Third Person's POV

Three years ago, she had stood in this very place. Back then, everything about Tanzania had been new and fascinating to her. She would often wander through the mountains and lose herself in the scenery.

But the weather in the region was unpredictable, and heavy rain quickly turned the world into swamp, obscuring landmarks and directions.

One day, she had walked alone through the mountain for hours, unable to find her way back to camp. It wasn’t until midnight that Terence, with a flashlight in hand, found her drenched in the valley.

After that incident, Terence insisted she learn navigation skills, but no matter how hard she tried, the techniques were too complicated for her to grasp.

Finally, in exasperation, Terence made her a custom compass. It wasn’t just a compass—it had a built-in tracker and an alarm. “Whenever you’re lost, just press the red button, and I’ll come find you,” he’d said.

Halle set down the empty cup in her hand and moved closer to the fire, letting the warmth seep into her. Before she realized it, she had dozed off at the wooden table, her hand still clutching the compass that hung around her neck.

Soon, the sound of cheering woke her. She stirred groggily and noticed a coat had been draped over her shoulders. But as she sat up, it slipped to the floor. So, she picked it up and then left it on the chair.

Stepping outside, she saw fireworks lit up the night sky, drawing bursts of excitement from the crowd gathered there.

Not long after, Darlene spotted her and immediately pulled her into the celebration. “Come on, have some barley wine and enjoy the fireworks with us!” she invited, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

“It’s a party for Terence,” Darlene explained, pouring her a drink. “This mission couldn’t have succeeded without him.”

The haze of confusion in Halle’s mind cleared instantly. She then felt Terence’s gaze from across the crowd and turned to meet his eyes.

But just as their gazes locked, Terence raised his cup, looked away, and downed his drink. He always avoided her like this. He’d been like that for years.

She thought back to the man who once taught her how to navigate by the stars, took her to see the beauty of the mountains, and crafted a one-of-a-kind compass just for her.

Two years ago, on her last day of service in Tanzania, she had hoped things between them might change.

They’d stood together beneath a sprawling sky full of stars. In the distance, the mountains glittered in the moonlight, and the faint sound of grazing sheep filled the air. Terence had been explaining the path of that night’s meteor shower when she turned to him.

“Terence,” she’d said softly, “I’m not leaving.”

She remembered clearly how the light in his eyes dimmed.

“Why would you stay here?” he replied firmly. “This is no place for a young woman. Go back while you can.”

But she saw through his words and reached for his hand. “I want to stay with you. I want us to be together.”

But to her surprise, he shook her hand off and turned away, leaving her with nothing but his back.

“I’m not gonna be with you. Don’t even think about it,” he said without a hint of hesitation.

From that moment on, it was as if a wall had risen between them.

He became a door she could never open, a hand that always slipped from hers, a conversation that was cut short before it could begin. He avoided her gaze like it was a burden he didn’t want to carry.

Just then, a sudden noise snapped her back to the present, and only then did he feel a lightness around her neck. She instinctively reached for her compass—only to find it missing.

Her eyes darted down, and there it was, lying at her feet. But she saw the needle had stopped moving. She knelt quickly to pick it up, but a dancer in the crowd accidentally stepped on her hand, grinding sand into her scraped skin. The sting quickly shot up her arm.

Before she could react, a large hand reached down and picked up the compass.

Startled, she looked up to see Terence standing right in front of her, his face closer than she expected.

Suddenly, a wave of frustration surged through her chest. Maybe it was anger at his recklessness the day before, or the way he had unfairly scolded her earlier that morning. Maybe it was the way he had just avoided her gaze at the celebration—or maybe it was the barley wine amplifying her buried grievances.

Without thinking, she snatched the compass out of his hand.

Third Person's POV

Terence frowned as he looked at Halle, his tone softening slightly. “It’s broken. Let me fix it, and I’ll give it back to you.”

His gaze then dropped to the scraped skin on the back of her hand. Impulsively, he grabbed her wrist. “What happened to your hand?”

But Halle quickly pulled her hand back, her eyes tinged red with unshed tears. “It’s none of your business,” she snapped, her voice trembling. “Both in compass and me, don't bother anymore. I’m done being a burden to you.”

Hearing her sharp words, a flicker of surprise flashed across Terence’s face. Something about her was different today—off.

This wasn’t the same Halle who quietly endured his scolding that morning, nor the one who usually sought his help. This Halle was resolute, even distant.

After a brief pause, Terence let out a cold laugh, tossing a dismissive comment over his shoulder as he walked away. “Halle, playing hard to get won’t work on me.”

Watching his retreating back, Halle clenched her teeth in exasperation. Hot tears then rolled down her cheeks, landing audibly on her jacket. She quickly turned away and forced herself to blend into the lively celebration around her.

What she didn’t see was Terence, now back inside, lingering by the window. He watched her for a long time before picking up the neatly folded jacket she had left on the chair and taking it back to his room.

Before long, the alcohol finally wore off, but Halle’s head remained heavy. Before she knew it, she had fainted right outside Terence’s door.

When she woke up, her face was flushed with fever, and she was lying in Terence’s bed. He sat nearby with a dark expression and faintly red eyes.

Just then, a knock at the door broke the tense silence. Terence quickly composed himself and opened the door to Darlene.

“Terence, we’ve got news about the poachers who escaped last time,” she said urgently.

As such, Terence unhesitatingly shut the door behind him and left with Darlene.

Alone in the room, Halle sat up and felt her throat dry and her mind hazy. Glancing around the room, she realized she was in Terence’s private quarters, a place she hadn’t stepped into for a long time.

Shortly, her eyes landed on the wooden table by the bed, where her compass sat. But it was now fully repaired. Seeing it, she couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

'What's this supposed to mean? Scold me one moment, then make me something special the next? Is this his way of balancing things out?' she scoffed inwardly.

Despite her thoughts, she still hung the compass back around her neck and got out of bed to look for him.

As she reached the door, she heard voices just outside. She stopped midway and pressed her ear against the wood.

“Have you thought this through?” Darlene asked, her tone laced with hesitation. “This is a lifelong decision. You can’t make it lightly.”

“Don’t worry,” Terence replied, his voice steady. “Once this is done, nothing will change between us. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

The words hit Halle like a bucket of icy water. Her body stiffened and her hands and feet turned cold.

'They must be talking about marriage,' Halle assumed mentally. 'So, the rumors in the team were true. They're indeed not just colleagues.'

Halle thought Terence had been avoiding her not just because of work, duty, or the harsh environment, he simply didn’t love her.

Because if he’d wanted to, he could have overcome any obstacle. But he didn’t.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Halle was startled. She quickly turned and pretended to search through the drawers.

But before she could open one, Terence stormed in, blocking her path and grabbing her wrist.

“What are you doing?” he snapped, his face a mix of shock and anger. “Who gave you permission to go through my things? Get out!”

His sudden outburst stunned Halle. Her throat tightened, and she swallowed back the tears threatening to spill. Without a word, she turned and stormed out of the room.

Darlene, watching the scene unfold, hurried after her. “Halle!”

In no time, Darlene found Halle by a small pond, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

One advantage of living in Tanzania was that when you needed to cry, you could run off into the wilderness. Out there, no one would see your tears.

Third Person's POV

This was Halle's go-to move, and it always worked—until today, when Darlene finally found her.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Halle turned toward the sound and saw Darlene walking toward her, holding a compass. Their eyes met, and Halle saw a flash of relief on Darlene’s face.

As Darlene got closer, Halle’s gaze shifted to the object in her hand. Her breath caught. That compass—it was identical to hers.

Instinctively, Halle touched the one hanging around her neck, but it was still there.

As realization dawned on her, a bitter laugh escaped her lips, her thoughts heavy with self-mockery. 'So it wasn’t one of a kind,' she figured.

Darlene reached her, ruffled her hair, and sat down beside her like she was comforting a child.

“Don’t cry anymore,” Darlene said softly. “Terence’s temper hasn’t changed in ten years.”

Her voice was calm, almost nostalgic. “But it’s that sharp, relentless nature of his that’s gotten him to where he is today.”

Halle blinked in surprise. 'Ten years?'

She hadn’t known they’d known each other for that long. She thought Darlene had only rejoined the team last year, brought in as a newly appointed officer. She hadn’t realized she was an old friend of Terence’s.

The silence between them lingered as Halle’s thoughts raced. Her eyes wandered to Darlene, who was staring at the compass in her hand, lost in thought.

“What’s that…?” Halle hesitated, unable to suppress her curiosity. The compass seemed to gleam mockingly under the moonlight, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

Darlene snapped out of her reverie and smiled, a look of fondness crossing her face. “This? This is my treasure. It’s been with me for ten years.”

'Ten years. Again,' Halle flatly thought.

The realization hit her like a punch. The compass she’d been cherishing wasn’t unique. It was just a replica of one Terence had made a decade ago.

All his talk about a “custom-made, one-of-a-kind” gift? It turned out they were just lies. She shouldn’t believe a single word from him anymore.

As Darlene casually toyed with her compass, Halle instinctively hid hers beneath her clothes, as if shielding a counterfeit from being exposed.

She then looked at Darlene and a mix of admiration and resignation filled her chest.

The night deepened and the moonlight fell softly on Darlene’s face, giving her a serene and graceful aura.

'What a perfect match they make,' Halle complimented bitterly in her heart.

One was like a hawk—bold, fierce, and unstoppable, while the other was like moonlight—calm, steady, and quietly strong.

The thought spilled from Halle’s lips before she could stop it. “Captain Benson, you and Terence… you’re like a match made in heaven.”

Darlene laughed upon hearing the latter, her eyes crinkling with warmth. “We’ve known each other for over a decade. I know him inside and out. We were comrades-in-arms. Of course, we seem compatible.”

She paused, then added with a smile, “If there’s anything you want to know about Terence, feel free to ask me.”

The words stung more than Halle expected. Her ears burned as a wave of heat swept through her.

'It's crystal clear that they love each other. Darlene’s so kind and understanding as well. What reason do I have to hold on anymore? Just one more week, Halle,' Halle thought to herself.

In seven days, she’d leave this place without looking back. It would be her way of giving them her blessing—and finding her own freedom.

Her life had been stuck in limbo because of Terence for three years. It was now time to get back on track.

“By the way,” Darlene interrupted her thoughts. “Do you want to hear about Terence when he first joined the team? Back then, he was even more intense than he is now. Poor Captain Howell could barely handle him.”

Halle hesitated, her mind screaming at her to disengage, to stop letting herself get dragged into anything involving Terence. The less she knew, the easier it would be to move on.

But her body betrayed her, refusing to move. Instead, her head nodded ever so slightly.

Darlene smiled knowingly and began recounting the past, her voice tinged with fondness.

“When Terence first joined, he was just a rookie, but he had this unshakable energy about him. He was ambitious, a bit cocky, and had a perfectionist streak a mile wide. If there was a chance to take first place, he wouldn’t settle for second. Honestly, his arrival saved the rest of us a lot of effort. Captain Howell even said he was a natural talent, someone with real potential.”

She paused, her expression turning more serious. “But then came his first real mission. He pushed himself too hard, got severely injured, and had to be carried back. That’s when Captain Howell realized Terence’s relentless drive could end up costing him his life.”