‘Harriet, can you hear me?’ Callie’s soft voice reached Harriet’s ears as she slowly came to. ‘Can you open your eyes for me?’With her strength returning bit by bit, Harriet blinked, cracked her eyes open, and focused on Callie.Realising Harriet no longer needed the oxygen mask, Callie gently removed it. ‘Harriet, how are you feeling?’‘Callie... Elias... See him...’ Harriet whispered, her voice feeble.‘No, you can’t,’ Callie replied firmly. ‘You’ve just woken up, and you’re still weak. Anything you need to tell Elias can wait until you’re in better shape.’Harriet disagreed but understood Callie’s point.She tried to speak again but realised how weak her voice was.Callie reassured her with a smile. ‘You are just out of a major surgery. Don’t push it. I promise to let Elias know you’re awake, and once you’re up to it, you can chat with him.’Reluctantly, Harriet accepted the advice and decided to rest.Callie made a mental note to inform Elias later about Harriet waking up.Close
The frostbite on Callie’s hand wasn’t as bad as yesterday, but it still looked a bit swollen, tugging at Elias’s heart.Elias crouched down, resting his forehead against Callie’s, his eyes locking onto her almond-shaped ones. ‘Does it hurt?’‘Not really.’‘Seriously?’Callie nodded, her cheeks warming as his breath caressed her face.Despite the chaos of the borderland they lived in, the scene sent her heart aflutter.Elias, a rugged man, stood before her in the snow, gazing at her with profound affection.‘Elias, I’m truly fine.’‘Alright.’Elias gently removed the glove from her other hand, sliding his own into her white coat pocket.From his military coat pocket, Elias produced a pair of leather gloves, passing them to Callie.‘I don’t like you wearing other men’s gloves,’ he stated firmly. ‘You’re mine. I don’t want the scent of other men on you.’Elias knew those gloves were from Jamison, meant to keep Callie warm.But he couldn’t bear the thought of another man caring for her.S
‘Whether you admit it or not, she’s still waiting for you. She’ll wait until you fall in love with her again.’‘That’s impossible,’ Elias interrupted Jamison. ‘I won’t fall in love with her.’‘I hope so.’Jamison’s eyes were as cold as ice, and he stared mercilessly at Elias.‘I hope you continue to bring happiness to Callie. I’ll be watching from the sidelines. But if one day you hurt her, and she’s disappointed in you, I won’t hesitate to take her away.’‘That’s never going to happen.’Jamison stopped talking.He adjusted the collar of his white coat and returned to the infirmary’s examination room.***As time passed, the gunshot wound on Harriet’s chest gradually healed.Being one of the highest-ranking officers on the base, she had a team of doctors taking shifts to ensure her recovery went smoothly.On this particular day, it was Angelia’s turn to tend to her.Lately, Angelia had been unusually quiet, often spending entire days without uttering a word to anyone.Her once radiant
Without hesitation, Ramiro swiftly produced a collection of cloth strips in various colours.Jamison distributed the cloth, his expression grave as he explained, ‘Green signals they’re relatively stable, yellow means they require more attention, and red screams for immediate treatment. Black... well, that’s a sign we’ve done all we can. Assign the appropriate colour to each patient, and let’s prioritise red, then yellow, and finally green.’Without wasting a moment, the doctors snatched up the cloth strips and began assessing the injured.Callie, with her heart racing, affixed a yellow cloth to two wounded soldiers and a red one to another.But then, a violent cough nearby caught her attention.Her gaze landed on a young soldier, barely in his twenties, coughing up blood.His abdomen was a gruesome sight, despite his futile attempts to shield it.Callie clenched her teeth and pulled out a red cloth strip from her pocket, swiftly tying it to the soldier’s arm, indicating it was an emer
Callie gasped. ‘What on earth are you doing?’Jamison’s voice quivered with emotion. ‘Trust me, I can treat you better than Elias. I’ll be there for you, and I will never hurt you.’‘Jamison, please, let me go!’ Callie pleaded, struggling to break free from his grasp. ‘Don’t do this.’But Jamison held her firmly, his desperation plain to see.‘Callie, why can’t you give me a chance?’ he implored.‘It’s not you, it’s me,’ Callie sobbed, tears streaming down her face. ‘I’m falling deeper in love with Elias every day. I never thought I’d care about someone so much that it hurts to be around others. You’re wonderful, kind, but now you’re scaring me. I don’t know how to face you. Please, just let me go.’As Jamison gazed at Callie, a profound sense of regret washed over him.Callie was crying profusely.Her pale face was wet with tears.She bit her lip so hard that it bled.As Jamison gazed at her, pain filled his eyes. ‘Do you truly love him that much?’‘Yes!’‘He’s not worthy of you.’ Ja
Elias held Callie close.‘I won’t let you go,’ he whispered. ‘Unless I die.’‘Elias, don’t say that!’ Callie covered his mouth with her palm. ‘I don’t want to hear that word.’‘What word? The D word?’She glared at him. ‘You are still saying it!’Elias chuckled. ‘I meant, dinner.’He held her hand. ‘Hungry? I hear they are serving beef stew in the canteen.’***The infirmary buzzed with activity as a fresh wave of wounded patients filled the space, leaving doctors and nurses utterly drained.Within the limited confines of the consultation room, Callie and Jamison’s paths crossed occasionally.They both stayed occupied, wisely avoiding any mention of their impulsive kiss to spare themselves the awkwardness.The wounded included soldiers from the base and residents of the Engalia border near Kurtazagg.These border dwellers, born in this rugged region, found themselves living a nomadic life due to Kurtazagg’s internal chaos and the illegal actions of mercenaries.Though her days were ch
The current situation was proof of that, with Angelia selected for the dangerous mission instead of Callie.Callie was always sheltered.But what about Angelia?If something happened to her, who would care?Angelia refused to accept this fate, biting her lip until it nearly broke the skin.She was terrified of death.After the meeting, Angelia stood in the cold wind, tears streaming down her face, her beautiful face contorted with hatred.She was alone in a secluded spot at the base, hiding from her colleagues.Suddenly, she felt a sharp knife against her chin.‘Dr Hawthorne...’Angelia’s heart raced as her neck, previously covered by warm clothing, was exposed to the cold air and the blade’s chilling touch.‘Who are you?’ Angelia’s voice trembled.Krug, disguised as a hunchbacked old man, straightened up and remarked, ‘I see General Westwood’s wife keeps a low profile.’General Westwood’s wife?Angelia realised that the old man had mistaken her identity.‘No, I’m not her,’ Angelia hu
Once she had escorted Krug, still disguised as an old man, back to the ward, Angelia lingered in the infirmary for a while before leaving.There was a mark on her neck, a scar left by the blade.Luckily, it was winter, and her collar concealed the blemish.Otherwise, she couldn’t fathom how she’d explain it if someone asked.She was aware of the darkness in her actions and intentions.But what choice did she have?Callie, who had always appeared so innocent and pure, had taken everything from Angelia.She had ventured down the wrong path, and there was no turning back.The only way forward was to focus on her goal—to eliminate Callie.***After finishing her work, Callie made her way back to the dormitory.The snow and ice were beginning to melt, revealing the tile house’s original colours.Under the streetlamp’s soft glow, the scenery took on a different charm.As Callie walked, the snow crunched beneath her boots.Truth be told, she’d been yearning to see Elias for a while now, espe