I curled my lips in a faint, bitter smile. The whole thing felt absurd. Simon did not even bother to hear me out before rushing off to work.
Before he even arrived, he had already taken out his phone to call Charmaine Marlowe. I had seen that bright, beaming smile on his face before. When he traveled thousands of miles just to see me, when he proposed to me, and when he found out I was pregnant, he had worn that exact same smile.
I burned the forged psychiatric report, then filled out a new astronaut application and submitted it to the unit.
This time, no one was going to stop me from boarding.
When I arrived the next day, I saw all my belongings shoved into a box and dumped in the cramped shared office area outside. They had been moved out of Simon's office.
Charmaine had already moved into his office.
She was draped in Simon's jacket, eating the breakfast he had personally made, enjoying everything that had once been mine.
So this was what he meant yesterday when he said he would always protect me.
My coworker, Richard Dale, couldn't stand it and insisted on confronting Simon. "Not only did he swap partners without permission, but now he won't even let you use the office. Who does he think he is?"
I stopped Richard and smiled lightly. "Don't go. I was the one who asked to end our partnership. That office really doesn't belong to me anymore."
That included Simon himself.
That afternoon, during capsule training, I was reassigned from the advanced group to the beginner group with Charmaine.
I didn't have to guess who was behind it. I headed straight to Simon's team.
Charmaine had just finished training and could barely stay on her feet. Simon scooped her up from the capsule, carrying her gently. He patted her back anxiously and handed her a water bottle.
"This is my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you into such a difficult challenge so soon."
Charmaine wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled gently. "It's okay. As long as I can go to space with you, I am willing to endure anything."
They chatted for a while before Simon finally noticed me.
His hand, which had been resting on her waist, jerked away as he hurried to explain, "Honey, Charmaine isn't feeling well. As the team leader, I am just concerned about her condition. Don't overthink it."
I didn't want to overthink it. When his hand left her, Charmaine looked at me with undisguised jealousy.
"I'm really sorry. Simon has always treated me like this. Please don't fight with him because of me. He is already exhausted," she said gently, though her tone carried a clear edge of provocation.
She had always been like this. Simon had just never seen through her hidden meanings.
I didn't respond. Instead, I looked straight at him.
"Why did you transfer me to another training group? You know the final astronaut selection is coming up. Are you trying to get me eliminated?"
Simon hesitated. "You've got the wrong idea. You've been under too much pressure lately. I just thought some basic training might help you unwind."
Charmaine interjected, "That's right. Simon is only thinking about you. I didn't join his team to replace you. He simply couldn't bear seeing me treated unfairly in my old group."
I smiled faintly, but my eyes welled with tears.
It usually took more than five years of basic training to qualify for the advanced group.
Simon had joined two years before me. He had seen me being bullied, mocked, and scolded harshly by instructors.
Back then, he never asked me to switch groups. He had only left me with one cold but fair remark.
"If you put everything into your training, who would dare say anything about you?"
With only a handful of criticisms from her instructor, Charmaine was immediately moved into his team, while all six years of my effort were completely disregarded.
I looked at him and asked, "Do you really think Charmaine belongs in this group? She's not ready for this. Simon, you're stripping me of everything I've worked for by transferring her here!"
