Never Failed, But I Chased Him Relentlessly

Valeria Winslow was the most vibrant and uninhibited flower in Fort Radcliff. To put it nicely, she was bold and straightforward; to put it bluntly, she was spoiled and willful. From childhood to adulthood, she had never failed to get anything she set her eyes on. That was until she met Dominic Langston. Her twenty years of smooth sailing finally hit a rocky patch in the name of love, and she began to chase after him with passionate intensity. The first time, she blocked Dominic's car and shoved a note with her phone number through his window. Dominic didn't even glance at it before rolling up the window and driving away. The second time, Valeria snatched the combat plan he was supposed to submit and locked it in her drawer. "Agree to go on a date with me, and I'll give it back," she said, crossing her legs and jingling the keys in her hand. Dominic simply broke her drawer open, grabbed the document, and left with a flat remark. "Childish." The third time, Dominic sprained his ankle during a field training exercise. Valeria drove for three consecutive hours through the night, carried him down the mountain on her back, and dumped him onto a hospital bed. Looking into his eyes, her voice was slightly raspy. "Dominic, I'm asking you one last time. Is it a yes, or a no?" After a long silence, he nodded and said, "Yes." Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of euphoria, she lunged forward to grab his arm, only to let go just as quickly, terrified that this was all a dream. "Dominic, I want you to marry me because you truly want to. You can only have eyes for me. You have to spoil me, love me, and never bully me. No matter what happens, you must always stand by my side first." "Alright," he agreed readily. The wedding was grand, and as she stood in her vintage silk dress, she felt as though she held the entire world in her hands. After their marriage, Dominic was a flawless husband. He handed over his paycard, reported his whereabouts, remembered her menstrual cycle, and never argued with her. Everyone said that Ms. Winslow was a lucky woman. Yet, only she knew that a transparent wall stood between her and Dominic. He never initiated a hug or kissed her. Whenever she woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, the space beside her was always cold and empty. When she enthusiastically planned for their future, he would merely say everything sounded fine, looking completely detached. She had tried to throw tantrums, deliberately smashing his favorite mug, but he would only silently clean up the mess and say it was fine. When she complained that he rarely spent time with her, he would stay home all day during his next leave, but they would just mind their own business while the air hung heavy with a suffocating silence. The more he refused to react, the more frustrated and unsettled she became. Everything changed that evening. He was having a rare gathering with a few teammates, and they started playing Truth or Dare. Valeria stood on the other side of the terrace, the half-open door allowing their voices to drift over with crystal clarity. Someone asked, "Captain Langston, tell us the truth. What is the lie you've told in your life that makes you feel the most guilty?" After a brief silence, Dominic's deep voice resonated, "I have one. To my wife. When we got married, I told her I married her because I liked her." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But I didn't. I originally had someone else in my heart." Standing outside, Valeria felt her blood instantly freeze. She slammed the door open and marched inside. "Dominic," her voice trembled violently, "what did you just say? Say it again." "Valeria, let me explain..." Dominic stood up, reaching out to pull her close. Right then, the phone in his pocket vibrated urgently. Glancing at the screen, he quickly ordered his teammates, "Gear up, we're moving out." He then looked back at the hysterical Valeria, his tone carrying a practiced calmness to defuse the situation as he grabbed his jacket. "We'll talk when I get back." "Dominic!" she screamed at his retreating figure. Without looking back, he vanished past the doorway in swift strides. A week later, word reached her that Dominic had been injured during the mission and was currently under observation at the military hospital. She rushed over to visit him, desperate to clarify the meaning behind his words that night. To her utter shock, the moment she pushed open the door to the ward, a resounding slap delivered a stinging pain across her cheek. "You shameless homewrecker! How dare you show your face here!" Celeste Shaw yelled, her eyes bloodshot and her entire frame shaking with rage. The force of the blow snapped Valeria's head to the side. She was utterly dazed; from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever dared to lay a finger on her. "A homewrecker?" Valeria found the accusation absurd. She looked straight at Celeste and said, word by word, "Open your eyes and look closely. I, Valeria Winslow, am his legal wife." "Wife?" Celeste burst into tears, her shoulders trembling. "Dominic, tell her! Tell her how you were forced to marry her! If it wasn't for her powerful father threatening you with my special medication, why would you ever marry her?!" The revelation struck Valeria like a bolt from the blue, and she whipped her head toward Dominic. His lips parted slightly, but he ultimately averted his eyes, offering no denial. With her mind buzzing with static, Valeria didn't look at anyone else in the room as she spun around and bolted out. She sprinted all the way home, where her father was reading the newspaper in the study. "Dad!" her voice was raw and hoarse. "Did you force Dominic to marry me back then?" Gerald Winslow set his newspaper down, attempting to explain, but Valeria cut him off. "Just answer me. Yes, or no!" "Yes." Gerald looked at her and sighed. "Valeria, I saw how hard you were chasing him, and I couldn't bear to watch you suffer. It just so happened that the supply chain for the medicine the Shaw family's girl needed was in our hands. I merely presented him with a condition, and he agreed to it voluntarily." Voluntarily. Valeria let out a bitter laugh, tears finally cascading down her face. She finally understood why Dominic had tolerated all her tantrums after their marriage. It wasn't because he was yielding to her; it was because he was cautious. He was cautious about his first love's medicine, and cautious about ensuring this trade wouldn't fall apart. All her testing, her picking fights, and her childish ploys to gain his attention were probably nothing more than part of a transaction he felt compelled to endure. "I have no use for a love like this." Wiping her tears away, she walked toward the door. "I'm going to divorce him. Dad, don't make things difficult for them anymore." Returning to her own place, she logged into the internal system on her computer, located the divorce application page, and filled out the registry. A notification popped up on the screen: Application submitted. Processing period: 30 days. Staring at the gloomy sky outside, she touched the ring on her ring finger, then pulled it off with a hard yank.