Letting Him Go Took Only a Moment

1
A year after the cold war with my uncle, Commander Shepherd, I posted on my social media:
8 pounds, 6 ounces. Mom and baby are doing great. From now on, you two are my whole world.
The post blew up in our friends' group chat. Everyone was tagging him.
Commander Shepherd, when did you and your niece get married? You kept that under wraps!
As the chat lit up, I added my husband to the group.
"Easy, everyone. This is my husband."
The once-frenzied chat went silent, followed by a stream of notifications: "This message was deleted."
I had chased my uncle for seven years. It only took a single moment to finally let him go.
Seven years ago, my confession of love was a disaster. I drove him to take a post on a remote border.
Seven years later, he returned with a flourish, all for another woman. The news echoed through the entire military base.
That night, I didn't sleep a wink. I called him ninety-nine times. He declined every single one.
After seven years of devotion, he chose someone else. And I was finally tired.
So I applied to join a medical aid mission abroad, booking a flight for the following month. For the next week, I didn't contact him once.
I didn't see him again until the annual Distinguished Service Award ceremony at the base. I saw him with herSeraphina Vance.
My department head pulled me aside, his face a grim mask. The award, which was supposed to be mine, had been personally redirected by Commander Shepherd. It was now Seraphina's.
The fallout was immediate. The "Field Trauma Initiative," a project I had poured three years of my life into, would be shelved because I'd lost the award. If the project died, my career would be in ruins, my only option a transfer to some forgotten outpost.
On stage, the presenter's voice boomed, "Congratulations to the winner of this year's Distinguished Service Award, Dr. Seraphina Vance! And now, let's welcome Commander Shepherd to present the award!"
I felt nothing. No one knew better than me how shamelessly Ethan Shepherd could favor someone.
Seraphina smiled, gliding onto the stage to deliver a well-rehearsed speech. At the end, she took Ethan's arm and turned her gaze to me.
"But the person I'm most grateful for is Ava Ross. Your research paper was incredibly insightful. I wonder, could I have your blessing today?"
A wave of snickering and amused glances fell on me.
For seven years, I'd never hidden my feelings. Everyone on the base knew I was desperately in love with him. Now, his official girlfriend was calling me out in public. They were all expecting a meltdown.
But I simply rose from my seat with grace, meeting that deep, intense gaze from the stage. My voice was calm and steady. "Congratulations to you both."
After the ceremony, the news of my loss spread like wildfire, trailed by whispers of mockery. My standing at the Military Medical Center plummeted overnight. I was demoted from lead surgeon to second assistant. My single, focused surgery per day turned into a grueling marathon of back-to-back procedures, leaving me barely any time to breathe.
I didn't complain. I just silently performed my duties, a blur of practiced movementsclamping bleeders, suturing wounds.
Two weeks passed in a sleep-deprived haze. I was averaging less than three hours a night. The exhaustion was a welcome tide, washing away any spare thought of Ethan Shepherd.
Until one day, rushing from one operation to the next, I was stopped in my tracks.
A military-grade SUV screeched to a halt barely a foot from me at the hospital entrance. The license plate was exclusive to the District Command. It was his.
The tinted window rolled down, revealing his handsome, stern face. "Get in."
I didn't move. I just pulled off my soiled gloves, a faint frown creasing my brow. "Sorry, I have another surgery."
He looked genuinely surprised by the rejection, his expression hardening instantly. "I thought you only had one surgery a day. What kind of scene are you making now?"
I stared at the cold, severe man before me, a profound clarity washing over me. The uncle who had once cherished me, who held me in the palm of his hand, was gone. All these years, my obsession and my desperate chasing had only earned me his contempt.
But this time, I wasn't making a scene.
If he hadn't stolen my award for Seraphina, my project wouldn't be on hold, and I wouldn't have been demoted. But I knew he wouldn't believe me. I had a history, after all. Id once pretended to faint from exhaustion after an all-nighter, just to get a moment of his attention. Hed ignored me completely, but the hospital, citing my "frail health," had blocked my promotion to attending surgeon, leaving my career stalled for years.
Now, though, I could meet his gaze without flinching. "As a dedicated doctor," I said, my voice even, "saving lives is my duty."
A humorless smirk touched his lips, the coldness never leaving his eyes. He was angry, I could tell. But this time, I had no intention of soothing him.
"Please leave, Commander. You're blocking the patient entrance."
He shot me a look so frigid it could cut glass. Without another word, the window slid up, and the SUV pulled away.
The next day, I scrubbed in for what was once my signature procedurea cardiac bypass. But when I reached the operating room, I found Seraphina there. Ethan, I learned, had pulled strings with the hospital board to make her lead surgeon.
"So sorry, Ava," Seraphina said, her smile a deliberate provocation. She was waiting for me to lose my temper. "There was a last-minute change. You'll be assisting me today."
I simply shrugged. "That's my job."
During the procedure, Seraphina made a critical error. A major artery was nicked, and blood began to flood the surgical field. The patient was hemorrhaging. If we didn't get it under control, he would die on the table.
In that moment of crisis, I took over. I pushed her aside and reclaimed my place as lead surgeon.
After the marathon surgery, I stumbled home, collapsing into bed, dead to the world.
I was jolted awake the next morning by a frantic call from my department head. "The patient from yesterday has severe complications! His family is raising hell, and it's all over the internet. They're saying you went rogue. What the hell happened, Ava?"
I opened my phone. A news alert was glaring at me:
[Military Hospital Assistant Hijacks Surgery, Kills Patient in Reckless Bid for Promotion!]
Below the headline was a damning photo: me, at the head of the operating table, which was soaked in blood.
"This is a doctor? Trampling on a patient's life just to get ahead!"
"I can't believe they let people like her near a scalpel. She should be in jail!"
The comments were a torrent of venom and hate. I stared at the screen, fighting to keep the tremor out of my voice. "Seraphina messed up. I had to take over. The surgical recording will show everything."
"I'm sorry I couldn't save him," I choked out, "but it wasn't because of my technique."
My boss sounded defeated. "I tried to pull the recording the moment this broke, Ava. It's been corrupted. The file is gone."
"Find out who else was in the OR," he continued. "We'll get their statements, try to piece together the truth."
I hung up and was about to head out when another notification popped up. Seraphina had just released a public statement:
"While I was the lead surgeon in name, Dr. Ava Ross performed the entirety of the actual procedure. The responsibility for this tragic outcome is not mine."
In the next second, my phone exploded with a tidal wave of new hate mail and death threats. Her statement had sealed my fate. Even if my colleagues backed me up, the public wouldn't care. Without the surgical recording or a confession from Seraphina herself, I was guilty.
I didn't go back to the hospital. I called Ethan. I called him again and again, but he never picked up.
Finally, I drove to the exclusive housing on base, only to be blocked by the guards at his door.
By the time I managed to climb up to his bedroom window, night had fallen. I was about to force it open when I heard sounds from inside. Muffled, wet sounds mingled with ragged breaths. Again and again, the frantic, desperate rhythm of it went on and on.
I froze, clinging to the window ledge. I stood there all night, listening to the man I had loved for so long find his passion with someone else.
As the first light of dawn broke, I finally moved my numb, frozen limbs and waited by his front door.
When Ethan finally emerged, the first thing I saw was the wet, red mark on his neck. My eyes were bloodshot from a sleepless night. I stumbled to my feet. "I need to see Seraphina."
His voice was cold, dismissive. "Seraphina is just getting established at the hospital. She can't take the blame for this."
He looked at me, his face a mask of impatience. "You take the fall for now. I'll make it up to you later."
The color drained from my face. I stared at him, barely recognizing the man in front of me. Was this the same principled uncle I had known? He had defended our country's borders, but he had lost his own moral compass.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "So, what you're saying is, Seraphina can take a life, face no consequences, and an innocent person has to pay for her crime?"
Ethan was silent for a moment, rubbing his temples in irritation. "You were the second assistant. The most renowned cardiac expert in the entire hospital. You failed to assist her properly. How are you innocent?"
"Look," he said, trying a different tactic. "You've always wanted to travel abroad with me, right? Once things settle down, I'll take you."
My mother always told me that traveling with someone you love was the best way to grow closer. I had begged Ethan to take me on a trip countless times. He always agreed, then postponed it for work. Now, after everything, after all the arguments and broken trust, the offer felt like a cruel joke.
I reached up and unclasped the bullet shell necklace from around my neck. He had put it there himself the year my parents died and he took me in. He told me this casing had once grazed his heart, that it was special. He promised that as long as he was alive, he would protect me with his life. And if he was gone, the shell would watch over me in his place.
I placed it gently in his hand.
I looked him straight in the eye, a sense of release washing over me. "Here, you should have this back. Thank you, Uncle, for taking care of me all these years. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
"You've long since repaid any debt to my parents. From now on, let's keep our distance, Mr. Shepherd."
My story with Ethan Shepherd was over. His willingness to protect another had trampled on my dignity and my deepest beliefs. I wasn't so pathetic that I could just smile and accept it.
I paid an enormous settlement to the patient's family and submitted my resignation to the hospital.
At the airport, my old department head saw me off, his expression pained. "Ava, you're the most talented surgeon I've ever seen. It's a tragedy about that incident..."
I shook my head gently. "It's in the past."
He sighed. "If only that recording hadn't been destroyed... But with your skill, you'll shine no matter where you go."
"I will," I promised with a smile.
I took one last look at the city I had called home for over two decades and turned toward the boarding gate.
Ten years of knowing him, seven years of loving him. I could finally let him go.
Ethan Shepherd. Goodbye, forever.
Just as the plane began to accelerate down the runway, my phone, which I thought was off, began to vibrate and ring with frantic, unstoppable intensity.
2
Meanwhile, Ethan Shepherd pushed open the door to my apartment.
"Ava, about what's online..."
His words died in his throat. The apartment was hollow, empty. He strode through the rooms, his heart beginning to pound. The closet doors were open, most of your clothes gone. The photo of them on the desk had vanished.
"Ava?" His voice trembled slightly.
"Commander? What is it?" His aide, hearing the commotion, hurried in.
"Where is she?" Ethan demanded, his voice sharp.
The aide looked lost. "Miss Ross... maybe she just stepped out for some air?"
Ethan bolted from the apartment, searching the surrounding streets, his calls echoing in the empty air. There was no sign of her.
He finally collapsed onto the sofa in the study, his face pale.
"Sir," the aide said hesitantly. "Someone mentioned they saw Miss Ross leaving with a suitcase yesterday..."
"Leaving? Where did she go?" Ethan shot to his feet.
The aide shook his head. "I don't know, sir. She got into a car..."
Ethan lunged for the phone on the desk and dialed Ava's number.
"We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been switched off..."
He slammed the phone down in frustration, his gaze falling on an envelope left on the desk. With trembling hands, Ethan tore it open. A single sheet of paper fell out. He unfolded it, her familiar handwriting swimming before his eyes:
Uncle Ethan,
By the time you read this, I'll be overseas. Thank you for raising me all these years.
I wish you and Miss Vance a lifetime of happiness.
Ava.
He crushed the letter in his fist, a sharp pain lancing through his chest. He looked around the room, every corner a ghost of a memory he'd shared with her. How could someone who had been a part of his life for over a decade just vanish?
He strode to the safe hidden behind a bookshelf and punched in the code. Inside lay a single photograph of him and Ava. In it, a much younger Ava was beaming, and he was looking down at her with an expression of pure, unguarded tenderness. That was the day she first called him "Uncle."
Ethan's hand shook as he held the photo, his eyes stinging. The memories came flooding back.
Ten-year-old Ava, a newly orphaned little girl, arriving at his family home. A tiny sprite hiding behind his legs, shyly calling his father "General."
Fifteen-year-old Ava, playing guitar in the garden on the base, sunlight catching in her hair, a vision so beautiful it stole his breath.
Her eighteenth birthday, when she'd confessed her feelings, her face flushed, and he'd panicked and pushed her away...
Ethan shook his head, trying to force himself back to the present.
"Sir," the aide said softly from the doorway. "Major Hayes called just now. He said..."
"Said what?" Ethan spun around.
The aide flinched. "He said that he and Miss Ross have landed safely in London..."
Before the aide could finish, Ethan was already out the door.
"Get me on the next flight to London!" he roared at his adjutant over the phone.
"But Commander, you have the strategic briefing tomorrow morning..."
"Cancel it!" Ethan snapped. "Cancel everything!"
Hanging up, he gripped the photograph, his eyes a storm of pain and resolve.
"Ava," he whispered. "I'm not letting you go that easily."
At London's Heathrow Airport, Ethan emerged from customs, haggard and exhausted. He hadn't slept a second during the fourteen-hour flight. He pulled out his phone and dialed Leo Hayes's number.
"Leo. Where is she?"
"Well, well, Commander Shepherd?" Leo's voice was lazy and dripping with sarcasm. "Finally remembered you have a 'niece'?"
Ethan's fist clenched. "Tell me where Ava is."
"Tsk, tsk. I don't take orders from you, Commander."
"Leo!" Ethan roared.
"Hey, calm down," Leo chuckled. "I'm her boyfriend now. Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."
"I'm her legal guardian. I have a right to know her whereabouts."
"Guardian?" Leo scoffed. "You did a bang-up job of that, didn't you? Chased her halfway across the world."
"I didn't chase her anywhere!"
"Oh really?" Leo drew out the word. "Then what about the online mob, the doxing? Where was her 'guardian' then?"
Ethan fell silent.
"What, cat got your tongue? Or do you need me to remind you what Ava's life has been like for the past few months?"
"Leo," Ethan ground out between his teeth. "Don't make me ask again. I want to see Ava."
"Commander, are you forgetting something? Oh, that's right. You're engaged."
"My engagement to Seraphina has nothing to do with Ava."
"Trying to have it both ways, Commander? Impressive."
"What did you say?!"
"Don't get mad," Leo said breezily. "I'm just stating the facts."
"Leo, tell me where she is. Now."
"Sorry, Commander. That's a secret between me and Ava. Can't help you."
"I'll make you regret hiding her from me!" Ethan bellowed.
"Yeah, right," Leo mocked. "Why don't you go back and plan your wedding, Commander? Stop bothering me and Ava. We're living together now. And we're very happy."
"LEO!"
The line went dead.

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