Chapter 3

3

The next morning, I was at the facility before the sun even came up.

Sows are very weak after giving birth, so I had to monitor them constantly.

After I finished recording the data with my apprentice, Silas, Director Miller rushed over.

He handed me my transfer approval forms.

“Have you told the Commander yet? How is Quincy going to handle being away from you?”

I tucked the papers away and shook my head. “I’m planning to divorce Logan.”

Director Miller nearly tripped over a fence.

“What? Did you bring this up? Or did he? Is he mistreating you?”

I couldn't help but chuckle at his dramatic reaction. “I brought it up. Just keep it quiet for now.”

“Good. You should have left him a long time ago,” he muttered.

He said it so casually that it caught me off guard, but he didn't elaborate.

That afternoon, I was given permission to head home early to start packing.

As I entered the housing complex, I ran into the Chief of Staff’s wife, Mrs. Higgins. We chatted for a bit.

Suddenly, she asked why I wasn't participating in the wives' performance rehearsals.

“No matter how busy work is, you need a balance. You should show more support for your husband.”

I was a bit confused, but I didn't ask for details, assuming it was just a routine show.

That evening, I went to find Logan to get his signature on some papers, but he wasn't there.

I finally realized that tonight was the base’s New Year’s Eve gala.

I had been so worried about the piglets that I had completely lost track of the date.

I followed the crowd into the auditorium and took a seat.

On stage, the announcer was introducing a dance performance by the 3rd Aviation Wing.

That was Logan’s unit.

Thirteen soldiers and their wives were set to perform a ballroom routine.

The stage lights brightened, and I watched as Logan walked out, holding Bianca’s hand.

They began to move with the music―spinning, leaping, and gliding in perfect harmony.

It was like seeing a completely different Logan, a version of him that only existed when he was with Bianca.

By the time I snapped out of it, Logan was standing right in front of me.

For the first time ever, I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes.

“Willa, let me explain.”

“Bianca is much better at this kind of thing than you are, so I asked her to be my partner.”

“Besides, you’ve been so busy at the farm. I didn't want to bother you with rehearsals.”

I looked at him, feeling a strange sense of calm. “I know. It’s fine.”

“I’m publishing an article in a few days, and I need your signature for the family background section.”

I handed him the divorce application, which was mostly blank, and pointed to the signature line.

Logan let out a sigh of relief. He glanced up and met my calm eyes.

For a split second, he looked unsettled, but he signed the paper without even reading it.

As I walked out of the auditorium, I found Bianca waiting for me.

With no one else around, she didn't bother hiding her true colors. She smiled like a peacock that had just won a fight.

“Willa, you saw that, didn't you?”

“Logan would rather dance with me than even be seen with you.”

“If you have any dignity left, you’ll file for divorce and leave him yourself!”

I couldn't help but burst out laughing. She frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

I looked her in the eyes. “It’s the first time I’ve seen someone so desperate to be a stepmother.”

“You―”

“Bianca, what are you doing here?” Logan ran over, looking nervous.

The moment he appeared, Bianca’s face shifted into a mask of pure innocence and hurt.

“It’s nothing… I think Willa misunderstood us. She suggested our relationship isn't appropriate…”

“I don't mind for myself, but if people start talking, it could ruin your chances for that promotion, Logan.”

As expected, Logan’s face twisted with anger as he turned to me.

“Willa, you’re not a child. Can’t you think before you speak?”

“You just told me you trusted me, and then you immediately come here to attack Bianca? I can't believe you!”

“I am ordering you to apologize to her right now!”

Even though my heart had already been hardened against him, his blatant favoritism still felt like a physical blow.

I squeezed my hands into fists, my knuckles turning white.

I wanted to scream at him, to demand why he was doing this to me.

But as I looked at the hatred in his eyes―hatred born from his love for Bianca―I realized there was no point.

I was leaving anyway. What he thought of me didn't matter anymore.