Chapter 10
Bradley and I got married.
The wedding was simple-just family from both sides, no chaos or spectacle like the engagement party had been. There was only peace and warmth.
During our vows, Bradley looked into my eyes and said, “Madeline, from today on, you are my first choice-the only, unquestionable first choice.”
I smiled, and tears rolled down my cheeks.
After we married, we had a child of our own-a sweet little girl named Lily Connell.
Bradley turned out to be a wonderful husband and an amazing father. He changed Lily’s diaper and got up in the mid- dle of the night to feed her. He said he didn’t want to miss a single moment of Lily growing up.
My life felt so blissful it hardly seemed real.
I heard about Douglas through Jonathan.
He told me Douglas had returned to his hometown after leaving the service. He never found another job, just lived off his veteran’s pension. My parents tried to set him up with someone, but he refused every time.
He stayed single.
His leg still ached whenever the weather turned bad.
He never smiled again.
Jonathan sighed. “His life… It’s basically ruined.”
I couldn’t find the words to respond.
Gilbert and Sarah were both sentenced.
Treason, espionage-found guilty on multiple counts. The law would deal with them as harshly as possible.
But Douglas, he hadn’t broken any laws.
Yet it was as if he’d been handed a life sentence-locked away forever in that absurd and tragic past.
One day, Bradley and I took Lily to the park. From a distance, I thought I saw a familiar figure.
A man sat alone on a bench, feeding pigeons. His hair was white, his back hunched.
Bradley followed my gaze.
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“Is that him?”
I nodded.
Lily dropped her ice cream and burst into tears. I snapped out of it and quickly knelt to comfort her.
Bradley scooped Lily up from my arms, hugging her close.
“I’ll get you another one, sweetheart. Don’t cry, okay?”
Lily’s sobs turned to giggles.
The three of us-laughing, teasing, slowly walked away.
I didn’t look back.
But I knew that man on the bench was still watching us.
His gaze would follow us for a long, long time—until we finally disappeared from sight.
Just like I once watched his back as he walked away without hesitation.
We all stood at life’s crossroads.
He chose his principles; I chose myself.
Now, everything has settled.
We’ve gone our separate ways.
In the end, it all came down to choices-and living with them.
Nothing more.
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