All My Waiting Ends in Emptiness

On the day I went to the military hospital for a late-term termination, the surgeon asked me why I didnt want the child.

Im getting a divorce, I replied, my voice steady. I have no intention of raising a baby alone.

The surgeon pulled down her surgical mask. It was Greta Blackwood, the younger sister of my Major General husband.

She stared at me for what felt like an eternity before she managed to squeeze out a sentence. "Sera... does my brother know?"

"No," I said, my tone even flatter than I had anticipated. "And he doesn't need to."

Greta set the medical chart on the stainless-steel desk, flipping to the ultrasound report. "You're nearly seven months along. An induced late-term termination is not a minor procedure. Are you absolutely certain about this?"

"I am."

"Sera..."

"Dr. Blackwood," I interrupted gently. "Right now, you are my attending physician, not my sister-in-law. Ive signed every necessary waiver. My thumbprint is on the consent form."

Greta fell silent.

She pulled her mask back up, scribbled a few lines on the chart, and handed me a pre-operative checklist.

"Day after tomorrow, eight in the morning. Fasting. Bring someone to assist with your discharge."

I took the slip of paper, stood up, and walked toward the exit. Just as my hand touched the door handle, Greta called out to me.

"Sera, youve been with my brother for three years. He has genuine feelings for you."

I did not look back.

Three years. One thousand and ninety-five days in the Blackwood family. The sentence he had spoken to me more than any other was: "Mission tonight. Won't be back."

I had no idea what kind of feelings those were supposed to be.

The moment I stepped out of the military hospital's main gates, my phone began to vibrate.

It was Gideon.

"There is an award ceremony tonight. You will attend with me. Wear something formal."

He didn't ask where I was. He didn't ask how my day was going.

Over the past three years, his calls always served only two purposes: a notification or a command.

"Alright," I said, uttering my very last 'yes' to him.

By the time I returned to our quarters at the military estate, the orderly had already hung my dress outside the bedroom door.

It was a navy blue two-piece suit, selected by Gideons chief of staff. His staff knew my clothing sizes far better than Gideon ever did.

I changed into the suit and stood before the full-length mirror.

My pregnancy was not yet highly visible; the clever tailoring of the suit perfectly concealed the slight curve of my abdomen.

In forty-eight hours, this secret would cease to exist.

Gideons military SUV arrived at the curb precisely on time.

I climbed into the passenger seat. He was focused on a battle tactics briefing, offering me a brief nod by way of greeting.

Throughout the forty-minute drive, he remained on the phone, discussing upcoming division exercises, new equipment deployments, and next month's joint maneuvers.

Not a single word had anything to do with me.

The ceremony was held at the West Wing Auditorium.

The Blackwoods were a legendary military dynasty. Gideons grandfather had fought in two foreign campaigns, and his father was a retired lieutenant general. At thirty-two, Gideon had been promoted to Major General, making him the youngest commanding officer in the entire service.

We took our seats in the front row. Before we could even settle in, a woman approached.

Victoria Prescott. She was the widow of Gideons late brother-in-arms, the star performer of the divisions theater troupe, and had recently transferred back to the capital.

She wore a simple, elegant ivory dress, her hair pinned back flawlessly. She carried herself with a rigid grace, looking like a classic portrait.

"Gideon, its been a long time." Her gaze bypassed me entirely, locking onto my husband.

Gideon stood up immediately. In three years, it was the first time I had ever seen him stand to greet a woman.

"Victoria. You've transferred back?"

"The orders were approved last month. I wanted to reach out sooner, but I was terrified of disrupting your schedule."

She finally cast a brief glance in my direction. "And this must be your wife. Gideon speaks of you often."

Often?

I offered a small, polite smile.

The only person Gideon ever mentioned at home was Victoria, and it certainly wasn't to me.

"Hello, Mrs. Prescott," I said.

"Please, call me Victoria. We don't need to be so formal."

She took the seat directly beside me, naturally striking up a conversation with Gideon about base operations. Her tone was intimate, as if they were the only two people in the crowded auditorium.

Throughout the entire evening, Gideon remained turned completely in her direction.

She poured his tea, handed him his medal case, and gracefully intercepted a toast from a visiting officer on his behalf.

These were things Gideon had never allowed me to do for him in three years.

For the duration of the ceremony, I sat beside him like a piece of transparent glassware.

At nine-thirty, I excused myself to use the restroom.

As I rounded the corner of the quiet corridor, I overheard two officers' wives whispering near the water cooler.

"The Major General's wife is incredibly pathetic. Her husband is flirting with another woman right in front of her."

"Pathetic? She married a Major General and lives in the officers' quarters. That's more than enough glory for someone like her."

"Still, now that Victoria is back, the lady of the Blackwood house will be replaced sooner or later."

"Well, that's her own fault for being useless. She is a complete nobody."

A complete nobody.

I liked those words.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, a sudden wave of relief washed over me. It was finally time to end this.

The following morning, as Gideon was lacing his military boots, I was in the kitchen warming some milk.

He glanced at me during a brief pause. "Why did you leave early last night? Unwell?"

"Yes."

"Go to the medical bay if you're sick."

He left immediately after.

That was the closest thing to tenderness he had spoken to me in three years.

Yet, I knew with absolute certainty that this warmth did not stem from any genuine care for me. It was only because Victoria had murmured to him the night before, "Gideon, you need to treat your wife better."

She was playing her part.

But it didn't matter. I no longer needed to participate in their drama.

At ten in the morning, I arrived at Audreys law firm.

Audrey was my only close friend from our university days. She had gone to law school and now specialized in high-profile military divorces, making her one of the most sought-after attorneys in the city.

The moment I walked into her office, she set down her mug. "You've finally come to your senses?"

"Help me draft a divorce agreement."

"How are we splitting the assets?"

"I don't want a single penny."

Audrey frowned. "You aren't taking anything from the Blackwood estate?"

"Nothing," I said, taking a seat. "The house, the vehicles, the savings, the military pension shares. I waive all of it. I only want the signed certificate."

"Are you insane? You spent three years in that household. You deserve compensation."

"Audrey," I said, looking her in the eye. "I want this to be clean and quick. If I demand nothing, he won't have a single excuse to delay the signing."

Audrey stared at me for a long moment. "What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm just done."

She didn't press further, turning to her computer to begin drafting the documents.

As her fingers flew across the keyboard, she spoke without looking up. "Aegis Precision, your design firm, recently secured several major contracts with the defense department. There's a significant amount of capital in the corporate accounts. Do we need to initiate an asset isolation protocol?"

"I've already handled it."

Audrey let out a soft laugh. "I see you've been planning this for a while."

"Not just a while. For three years. From the very first day I moved into that estate, I knew I didn't belong. But I stayed because I foolishly hoped he would eventually see me. Now, I finally accept that he never will."

By three in the afternoon, I returned to the military estate.

My mother-in-law, Genevieve, was sitting on the sofa, sharing a lively conversation with Victoria.

The moment I stepped through the door, Genevieves smile vanished. "You're back?"

"Yes."

"Victoria is visiting. Ive asked her to stay for dinner. Go tell the kitchen staff to prepare two extra dishes."

She was instructing me to order the staff to cater to another woman.

Three years ago, such a request would have broken my heart. Now, it felt like nothing.

"Alright," I said, turning to head toward the kitchen.

Victoria spoke up, her voice sweet and polite. "Sera, please don't trouble yourself. A simple salad is fine, there's no need to go to any trouble."

As she spoke, she offered me a flawless, gentle smile.

It wasn't an expression of defiance or mockery. It was the calm, settled assurance of a woman who already considered herself the true mistress of this house.

I offered her a brief glance, said nothing, and walked upstairs.

Once inside the bedroom, I opened the closet and pulled out my suitcases. I began folding my clothes, one by one.

I didn't have many personal belongings. I had arrived at the Blackwood estate with only two bags, and I would leave with no more than that.

The designer clothes, fine jewelry, and luxury bags Gideon had purchased for me remained untouched, hanging neatly on the right side of the dressing room.

Halfway through packing, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Genevieve stood in the doorway, her gaze landing on the open suitcases. Her face darkened instantly. "What is the meaning of this? Why are you packing?"

I placed my final jacket into the bag and zipped it shut. "I am divorcing Gideon."

"What did you say?" Genevieves hand gripped the doorframe tightly. "Divorce? Say that again!"

"I am divorcing Gideon."

I lifted the suitcase and walked toward the door.

Genevieve blocked my path. "Seraphina, you lived under our roof and off our name for three years, and now you think you can just walk away whenever you please?"

"I already told you, I am not taking a single thing belonging to the Blackwoods."

"You think this is a place where you can come and go as you wish?"

I stopped, looking at her calmly. "Are you suggesting I should be forced to stay?"

Genevieve choked on her words.

From the hallway below, Victoria's voice drifted up. "Mom? Is everything alright?"

She was already calling my mother-in-law 'Mom,' and Genevieve had not corrected her.

I carried my bags down the stairs.

Victoria was standing in the center of the living room, holding a porcelain cup of tea.

Seeing me with my suitcases, she blinked in surprise. "Sera, what is..."

"Mrs. Prescott," I said, pausing before her. "This position is officially yours."

Without waiting for her reply, I opened the heavy front door and stepped out.

Behind me, Genevieve's furious voice echoed through the foyer. "Seraphina, stop right there! If you walk out that door, don't you dare think about ever coming back!"

I glanced back one last time. "I won't be coming back."

As the door clicked shut behind me, the sound of my suitcase wheels rolling over the concrete walkway was loud and clear, sounding like a final period at the end of a long sentence.

At eight that evening, Gideon returned to the estate. He was met with a half-empty closet and a single note resting on the coffee table:

The divorce agreement has been delivered to my attorney, Audrey. Please sign it as soon as possible.

My phone rang within ten seconds.

"Seraphina, where are you?"

"Away."

"Come back."

"Gideon, I told you. I want a divorce."

The line fell silent for three seconds. "What is this dramatic display about? Is this because of what happened last night?"

"This isn't drama. The agreement makes it clear; I am waiving all assets. You only need to sign."

Another long silence.

"I won't sign."

"Then we will proceed through the court system."

I hung up.

The phone rang again, then a third time, then a fifth.

I turned it off.

That was the very first time in three years I had ever hung up on Gideon.

Outside the window, the city lights flickered in the dark.

I stood in my own private apartment. I had purchased this property with my own independent funds, and not a single member of the Blackwood family knew of its existence.

Twelve hundred square feet, south-facing, with fresh mint and rosemary growing on the balcony.

This was my true home.

The next morning, Gideon tracked me down at my design firm.

My assistant looked terrified as Gideon marched through the lobby, nearly knocking over her coffee cup. "Major General..."

"Where is Seraphina?"

"She's in her office, sir."

He pushed open my door without knocking.

I was reviewing a blueprint. I looked up, entirely unsurprised by his arrival. "Take a seat."

"Seraphina, pack your things and come home with me."

He remained standing, his uniform immaculate, his expression cold and demanding, as if he were delivering a military order that required immediate compliance.

"I don't have a home there anymore."

"You are a daughter-in-law of the Blackwood family."

"Not for long."

I pulled a document from my desk drawer and slid it toward him. "The divorce agreement. I don't want the house, the vehicles, or any spousal support. Sign this, and we can go our separate ways."

Gideon stared at the papers for a moment before pushing them back. "I'm not signing."

"Why?"

"We don't have a history of divorce in my family."

"Your parents divorced twenty years ago."

His expression hardened for a split second. "Seraphina, what exactly is it that you want?"

"I told you. A divorce."

"Is this because of Victoria?"

I let out a soft laugh. "Gideon, you overestimate your own importance. This isn't about anyone else. It's about the fact that this marriage has absolutely no meaning."

He stared at me. "In three years, you have never spoken to me in this manner."

"Because for three years, you have never actually listened to a single word I said."

The office fell quiet.

Suddenly, his military radio began to beep, signaling an urgent defense communication.

He glanced at the channel, clicked it on, and then looked back at me.

"We will discuss this later."

He turned and strode out.

"Later." Those five words were the perfect summary of our entire marriage. Every concern of mine was always pushed to 'later.' My birthdays, my illnesses, my desire to visit my familyall of it was delayed, until three years had passed without a single promise being kept.

Once the door closed, my phone rang.

It was Audrey. "How did he react?"

"He refused to sign."

"As expected. If he refuses, we will have to establish a two-year separation before we can file for a unilateral divorce. Unless you have other grounds? Domestic abuse, infidelity, hiding assets?"

"He never touched me."

That sentence carried two meanings: he had never laid a hand on me in anger, and he had barely touched me at all.

In our three years of marriage, the number of times we had shared a bed could be counted on one hand.

The last time had been seven months ago. And it was during that single night that I became pregnant.

It was also after that night that I saw a message from Victoria on his phone:

Gideon, I am transferring back next month. Do you still remember what you promised me?

He had replied with a single word: Yes.

I didn't know what he had promised her, but I knew the weight of that single word was heavier than anything he had ever said to me.

Audrey spoke through the receiver. "Then we begin the separation. From the day you moved out, I will document the evidence chain."

"Thank you."

"One more thing," Audrey's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Your design firm has a major military bid coming up next week for a new camouflage system. Are you going to represent the company personally?"

I thought it over. "No. Let Frank handle the presentation."

"Sera, how long do you plan on keeping your identity a secret?"

"I'll step into the light when the timing is right."

Three years ago, I had married Gideon under the simple name 'Seraphina.'

None of them knew that Aegis Precision Systems, one of the defense department's largest rising technology suppliers, was entirely my creation.

And none of them knew that my mother's maiden name was Vanguardthe family that controlled the multi-billion-dollar Vanguard Defense Group.

A soft knock sounded at my office door.

"Sera, there's a client here. He's asking for you by name."

"Who?"