiet, profound confirmation settled between them, solidifying their bond