My husband, James Zeller, and I have established a common-law marriage. We did not have a formal wedding ceremony, nor do we have a marriage license.

We also live separately, our lives barely intertwining, because he has a special profession.

Therefore, despite being married to him for seven years, we've never met each other's friends and relatives.

As his wife, I'm proud of being married to him despite how it pains me. I'm willing to give up the opportunity to study at the National Academy of Sciences to take care of things at home while he works.

One day, my son, Jasper Chalder, comes home from elementary school crying. He sobs about not being a bastard child and requests to see James.

Greatly distressed, I decide to take him to visit the military base over the new year for a family reunion.

However, I don't expect this trip to turn my life completely upside down.

Ever since my husband, James Zeller, and I got married, we'd been following the common-law marriage system from his hometown.

In other words, we didn't hold a wedding ceremony, held no official marriage license, and refrained from interacting with each other's relatives. I also retained my family name.

Ever since he moved to the military base, I'd pretty much lost all contact with him.

All I had of him was the photo we took when we got married, the occasional letters he sent home, and some transaction receipts.

I felt heavily distressed at the sight of my son, Jasper Chalder, sobbing pitifully about not being a bastard child. He asked tearfully why other children had fathers to pick them up after school.

I recalled the contents of a letter James had sent to me a while back. He informed me that he'd given up the opportunity to head home over the new year to another soldier who needed it more, so he wasn't coming home to celebrate with us this year.

When I read the news, I was both proud yet resentful.

I was resentful of the fact that he always took care of others but neglected himself; I was proud that he had a righteous heart unfettered by love.

In the end, I made up my mind to take advantage of the new year holidays to surprise him.

I'd take Jasper to the military base to visit him, and our family would be able to celebrate the new year together.

It was also the perfect opportunity for me to discuss with him about letting me stay on at the military base with him in family housing.

I'd had enough of living mostly apart from him over the years.

Once I'd decided to visit the base, I purchased the earliest train tickets there.

Early the next morning, I set off with Jasper after packing some simple luggage.

After two days and one night of being rattled around in a train carriage, we finally arrived at the base.

When the young man standing guard saw me showing up at the base entrance with all sorts of luggage on my person, he looked over immediately and gave me a friendly smile.

However, I didn't expect his kind smile to drop in an instant the moment he heard my question.

"Did you say you were looking for James Zeller and that he's your husband?"

His question puzzled me, and I wondered if I'd arrived at the wrong military base.

I double-checked the address—the sweaters and cotton-padded jackets I'd sewn before had indeed been delivered here.

I couldn't resist asking, "Is there no such person on base?"

James was working for the army, so it was possible that information about him was kept under wraps for the sake of confidentiality.

The young man looked awkward in the face of my expectant gaze. "There's indeed a captain by the name of James Zeller on base…"

My eyes lit up immediately, and Jasper happily exclaimed, "Daddy!"

Yet, the young man's next words completely crushed the joyful expectations of a family reunion that filled my heart.

"But… he already has family members living with him on base. His wedding was even held here. Is it possible you have the wrong person, ma'am?"

I felt as if my world was spinning. So, James already had accompanying family members on base, and he'd even held a wedding here?

What was that possible?

Just as I was feeling at a loss, the young guard's words ignited my hope once more.

"Why don't you ask around? There are many people who share the same name, so the person you're talking about might not be the same one I know. It just so happens that Ms. Samson is here. She knows everything there is to know around our base, so you can ask her!"

As soon as he said that, he warmly called out to the woman he mentioned.

He was right. There were many people named James these days.

So, I put on my friendliest smile and asked the smiling woman, who introduced herself as Regina Samson, about him.

The woman had been smiling and praising Jasper for being such an obedient child. However, her smile slowly faded away when she heard my question.

It was instead replaced by a disgusted expression.

"Did you say your husband's name is James Zeller, and he's from Taxtus? And did you say he's also a captain and has been married to you for seven years? Furthermore, you say this is his son?" asked Regina, her voice growing louder and louder.

Jasper covered his ears in fright.

Her face was terribly sullen, and even the young man from just now had gone silent.

As I was still wondering why she'd suddenly become so agitated, she slapped my face harshly.

Regina was as strong as a bull, and she'd slapped me with all her strength.

I was slapped so hard that I became dizzy.

When Jasper saw me being bullied, he threw himself in front of me with his arms spread wide, crying.

However, Regina shoved him aside rudely. "Do you think I won't dare hit you because you're young, brat? Get lost, or I'll beat you up too!"

When I saw Jasper fall to the ground, the rough surface scraping his delicate face bloody, I almost cried from distress.

Just as I was about to go over and hug him, Regina grabbed me by the clothes and tossed me to the ground.

The ground was covered in rough, sharp stones that tore my clothes and sliced into my skin.

Blood flowed down my arm the moment I lifted my hand.

Jasper was so frightened by the sight of me bleeding that he burst into tears.

When Regina saw my blood, she became even bolder, as if she were a bull who'd seen red. She started beating me up while hurling insults at me.

I'd traveled a long way to get here with Jasper, eating only a few biscuits along the way to sate our hunger as we rushed here.

Therefore, my strength was no match for Regina's at all.

All I could do was shout for help. The young man standing guard was sweating profusely, but he didn't dare to abandon his post without permission.

My screams attracted a crowd of people—family members of military personnel staying on base.

They rushed over to restrain the violent Regina, and it was only then that I had the chance to crawl to Jasper's side.

He threw himself into my arms and cried until he was out of breath. The sight of his swollen ankles made my heart ache.

He'd been pampered since he was born and had never been so badly hurt before.

I was furious. I simply couldn't understand why I had to endure a beating just for asking about someone.

"I have no quarrel with you, so what right do you have to beat me and my son up like this?"

I didn't know my words would end up angering Regina, who'd just been pacified by the other accompanying family members, even further.

She spat, "It's precisely because of who you are that I beat you up! You should be thanking me for not sending a homewrecker like you off to the firing squad! And you even dared to bring a bastard child to our doorstep! Yes, it's you that I want to beat up, you slut!"

The expressions of the other family members, who'd been looking at me sympathetically, morphed into disdain.

I'd been beaten up for no reason, and my son had been called a bastard child.

"If you dare bully my son, you won't hear the end of it from me! I'll have you know my husband is a captain here!" I yelled at Regina.

Unexpectedly, Regina wasn't the least bit afraid of my threat. On the contrary, she broke free of the people restraining her and kicked me hard.

"Your husband? Well, guess what? I'm his mother-in-law!"

As soon as Regina's words left her mouth, I was stunned.

She became even more arrogant at that. "Come and see, everyone! She claims her husband is James Zeller! Everyone on base knows that James married my daughter long ago! They even reported their marriage to the higher-ups!

"Moreover, which soldier wouldn't have their family members live with them on base after marriage? Her child is so grown-up already, yet has anyone on base ever seen the two of them?"

Everyone around us nodded in agreement. They also made critical remarks about my new custom-made clothes and high heels.

"That's right. Back when Captain Zeller got married, he immediately reported it to the higher-ups and specially held a wedding ceremony on base."

"That's right. Captain Zeller treats his wife so well. I can see him picking her up after work every day."

"You can tell just by the way she dresses that she definitely isn't the proper sort."

I finally understood the gist of the situation through their comments—James had married another woman on base.

But clearly, I was James' wife!

I frantically took out the only photo I had of me and James together and brandished it in front of Regina. "I'm James' actual wife! We took a photo together!"

Regina stiffened for an instant, but then she burst out laughing the moment she saw the photo. "So, you're trying to pass off as a captain's wife with a photo that doesn't even show your faces? I'd say you're just trying to find an easy target to rip off!"

I turned the photo over in confusion and was promptly thunderstruck.

James' face in the only photo I had of us together had long since become blurred because of how much I'd touched it over the past seven years.

Before I could defend myself, Regina grabbed me by the hair and smashed my head into the ground. "I'm going to beat you to death, you damn homewrecker! How dare you bring a bastard child to our doorstep? See if I don't beat the stuffing out of you!"

My head rang from the blow, and I could only thank my lucky stars that I could still remain clear-headed.

Other women who'd been watching the drama unfold gathered around as well.

They mercilessly opened up my suitcase and passed around the skimpy underwear I'd specially purchased from Carnatia with looks of contempt.

Regina became even more smug when she saw the undergarments in my suitcase. "See? I told you all that she was a wench! Which respectable woman would wear things like this? Only women of the night in the red-light district would buy these!"

She then tossed the undergarments in my embarrassed face.

James and I were apart more often than not, so I'd deliberately bought undergarments like these with the intention of spending a nice married life with him after seven years.

I didn't expect to end up being insulted indiscriminately and labeled as a wench.

"I'd certainly like to see if you're wearing the underwear like this now!" Regina declared, after which she immediately began tearing at my clothes.

I thrashed around desperately, pulling ceaselessly at her hair.

Regina cried out in pain and promptly called for the onlookers to help her. "If you really stand by and allow this wench to get into the base, don't blame me for not warning you when she eventually seduces your husbands!"

The other women exchanged glances before scrambling over to restrain my hands and feet.

Regina stood up and was just about to kick me in the stomach when Jasper rushed over to protect me.

My eyes widened as I watched Jasper get kicked so hard he coughed up blood. This shocked the people around us, who instantly loosened their grips on me.

Regina didn't back off when she saw Jasper vomiting blood. Instead, she even spat, "That little bastard deserves it!"

She then started slapping me repeatedly.

She'd long ripped up my outer layer of clothing, the torn stitching coming apart to reveal a lot of skin.

However, I'd already stopped caring about the exposure. Tears streamed endlessly down my face as I struggled to crawl to Jasper's side.

Before I could reach him, Regina forced me to my knees and pushed my forehead to the ground. "For trying to ruin my daughter's family, I want you to apologize to her on your knees!"

My eyes were blinded by blood, so I could only see Jasper lying lifelessly on the ground.

Just as I was filled with despair, I heard a voice filled with vigor yell, "Stop!"