Love Beyond Return

On my sixth year of serving in a war zone, my request to return to headquarters was denied again. The reason was simple. Hospital policy didn't allow close family members to work in the same department. Since Natalie Hart and I were married, my return would be considered a conflict of interest. I refused to accept that. So, I quietly snuck back to Hartwell to demand an explanation. However, I heard a conversation that made me stop short right outside the administration office. "You've blocked Liam Hayes's transfer for five years all because of Noah Bennett," the department director snapped. "Liam ages out next year. This is his last chance to return." Natalie's face remained unreadable. "There's only one transfer slot this year. Noah gets it. Liam can go home and be a stay-at-home husband if he has to. Noah is different. He has ambition." The director slammed a hand on the desk. "And Liam doesn't? His dream was always to work at headquarters." His voice sharpened. "You were the one who had him sent to a war zone in the first place. Now you're blocking his only chance to come back. Noah barely passed his evaluations. He would've been removed years ago if you hadn't kept him under your wing. "Do you honestly think you can protect him forever?" For the first time, anger flashed across Natalie's face. "Liam went there as my husband. How much could he have suffered?" Her tone grew icy. "Noah has no connections. If he were sent out there, it would ruin him. I'll take responsibility for Noah's training. I won't let anyone harm him." Outside the door, my eyes burned. I pulled out my phone and called my lawyer. "Draft the divorce papers. As fast as possible." I wasted five years all for a woman who had stopped loving me long ago. I no longer wanted to waste any more time on her. I no longer wanted to love her anymore. Chapter 1 Set Me Free The moment I pushed the door open, every voice in the room went silent. Natalie froze, then her expression darkened as she looked me over. "Who told you to come here?" Her voice was sharp. "The field hospital is short-staffed. Leaving without approval is desertion." Then, she noticed my reddened eyes. Her gaze shifted away, and her voice lost a little of its sharpness. "What did you hear?" Natalie had always been strict about work, even to the point of cruelty. She made no exceptions, even for her own husband. I still remember when I was first transferred to the war zone five years ago. I had nearly died more than once under gunfire and explosions. All I wanted was to see her. After getting through all the hoops, I eventually took an illegal border van back to Hartwell and walked until my shoes were ruined, just to speak to her face-to-face. I thought she would be happy to see me. Instead, Natalie shoved me away the second she saw me. She had berated me. It was as if she couldn't see my exhausted, filthy state. "Liam, do you have no respect for discipline? If you come back without authorization again, I won't go easy on you just because we're married." I wouldn't have believed that she had blocked my transfer for Noah's sake for five whole years if I hadn't overheard this conversation. I wouldn't have believed it for a second that she intended to bring him back and mentor him herself. I placed two sets of documents on the desk. When I spoke, I sounded calmer than I expected. "This is my application to return to headquarters." I looked at her. "It's been five years. With my qualifications, I should be back by now." Natalie rubbed her temples, exhaustion written across her face. "Stop being impulsive, Liam. The transfer rules are clear. Headquarters can't have direct family members in the same department." Her tone sharpened once more. "This decision came from above. Stop making things difficult for me." Husband and wife—that was what we were supposed to be. She stood there, elegant and untouchable, a department chief whose every word could move hundreds of people. Even the pen on her desk cost more than I made in months. And me? I had gone willingly to a war zone because she begged me to help her. I slogged through sand, mud, blood, and smoke for five whole years. My hands bore frostbite scars. My clothes were threadbare and thin, having been washed countless times. The colors had even faded to a pale hue. I couldn't grasp which aspect of myself made her life so hard. "I won't make things difficult for you." I pulled the second document from beneath the transfer application and placed it in front of her. "Let's get divorced." I met her eyes. "The policy can't change, but our relationship can." Natalie went still as she stared at me in disbelief. "Liam, what do you think our marriage is? When did you become this calculating? All this just to get what you want?" Chapter 2 The Surgery She Tried to Take From Me I clenched my fists so tightly my nails broke skin. I forced the tears back. "It's been five years. I'm about to age out of eligibility for a headquarters transfer." I stared down at her. "Natalie, I can't wait any longer." I couldn't wait for the cutoff to end, as it was my only chance to return. I also couldn't keep waiting for her to love me again. For once, I had to fight for myself. Natalie looked at me for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. When she spoke again, her voice softened. "I know these last five years have been hard on you, but this year isn't possible. Liam... trust me. Just wait a little longer." She stepped behind me, wrapping her arms around me as though none of this had happened. Then, she reached up to wipe the tears from my face. I stepped away before she could touch me. A bitter laugh slipped from my lips as I stared right at her. "Why isn't it possible? Is it because you already assigned the spot to someone else? Or because of Noah?" Whatever patience she had left disappeared. Her face hardened. "So that's what this is really about? You're so desperate to come back because you think something is going on between Noah and me?" She scoffed. "Fine. Let's do it your way. You still won't be transferred back this year, even if we do get a divorce. Do you still want me to sign?" I didn't hesitate. "Yes." Her jaw clenched. She grabbed a pen and signed the papers with such force that it nearly tore through the documents before throwing the divorce agreement at me. Her voice was as brittle as ice. "Don't come crying to me if no one else wants you after you fail to get back into headquarters." During the mandatory 30-day waiting period, I worked myself into the ground. I didn't take any breaks for 15 days straight. My hard work paid off, and I made the shortlist for the headquarters transfer. Everything was going as planned, except for one issue. My old arm injury flared up—the same one I sustained three years ago while saving Natalie. A surgery had gone wrong. I stepped in front of Natalie to take the attack for her, resulting in permanent nerve damage. My muscles now spasm constantly, and the war zone lacked the resources to treat them properly. Last year, I found out that a specialist was available to perform surgery. Meanwhile, Noah only got a minor cut on his hand. Natalie pulled the surgeon away to examine him instead. I lost my best chance at treatment. Now that I finally had a shot at coming home, I needed this surgery. Not long after I scheduled it, Natalie showed up at the hospital. She had access to my medical files, so finding out wasn't difficult. She glanced at my wrist and spoke coldly, "Noah knows about your surgery. He's worked hard for this transfer. If your arm gets fixed, you'll be competing with him." I frowned. She crossed her arms and continued, "Postpone the surgery. Once Noah is transferred back, I'll perform it myself." The pain in my arm suddenly intensified. A cold sensation rushed through me. The day I was stabbed while defending her, Natalie had sobbed so uncontrollably that she could hardly breathe. "Why would you do something so stupid? If anyone should've been hurt, it should've been me," she had sobbed and clung to me like I was her everything. "If anything happened to you, I'd die with you." And now? She was calmly taking away my chance to have a healthy body again, just because Noah needed the transfer. Whatever warmth I harbored for her in the past died in that moment. Something ugly twisted in my chest. For once, I didn't want her to get what she wanted. I looked at her coldly. "This is my body. Only I have a say in this. My surgery has nothing to do with you." The air around her turned glacial. She grabbed my wrist so hard it felt like my bones might crack. "Do you have any idea how devastated Noah will be if he doesn't get transferred back? I have plenty of ways to shut this surgery down." She forced me to look at her. My eyes burned with redness, and I laughed bitterly. "All Noah has to do is just one tear, and you collapse. So tell me, is he truly your junior colleague or your lover?" Rage exploded in her eyes. She lifted her hand. Chapter 3 The Transfer She Stole From Me Natalie snapped, "Liam, that's enough!" A sharp gust swept past my face. I lifted my head and let the tears slide down my cheeks, waiting for the slap. However, the pain never came. Natalie's phone rang. It was Noah's special ringtone. Her eyes shimmered with tenderness that couldn't be concealed, and her voice grew softer. "What happened? I told you to stay put. You don't need to cook." A faint, wounded sob came through the speaker. I guessed Noah must have tried to cook for her and hurt himself. Natalie immediately began coaxing him in that soft, patient voice. "Okay. Don't worry. I'll postpone the surgery." Then, she added gently, "You're the only person I love. There won't be anyone else." Her voice was so tender. To me, it was unbearable. I turned away and curled under the blanket, letting my tears soak silently into the pillow. After Natalie hung up, she stayed quiet for a long time. Then, she reached over and tucked the blanket around me. "Postpone it. When the time comes, I'll cover the surgery and recovery costs. I know this divorce is only happening because you're upset about not being transferred back." She paused before continuing, "Liam, there's nothing between Noah and me. You can choose to believe me, or don't. It's your choice." I kept my eyes closed and said nothing. Only the pillow beneath me grew warmer and wetter. Eventually, her patience ran out. She stood, her tone becoming icy. "Fine. Have the surgery. But if you do, you will never return to headquarters. Liam, this is my final compromise." ... The headquarters was at its busiest point of the year. I knew very well that surgery on my hand could affect my transfer eligibility. Still, I didn't hesitate. I scheduled the operation. When I came out, pain throbbed through my wrist in waves. Today was the day they would announce which doctors had been approved to return to headquarters. I had to be there. When I arrived, applause echoed through the main lobby. "Congratulations, Dr. Bennett, on returning to headquarters to train under Chief Hart!" Noah stood beneath the stage, giving a thank-you speech. Natalie smiled at him, nodding again and again. They looked like a perfect couple as they stood there. My steps faltered. Then, I forced my way into the crowd and asked loudly, "Wasn't the transfer list supposed to be finalized today? I submitted my application. Why was the list announced before I even got back?" Noah smiled and pointed at the public notice board. "Dr. Hayes, doctors who've recently had major surgery aren't eligible for this transfer." His smile widened. "Chief Walsh reported your surgery personally, so I'm the only remaining candidate." The taste of blood filled my mouth. I swallowed hard, fighting back tears as I looked toward Natalie. Her gaze was flat. "I told you to postpone the surgery," she said. "You didn't listen." The pain in my wrist intensified. My stomach churned. It was as if a thorn was scraping every nerve in my body. I trembled all over as I asked, "You told me to postpone it because you wanted me to stay behind?" I laughed bitterly. "No. You did it because of Noah. You screened the list early. You abused your position to get him transferred back." Natalie's eyes turned cold. "Liam, this is a hospital. The transfer list has been finalized. Stop making a scene." Rage surged through my chest. I had given everything just for this chance. So why was he the one who got to come back? I refused to accept it. I rushed onto the stage, opened my phone, and sent the documents I had gathered to the hospital group chat. Then I spoke, each word raw with pain. "Noah was assigned to the war-zone unit for two years, but he repeatedly abandoned his post and returned to Hartwell without approval. "He has no respect for hospital discipline. "During his internship at headquarters, he received more than a dozen patient complaints." "A year ago, a surgical mistake under his supervision resulted in a patient's death." I glanced at Natalie. "And you covered it all up for him. He was never qualified to come back to headquarters."