Part 1Goodbye to My Secret Wife

For six years, I was secretly married to an Admiral’s daughter. Yet everyone at Port Sterling Naval Base saw me only as a pitiful doctor chasing a woman far beyond his reach.

She never corrected them.

Everything came to a head at a victory celebration. A voice laced with scorn cut through the crowd:

“Dr. Cross, the Admiral’s daughter is engaged to a diplomat’s son. Stop dreaming.”

Even Seraphina stood coldly nearby, champagne in hand. “Don’t waste your time on me,” she said.

In my past life, that broke me. I exposed our marriage certificate, only for her to call it a childish prank. To protect David, she had me jailed for a week.

Later, pirates ambushed my transport. Bleeding out, I sent a distress signal. She received it but chose the opera with David over saving me. I died knowing I was just a pawn.

Now, reborn at that same moment, I met her indifferent gaze with a calm smile.

“Very well. I wish you and Mr. Croft a happy life together. By the way, my transfer’s been approved. Farewell.”

* * *

For the first time, a crack appeared on Seraphina Vance’s ice-cold facade.

Standing beside her, David Croft’s triumphant smirk froze on his lips. He shot a panicked glance at Seraphina. “Sera, what is he…?”

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of finishing. I turned and walked away.

In my last life, I shoved our marriage certificate in their faces. The stunned silence was followed by Seraphina tearing the document to shreds, claiming I’d forged it. I came out of the brig seven days later with half my hair turned gray from the stress and despair.

This time, I couldn’t be bothered to even present the evidence.

There’s no point in fighting for someone who doesn’t give a damn about you.

“Ethan!” Seraphina’s voice was sharp, chasing after me.

I didn’t stop.

The sound of her heels clicked rapidly on the polished floor, getting closer. A second later, her hand clamped down on my wrist. I stopped, not struggling, just turning my head to look at her.

Her face was a mask of fury. “What is this? What new game are you playing? A transfer? Who authorized it?”

It was the same tone she’d used in my past life as I, half-mad with grief and betrayal, grabbed her uniform and demanded to know why she’d left me to die. “Ethan, what kind of scene are you making now?”

I pushed the memory away and used my free hand to pull a folded document from my satchel.

“Commander Vance,” I said, my voice steady. “Read it carefully. It was approved directly by the National Military Medical Center. Your authority doesn’t extend that high.”

Her pupils contracted.

That transfer was a favor, cashed in. It was a debt owed to me by a four-star general whose granddaughter I’d saved. In my last life, I never asked for anything in return, but the general insisted he owed me a debt that could never truly be repaid.

This time, I called it in early.

Seraphina snatched the paper from my hand, her eyes scanning the text. Her expression shifted from shock to disbelief, and finally hardened into a dark glower.

“Cancel it,” she commanded, her eyes locked on mine. “I forbid it.”

I laughed, a dry, humorless sound. I wrenched my wrist, now red from her grip, free and took a step closer.

“And on what grounds do you forbid it?” I tilted my chin up, meeting her gaze without flinching. “On the grounds of our secret marriage certificate that can never see the light of day? Or on the grounds that you’ve stood by and let the entire base humiliate me for six years?”

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I pressed forward, closing the space between us.

“Seraphina,” I whispered, the name feeling like ash in my mouth. “To me, you are nothing anymore.”

Just then, the sound of expensive leather shoes echoed from the end of the hall. David came running, a look of faux concern plastered on his face as he stepped between us.

“Dr. Cross, how can you speak to Sera like that? She’s been more than patient with you all these years. You should be grateful…”

“Move,” I cut him off.

“You…”

“I said, move.”

My voice was quiet, but it held a new kind of steel. David, for all his bluster, instinctively took a step back. He bit his lip, his eyes welling up with crocodile tears.

“Dr. Cross, I never wanted to be your enemy. I just love Sera. Is that so wrong?”

“No,” I nodded. “But standing in my way is.”

With that, I brushed past him.

He shouted at my back, “Ethan Cross, you’re just a common medic! Without Sera’s protection, you’re nothing!”

I stopped and turned to look at him, a faint smile playing on my lips.

“Am I? I thought I was just making room for you.”

The color drained from David’s face. He lunged at me, his fist raised, but an arm shot out and stopped him. Seraphina had appeared, her expression unreadable as she gripped David’s wrist.

“David, stop it.”

His eyes instantly reddened with real tears this time. “Sera, you see? This is how he treats me! He has no respect for you at all!”

Seraphina didn’t answer him. Her gaze was fixed on me.

“Commander Vance,” I said formally, “I wish you and Mr. Croft all the happiness you deserve.”

And then I left, without a single look back.