"I've already completed all the necessary examinations. If you don't trust my judgment, you can ask Dr. William Hayes or Dr. Leo Grant to take a look. They're both in the camp."

After saying that, Serena lifted the tent flap and walked out, ignoring Amy's aggrieved muttering behind her and Logan calling her name.

She walked slowly all the way back. By the time she reached her own tent, dusk was already settling in.

What greeted her was complete chaos inside the tent.

The camp bed had been turned upside down, the pillow lay on the ground, and half of the blanket hung off the side of the bed.

The few spare clothes she owned were scattered across the floor. The metal trunk her father had specially made for her sat crooked beside the bed with its lock forced open, the lid wide apart and the inside completely empty.

The nutritional food, the tiny baby clothes her mother had stitched by hand, and the emergency cash her father had tucked inside were all gone.

Serena stood at the entrance for a long time before finally walking inside. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the small succulent plant beside it.

During the days when pneumonia had left her burning with fever, that little succulent had been her only quiet companion.

Half a month earlier, the temperature in the war zone had suddenly dropped, and Serena had developed a high fever in the middle of the night.

Her fever climbed to 103°F, and even the baby inside her grew restless, kicking hard enough to send waves of pain through her lower abdomen.

Through her hazy consciousness, she saw Logan standing there.

Using the last of her strength, she grabbed his sleeve and hoarsely asked him to open the trunk in the far corner of her tent.

Inside it was the only dose of penicillin her parents had managed to send after tremendous effort. There was only one injection. It was her last hope.

"The medicine… Logan… give me the medicine…"

Logan stood at the bedside, silent for a long time. Serena forced herself upright despite the pain in her body and asked him to inject the penicillin. Instead, Logan stepped back a few paces and slipped the syringe into his pocket.

"I'm sorry, Serena. Amy caught a cold and her fever hasn't gone down. Her body is weak. She can't handle it. I'll give this shot to her first."

After saying that, he left with the injection. Serena burned with fever for three days and three nights afterward. Sweat soaked through set after set of clothes, and when Maya came to change the sheets, they were so wet they could practically be wrung out.

Serena survived by sheer luck. On the morning of the fourth day, the fever miraculously broke, but from then on she was left with the lingering problem of coughing up blood.

And what did Logan say after learning about it?

"You're a frontline doctor. You should be able to shoulder more."

Thinking of that, Serena picked up the small succulent in her hands and felt more and more that Richard had been right back then.

Richard had built his business from nothing back in the 1970s. The time Serena met him was when she and Logan were leaving for the airport in the Northreach Hinterlands.

He had already been very old, leaning on a cane. His aged eyes rested on her as if they could see straight through her.

"You and Logan won't last."

After saying that, the old man was helped into the car.

Looking back now, he had been absolutely right.

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent. Maya rushed in, and the moment she saw Serena and the wrecked tent, her eyes immediately turned red.

"How could they do this? I'm going to confront Dr. Lockwood!"

Serena lifted her head. Her voice was hoarse, but her tone remained gentle.

"Maya, I'll handle this myself. Could you help me check the medical supplies in the tent? We'll need to restock tomorrow. Another group of wounded soldiers will arrive in a couple of days, so we need to prepare."

Maya bit her lip as tears dropped one after another, but she still nodded.

"Okay… but are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Serena stood up slowly, her movements a little stiff. "You go ahead. I'll be back in a moment."

After saying that, she stepped outside and splashed water on her face at the basin by the entrance. The cold water cleared her head.

It was time to put an end to this. Serena walked toward Logan's office tent. When she lifted the flap, Logan was peeling an orange for Amy.

The bright orange segments were separated one by one. His movements were gentle, even carefully removing the white pith.

Amy leaned back in the chair beside him, wrapped in the camel-hair blanket. In her hand was a small celadon jar, from which she scooped a spoonful of the paste and brought it to her mouth.

That small jar contained the calming herbal paste Serena's father had gathered from pharmacies all over Alderbridge.

The tent was warm, the charcoal brazier crackling softly. Amy took a bite of the paste and smiled with her eyes half closed.

"Logan, this is delicious. Is there more?"

"If you like it, have more. I'll get you another jar when you're done." Logan comforted her softly.

Serena stood at the entrance and watched for three seconds before walking in. She stopped across the table, about a meter away from them.

"Who gave you the right to touch my things?"

Logan looked up when he saw her, his brows immediately knitting together again.

"What are you making a fuss about now?"

"My entire tent was turned upside down. I can't even come here and ask for an explanation?"

Amy timidly set the jar down and leaned closer to Logan.

"Please don't be angry, Serena. I just thought the paste smelled nice and wanted to try a little. Logan said it was fine…"

"It was fine?" Serena repeated the words and suddenly laughed. "I wouldn't even use that jar when I was coughing up blood and couldn't sleep, and you just open your mouth and say it's fine?"

Logan stood up, his expression darkening.

"Amy isn't feeling well because she's pregnant. If she used it, then she used it. Just buy another one when you return home. Do you really have to argue over something this trivial?"

Serena looked at the man in front of her. His eyes held nothing but disgust as he shielded the woman behind him.

In that moment, Serena suddenly realized something with perfect clarity. Logan was no longer the man he used to be.

All the vows and promises that had once moved her and convinced her completely shattered in that instant.

The final trace of hesitation in Serena's heart disappeared.

She spoke slowly, her voice calm.

"When I had a high fever, you used my life-saving medicine to please someone else. When I started coughing blood, you told me to keep working. Now even the things my parents sent me, you give away like they mean nothing."

She stepped forward half a step, staring directly at Logan.

"Logan, what exactly am I to you? Your wife, or just a tool you use to repay a debt?"

"Serena!" Logan's voice suddenly rose. "I already told you. Once the war ends and we return home, then—"

"There won't be a 'then.'" Serena said. "Let's get divorced."

The tent instantly fell silent.

The charcoal fire crackled softly. Amy widened her eyes, though she couldn't hide the brief flicker of satisfaction in them.

Logan stood frozen in place, as if he hadn't heard her clearly.

"When the six-month deployment ends and we return home, we'll handle the paperwork on the first day."

Serena turned and walked toward the exit. When she reached the entrance, she paused and glanced back at him.

"Dr. Lockwood, please continue assigning duties according to the schedule. If there are wounded who need stitching, I will still fulfill my responsibilities."

After saying that, she lifted the tent flap and walked out without looking back.

Outside, night had completely fallen. The sandstorm hadn't stopped. If anything, it had grown even stronger.

Maya was checking the medical supplies. When she saw Serena enter, she quickly wiped her eyes.

"Serena, you're back!"

Serena walked over to the medicine shelf and began checking the records—tetanus serum, antibiotics, painkillers, gauze, disinfectant.

"We still have about three days' worth of tetanus serum. The resupply should arrive tomorrow." She closed the notebook and looked at Maya. "If any wounded develop a fever tonight, follow the standard procedure. If you're unsure about anything, come get me immediately."

Maya nodded, hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

"Serena, are you really going to divorce Dr. Lockwood? In our tribe, it's common for men to have two wives. But divorce… I've never seen a woman ask for one in all my seventeen years."

Serena paused, her gaze drifting toward the dark night outside.

"Maya, when a road reaches its end, you have to choose another one. Not everything can be endured and simply passed through."

Maya hesitated, her voice growing softer.

"Dr. Hart… actually, I'm Amy's cousin. But I like following you more. There's a light in your eyes I've never seen before. You taught me how to read, how to use medical equipment, and you told me women can become doctors too. My mother says a woman like you appears in our tribe maybe once in a hundred years."

Serena was momentarily stunned, then she smiled. It was a faint smile, but warm.

"Thank you, Maya."

Maya's eyes were slightly red, but her gaze was firm.

"So no matter what decision you make, I'll support you. You're braver than any woman in our tribe."

After saying that, Maya seemed embarrassed and quickly ran out of the tent, leaving Serena standing there alone.

After a long moment, Serena came back to herself and shook her head with a helpless smile. She sat on the edge of the bed, and after a while, murmured softly to herself.

"It's alright."

Yes. It would be alright.

Her hand gently rested on her belly, where a small life was growing.

More than six months now. Sometimes the baby kicked her, lively and mischievous. When the child was born, perhaps they would cry through the night, or perhaps they would be a gentle baby.

Thinking of that, Serena straightened slightly and spoke softly, her voice filled with gentle apology.

"Baby, I'm sorry. Mommy couldn't control her emotions today. It might have affected you, but I promise it won't happen again."

The child inside her moved gently, as if responding. Serena smiled, yet tears slipped down her face.

She raised a hand to wipe them away, but fresh tears kept coming. Eventually she stopped wiping them and simply let them fall.

Meanwhile, inside Amy's tent, Logan was gently helping her sip some porridge.

Logan scooped up a spoonful of porridge, carefully blowing on it to cool it before bringing it to Amy's lips.

"Logan… was Dr. Hart angry just now?" Amy asked softly, looking at him timidly. Logan paused for a moment, his expression darkening.

"Ignore her. She's just gotten spoiled because I treated her too well before."

As he said it, a trace of irritation lingered in his mind. The calm look in Serena's eyes when she mentioned divorce had left him strangely uneasy.

But he quickly pushed that uneasiness aside. Serena had loved him for seven years. How could she possibly leave for real? It was nothing more than a moment of anger. Treating Amy well now was simply a way to make Serena see the situation clearly.

In a place like this, without him protecting her, how long could a pregnant woman like Serena possibly survive?

Once she suffered enough, she would naturally come back and give in.

Thinking this way, Logan's tone softened.

"Come on, take your medicine. Your body is weak. You need to take good care of yourself."

Amy obediently opened her mouth to take the medicine and leaned into his arms.

"Logan, you're so good to me."

Logan held her in his arms, but his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the tent outside.

What was Serena doing right now? Was she still angry?

Logan figured it might be better to let her cool off on her own.

Thinking that, he fed Amy another spoonful of porridge.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere in the camp became strangely tense.

The tribal villagers would turn their faces away whenever they saw Serena. When she distributed medicine or fetched water, they deliberately made things difficult. Maya tried to argue with them but ended up being shoved instead.

Logan came by once, his expression unpleasant.

"Serena, why bother getting angry with the villagers…"

"Dr. Lockwood." Serena was changing a wounded soldier's bandages without even looking up. "If there's nothing else, please leave. I'm busy."

She truly was busy. Her hands never paused, and she had no spare emotion left for Logan.

Logan stood there for a moment before leaving with a frustrated wave of his hand. Only after he was gone did Serena stop working and look down at her fingers.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied them. Once the war zone deployment ended, once she returned home, once the divorce was finalized, their lives would go separate ways forever.

With that thought, a strange calm settled in Serena's heart. Like the sea after a storm, faint ripples remained on the surface, but deep beneath, everything had grown quiet.

That fragile peace shattered one night when the rebel attack came without warning.

The first bomb collapsed the eastern barracks just as Serena stepped out of the surgical tent.

After days of nonstop work, her vision darkened and she had to steady herself against a wall. What greeted her was a sky lit red by flames, machine gun fire, screams, and the crashing sound of collapsing buildings all blending into chaos.

Serena did not panic. She instinctively protected her belly and moved toward the western side of the camp by memory.

There was a thick broken wall there. She had observed it before and knew it could serve as relatively safe cover.

Shrapnel flew past her as waves of heat scorched the air. She stumbled toward the broken wall and curled her body behind it for cover.

Another coughing fit surged up. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep the sound from giving away her position.

"Serena!"

Serena had not expected Logan to appear. He looked disheveled, his white coat stained with soot, blood running down his forehead as he grabbed her wrist.

"The evacuation truck is at the east gate. Move!"

Serena stumbled along as he pulled her forward. Her hand was cold, but his was even colder. After they had run only a dozen steps, a cry suddenly rang out.

"Logan! Logan, save me!"

Amy rushed out of the smoke, her hair disheveled and face streaked with tears as she clung tightly to Logan's waist.

"I'm so scared… my baby… my baby hurts…"

Logan froze.

He looked down at Amy, then up at Serena. After only a brief hesitation, he released Serena's hand.

He lifted Amy into his arms, his voice urgent.

"Stay here and wait. I'll come back for you after I get her to safety!"

With that, he ran into the smoke.

Serena stood there, watching his figure disappear into the firelight.

A sudden sharp pain tore through her abdomen. She bent over, clutching it, her hand touching warm blood.

Looking down, she saw her skirt already stained deep red.

"My baby…" She murmured as she collapsed to her knees.

Another shell exploded nearby.

The shockwave threw her to the ground, the back of her head striking broken stone.

Agonizing pain spread from her abdomen through her entire body, as if a hand were tearing violently inside her. The blood kept flowing, and Serena's consciousness slowly began to fade.

Serena lay on her back among the ruins, staring at the sky stained red by flames.

So this was the color of the sky a person saw before death.

Maybe that was fine.

She slowly closed her eyes.

The roar of an engine approached from the distance.

A black off-road vehicle tore across the sand and screeched to a halt beside her.

The door opened and someone stepped out, crouching down to check her breathing.

"She's still alive."

It was a man's voice. Serena struggled to open her eyes, trying to see clearly.

Through her blurred vision, a tall figure stood against the backlight.