All Chapters of Love Beyond Return: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

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 i

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 be

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

Chapter 4 The Truth She Tried to Bury

Murmurs spread through the crowd. Several doctors began looking at Noah with suspicion. Noah stood onstage in a panic, his eyes turned red rimmed as they fell on Natalie. Natalie stormed up, snatched my phone from my hand, and hurled it to the floor. The look she gave me was colder than ice. "Liam forged these so-called documents." Her voice rang through the lobby. "He's been in the war zone for five years. He's unstable." She looked around the room. "He's obsessed with the idea that something is going on between Noah and me. "As his family member, I have the right to report him and have him sent for a psychiatric evaluation." Natalie exchanged a look with the hospital director. A few security guards rushed forward and grabbed my shoulders. Noah hid behind her. The panic from earlier was completely gone. He mouthed two words at me, "You lost." I clenched my fists, broke free of the guards, and lunged at him. As I grabbed his wrist, I growled, "Noah, do you dar

Chapter 5 I Stop Waiting

Natalie remembered the way I had touched her face back then. I had been the one injured, lying in that hospital bed. Yet, I was still the one comforting her. 'It was my choice,' I had whispered. 'I would've stepped in if they had come for you.' My fingers had brushed her cheek gently. 'You're the only person I love. If I didn't save you, who else would I save?' Then, I had smiled at her, tears shining in my eyes. That smile replayed in Natalie's mind again and again. 'Just days ago, I forced him to delay his surgery for Noah. I even threatened to stop it myself. So why does my chest hurt now? Why does it feel like a blade is cutting through my heart now that I know his hand was almost ruined forever?' Natalie sat outside the hospital room for hours, unable to find the courage to go in. It wasn't until late that night that she finally stepped inside, her voice hoarse. "Why didn't you tell me?" She had spent the entire afternoon thinking about what to say. Somehow, th

Chapter 6 Cost Me My Marriage

Natalie remained cold and silent throughout the divorce proceedings. She didn't speak to me at all, not until we left the courthouse. She said coldly, "Everything from the marriage, the shared assets, the house—it's yours. I've already hired a lawyer. They'll contact you." I shook my head. "I don't want any of it." Her expression darkened instantly. "Then, what do you want? I don't want to owe you anything after this." "Justice." I met her gaze and said each word clearly, "Let me go back to headquarters. Stop obstructing my transfer review for Noah. I've had enough." Her jaw clenched as a bitter laugh slipped out. "You really never give up, do you? You'd even treat divorce like a bargaining chip just to get back to the hospital." She turned and left without waiting for a reply, as if she couldn't bring herself to say another word to me. Although I had explicitly stated I wouldn't claim any of the marital assets as that money was hers, not mine, she still had everything tr

Chapter 7 I No Longer Owed Her

The opportunity to deploy to the war zone arose, and the hospital director clearly stated that anyone who volunteered for the assignment would be promoted to department chief. At that time, my mother was still alive and critically ill. Natalie was the only surgeon in the hospital able to operate, which caused serious damage to her hands. I still remember how helpless she looked that night, crying in my arms. She sobbed out, "Liam, my hands will be ruined if I go to the war zone. Please... help me." I had seen everything she did for my mother, so I went in her place. I traded five years of my life for her promotion. In the end, my mother still succumbed to her illness. As I was trapped in the war zone, I missed the chance to see her one last time. Whatever I owed Natalie, I've already paid it. That was what I told myself. That night, Natalie came by while I was on call. She brought a food container, opened it, and placed it in front of me. The food didn't look

Chapter 8 The War Zone Called Me Back

"But you're already staying here now," Natalie continued. "Doesn't that mean we should get remarried?" I nearly started laughing at the sheer absurdity of her words. "I stayed here because of my career. Why are you making it sound like you're the reason I'm here?" I looked at her coldly. "By that logic, should I be grateful that you had been merciful and didn't have Dr. Porter send me to a psychiatric facility?" Natalie finally lost her patience with me after being repeatedly rebuffed. "Do you have to keep dredging up the past? Liam, all I did was help Noah instead of you transfer back to headquarters." She stared at me and asked, "Is a transfer worth our marriage? The baby is gone. Our home is gone. How far are you going to take this before you're satisfied?" Ever since the divorce, I felt as if something was trapped in my chest. I felt as though a part of me was still angry and that it wanted out. The sound of her voice and the way she spoke my name made my skin crawl, so

Chapter 9 The War Zone She Finally Sees

I had only been gone three months. When I returned, the lively settlement had turned into rubble. The buildings had collapsed, and there was a layer of ash on the streets. Everywhere I turned, I found that homes, possessions, and even lives had all been reduced to ashes. Xavier Anderson, a junior doctor I used to work with in the war zone, came to pick me up. On my way there, he filled me in on everything that had happened. I went straight to work the second I arrived at the hospital. I guided the doctors through surgical planning, treatment protocols, and trauma triage. I taught them everything I knew, holding nothing back. Still, it wasn't enough. The medical conditions here were too primitive. Many surgeries were not feasible. Countless lives were lost. So, I stayed for a month instead of leaving right away. Most of the doctors here were either overlooked interns or physicians with only limited experience. They lacked surgical exposure and training. I worked thro

Chapter 10 Let's Not Meet Again

There was nothing but guilt in Natalie's eyes as she spoke tremulously. She moved closer, struggling to resist pulling me into her embrace. Then, she sank to her knees and apologized, "I was wrong. This was all my fault." Her eyes were filled with tears. "Liam, when we go home, give me one more chance. Please... let me spend the rest of my life making up for the five years you suffered." I looked at her quietly, but my heart no longer fluttered for her. "Natalie, do you know how scared I was when I first came here?" I got up and walked to the door. Dust and smoke filled the air beyond the doors. Explosions rumbled in the distance. Every inch of this land had been soaked with blood. Natalie didn't speak or even dare look at me. I continued, "I couldn't sleep at night. I was terrified I'd die here. I was even more terrified that I'd never see you again. My hands would shake every time I went out to cart the wounded soldiers into the hospital. It got so bad that I could bare

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