Ex - Husband's Late Redemption

After the divorce, I took my bruised and exhausted self to a charming little town in the south. I assumed a new identity, got a different phone, and cut all connections with my frenetic life in London. Everyone thought I had died in that notorious crisis that rocked the military world. For three years, white lilies appeared on my grave without fail.

Then, one day, the glass door of my café swung open, and in walked someone I knew. Stunned, he asked why I hadn't returned if I was still alive. Didn't I know that Graham Ortiz had been consumed with guilt over me, nearly ending his own life?

Graham Ortiz, my ex-husband, was a military man who had a rivalry spanning more than twenty years with a fellow soldier. They had vowed never to marry, battling each other until old age. But Graham fell in love with me the moment he saw me, pursued me tirelessly, and eventually, I became his wife.

Ivey Bennett despised him for breaking their oath and took out her anger on me. The first time, Ivey tricked me into a danger zone where I stepped on a trap, shattering bones and suffering internal injuries. I lay in the ICU for ten days. Graham moved heaven and earth, bringing in the world's top experts to save me from the brink of death.

The second time, she abandoned me in the wilderness, commanding me to find my own way back. Graham stopped a military exercise, mobilizing an entire reconnaissance unit to search day and night for three days, finally discovering me dehydrated and unconscious in the barren land.

This cycle of her hurting me and him rescuing me continued until the ninety-ninth time. When Ivey learned from Graham that I had a severe peanut allergy, she ground ten pounds of peanuts into powder and force-fed it to me, triggering a severe allergic reaction. Before I was rushed into the ER, I begged Graham to report the incident, but he shook his head helplessly.

"Sweetheart, let it go,” he said. “Ivey's a war hero’s orphan, she's insecure, and only feels alive when she's sparring with someone. She didn't realize your allergy was so severe. It was just a bit of mischief, she never meant real harm. For my sake, just let it slide, okay?"

That was the moment my heart completely shut down.

The next morning, as soon as I woke up in the military hospital, I called Edwin Ortiz. I knew he always thought my simple background was unworthy of his promising grandson and he had long wanted me gone.

"General Ortiz," I said with eerie calm, "I agree to divorce Graham."

There was a pause on the other end before he decisively replied, "It's about time you saw reason. I'll have the divorce papers sent over. Sign them, and I'll handle the rest. Once the divorce is finalized, do not appear in front of Graham again."

It wasn’t long before Arturo Brooks appeared in my