Third Person's POV
Halle pulled her gaze away from Terence and gave a faint laugh. “He agreed. In fact, he can’t wait for me to leave. Just sign off on the transfer, Captain Howell.”
Cedric let out a sigh and shook his head. “Halle, Terence’s temper is just like that. He doesn’t mean it personally. But if you leave, will you ever come back? And… what about him? Are you really going to leave him behind?”
Halle stayed silent.
Three years had already passed. Her mind wandered back to the day she first met Terence. It was a bitterly cold May in the eastern region, with the raindrops directly hitting the plains. On her very first day of the job providing medical support in Tanzania—a short-barreled gun was pressed to her head. Beside her was another man holding a gun as well.
At first, she thought they were working together—both poachers. But then the man fired his weapon, and blood sprayed into the air. Before she could even get a hold of everything happening around her, she was pulled into his arms for protection.
“Don’t be scared. I’m the leader of Wildlife Conservation Team A,” he said.
Through the fierce rain and wind, with a bullet lodged in his shoulder, Terence carried her—sprained ankle and all—back to the camp.
That was the first time Halle performed a rescue operation. When she reached for the wound on his shoulder, he suddenly stopped her.
“Don’t worry. I’m Halle Dolton, a doctor from Washington sent to aid Tanzania,” she reassured him.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want him anymore; it was that he had never wanted her in the first place.
For three years, she had openly loved him, but he acted like he didn’t notice. Her every effort, every step closer, had been met with rejection. Whenever she moved forward, he always retreated.
Reluctantly, Captain Howell signed off on her transfer request.
Just two weeks—she had only two weeks left before she would leave this place. A place that had caused her so much pain. A place where she would finally leave Terence behind.
“Halle!”
She had just stepped out of Captain Howell’s office when a familiar, cheerful voice called her name. Turning around, she saw Darlene approaching. With a warm smile, Darlene draped an arm over Halle’s shoulder.
“Don’t take what happened this morning to heart,” Darlene said lightly. “Terence has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He wasn’t really mad at you. He just…” Darlene trailed off.
'Just what?' Halle thought. 'Just care too much about your injury?' she bitterly continued inwardly.
Realizing she might have said too much, Darlene gave Halle’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t dwell on it. Let’s go enjoy the scenery and clear our heads. Everything will work out.”
The eastern landscape was breathtaking, but the weather changed quickly. By afternoon, the clear skies had given way to falling snow.
The cold wind swept through, and Darlene, still recovering from her gunshot wound, began to look pale and unsteady. Seeing that, Halle quickly reached out to help her walk back to the camp.
However, just as she turned, she saw Terence striding toward them, his face dark with anger. Before she could ask about his injuries, he pushed her aside, making her stumble a few steps.
He grabbed Darlene by the arm, steadying her, and then cast a cold glance at Halle. His tone was distant, as usual, as he snapped, “You call yourself a doctor? Don’t you know someone recovering from a gunshot wound shouldn’t be exposed to cold?”
Darlene frowned at his accusation and was about to speak, but Terence cut her off and guided her back toward the camp.
Meanwhile, Halle stood frozen, her chest tightening painfully as she struggled to catch her breath. The biting cold wind stung her face, and her nose turned red from the cold. Blinking away the tears in her eyes, she sniffled hard and turned to follow them back.
By the time they returned, the sun had already dipped behind the mountains, painting the ground a golden hue.
Inside the cabin, someone paced near the table, their shadow blurred in the dim light. Even without seeing his face, Halle knew it was Terence.
With her coat somehow wet with the mist of the cold air outside, she stepped in and met Terence’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Ridiculous. Wandering around in the snow all afternoon,” he muttered, his tone exasperated before he turned and headed upstairs.
Left alone, Halle noticed the steaming cup of coffee on the wooden table. She sat down and drank it slowly until warmth returned to her body.
Doing so, memories from the past surfaced unbidden, filling her heart with a dull ache.
