CHAPTER 11

The Space Left Behind

The door slammed shut behind her as Flora entered her apartment. Her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps. She knew her face would be streaked with tears, but she wiped them away all the same. She had been crying for the last few hours, but being alone meant it was time for the truth. Crushed, she felt the bitter cold dismissal still searing in her chest from Adrian's rejection. She had never expected this. No, she did not expect him to choose her, but certainly not to turn his back so fast.

But that was the thing, right? She should have known better. She should have seen the warning signs. Adrian was always so cagey with his words, evasive when things got too personal. And now? Now he had discarded her like she was just another distraction.

The apartment felt too empty, too quiet. She couldn't stand it. She needed to do something. Anything.

Flora let her bag fall onto the kitchen counter, opened the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of water, and downed it. She hated the taste of defeat. Hated the gnawing inside her stomach. The knot wouldn't let up.

The text was still sitting there on her phone—Adrian’s final words. "I can't do this, Flora. I’m sorry." That was all. No explanations. No goodbyes. Just those cold, empty words.

“Dammit,” she muttered, flinging the phone onto the couch.

She turned away from it, her body aching with exhaustion. For a moment, she thought about calling her mom, but what would she say? What would she even want to hear? Her mom's voice had been soft, kind when Flora got the chance to speak to her. But Flora didn't want sympathy. Not right now. She needed to feel strong, to push forward, to remind herself she didn't need Adrian.

And yet, no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept darting back to him. His scent. The way his hand felt in hers. The warmth of his presence. Flora gritted her teeth. She hated this feeling. The longing. The ache.

It was time to move on.

Again, her phone buzzed, and Flora checked it, half-expecting another message from Adrian. But it wasn't him. It was her squad leader, Sergeant Hunter.

Sergeant Hunter: Training tomorrow. 0800. Don't be late.

Flora threw her phone back onto the couch. Training. Right. That was her out. If she buried herself in her work, maybe that would help. Maybe it would help her forget about the hollowness eating away at her chest.

She changed into her workout gear-loose-fitting cargo pants, a tight tank top, and her boots-and snatched her jacket.

It felt good to move, to take control, to feel like herself again. She grabbed her keys, slammed the door behind her, and left the apartment without looking back.

The chill in the air sliced through Flora's skin the next morning when she came out to the training ground. Crunching her boots down on the gravel, she walked to where her squad fell in. Barely acknowledging the other soldiers milling about, all too involved in their own preparations.

Flora was used to the quiet. The calm before the storm.

She fell into line with the remainder of the squad, standing at attention and forward.

"Flora, you good?" The voice of Sergeant Hunter came from the front of the line, gruff as usual, but with a trace of concern, which she did not miss.

Flora nodded quickly, not changing her face. "Yeah, sir. Fine.

Hunter gave her a pointed look. He'd known her for some time now, since joining the military after her father's death, and he knew how to read her better than most. He'd seen the signs.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” he said, but then he turned his attention to the rest of the squad, barking out orders. “Alright, everyone! We’ve got a full day of drills ahead. Get your heads in the game. No excuses!”

Flora’s mind was a thousand miles away, but she pushed the thoughts aside. It wasn’t about Adrian. It was about her. It had to be.

The drills started quickly, as usual. Push-ups. Running laps. Tactical maneuvers. Each task was grueling, but Flora took it all in stride. Her body moved on autopilot, as if the repetition of the motions could erase the hurt in her chest.

It wasn't until they hit the obstacle course that things really started to shift.

"Flora, you're up next," Sergeant Hunter called.

She looked over at him and nodded, forcing a smile she didn’t quite feel. The course loomed in front of her—a series of high walls, ropes, and mud pits. She could do this. She had to do this.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve got,” Hunter muttered, as he gave her a slight nod.

Flora approached the starting line, focus in her mind, her breathing even. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but she didn't care. She had to keep moving. She couldn't let the past hold her back. Not now.

The whistle blew, and immediately Flora was off, sprinting for the first obstacle: a wall twice her height. Her muscles screamed in protest, yet she didn't stop. Not even as her fingers scraped against the rough surface, arms burning with exertion. She pulled herself over, landing with a grunt on the other side.

"Come on, keep it up!" Hunter shouted from the sidelines, his voice sharp and commanding.

The rope swing was next, and not pausing a second, she clutched on and swung over the muddy pit. She hardly kept her footing and didn't slow down. She had to finish.

As she rounded the corner, a new voice caught her attention. A soldier she didn’t recognize was pacing beside the next obstacle. His build was solid, his movements quick and efficient. He didn’t look like anyone from her squad, and yet there he was, studying her closely as she approached.

“Not bad,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “But you’re still slow.”

Flora gave him a look. "You think you could do better?"

He smiled, rolling his shoulders as if warming up. "Watch and learn."

And with that, he sprinted ahead, crossing the same obstacles with ease, at a speed she couldn't imagine. Flora couldn't help but watch, her focus faltering for one split second. She'd never seen anyone move like that before. Fast. Precise. Like he'd done it a thousand times.

She gritted her teeth, pushing herself that much harder as this stranger wasn't about to show her up. She cleared the course, near perfectly on time, yet something of the casual confidence this soldier had evinced just unsettled her.

The squad gathered together afterwards, panting. Flora hung back, wiping the sweat from her brow as she watched the new soldier-who she still didn't know the name of-speaking with Sergeant Hunter.

She was vaguely aware of the others talking nearby, but her mind had wandered elsewhere. That soldier. he was different. There was something about him that felt. familiar, yet she couldn't place it. He had a quiet intensity to him, an almost palpable energy that radiated off him.

You did well out there, Flora," Hunter said, coming up to her with a slight nod. "You're holding it together better than I expected."

Flora glanced at him and forced a smile. "Thanks, sir. Just trying to keep up.

Hunter watched her a moment, then nodded toward the newcomer. "That's your new teammate. He's been assigned to our unit for the next few weeks. His name's Dorian. Pay attention to him. He's got skills."

Flora didn't say anything right away. Dorian. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it. She didn't care to either. Not right now.

Her mind slipped back to Adrian. He was so very far away now, it seemed like a world was between them. She needed to let go of him, but the memory of him tugged at her insides.

By the time she got back to her apartment that night, Flora was exhausted. But exhaustion didn't grant her peace. She sat on the bed, staring at the empty space beside her, remembering what it had been like when Adrian had lain there.

But she wasn't that girl anymore. She couldn't be.

Tomorrow, she would take care of herself: look at her job, her future. She would be stronger. She had to be.