Chapter 3: Crossing the Line

Staring at the lines of text, I thought: it’s over.

I was so tired I could barely see straight. My head buzzed, my eyes dry and gritty. I blinked hard, rubbing my eyes. Was I hallucinating? Or had I finally cracked under the pressure? Hallucinations were better than reality, sometimes.

After being tormented until dawn last night, I must be hallucinating from lack of sleep.

But just as I stepped out the door, the text kept updating.

[The female lead isn’t really going to leave, is she? If you go, you’ll fall into the supporting female’s trap, run into biker gangs, be humiliated for three days and nights, and learn what real torment is.]

[Sigh, why do women’s stories always force this kind of drama? Who’s reading this abuse? I’ll drop it for now and come back when the misunderstandings are cleared up.]

[Don’t trust Tanya, she’s just a two-faced snake—the male lead treasures you more than enough.]

[Exactly! Those two soldiers who harassed you last time? Their graves already have two feet of grass. How could he bear to let other men touch you?]

This suddenly reminded me of when I first arrived at the Army base up north.

The air had smelled like diesel and pine, the kind of sharp, metallic scent you only get in places where men train for war. I’d tried to keep my head down, but curiosity follows you like a shadow in places like that.

I overheard two young soldiers talking about me:

"Did you hear? The woman the captain brought back was bailed out of jail—she’s the senator’s daughter."

"If I’d known a few grand could get such a beauty, we guys could pool together, each take a turn. Just thinking about it is wild."

My blood went cold. The casual cruelty in their voices made me want to scream. But I did what I always did—kept walking, eyes forward, fists clenched so hard my nails left half-moons in my palms.

Listening to them scheme about how I’d serve them under their bodies, I shook with rage.

But then I saw Marcus invite those two into his office for coffee.

His voice was calm, too calm. The other soldiers watched, whispering behind their hands. I never saw those two again—not even in the mess hall. The barracks always smelled like gym socks and cheap aftershave, the kind of place where secrets stuck to the walls and nobody ever really slept. The threat lingered, unspoken, but everyone understood: the captain took care of his own.

Military men have sharp ears—I don’t believe he didn’t hear.

I could only sigh: brothers before lovers, right?

It’s what my mother always warned me about—soldiers stick together, no matter what. But the comments made me question everything I thought I knew.

But now, seeing the meaning in the comments, at that time Marcus invited those two in to deal with them—permanently.

[Eh, why isn’t the female lead leaving? If not, go find the male lead.]

[Don’t be afraid of him. If you tell him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west. If you call him 'babe,' he’d give you his life.]

Seeing this, I was a little tempted.

For a second, hope flickered. Maybe things weren’t as hopeless as I’d thought. Maybe the story wasn’t over yet.

I already knew he was going to lead troops to Georgia at the end of the month.

The plan was common knowledge on base, rumors flying faster than the morning mail. The mission was dangerous, and I knew it was my only shot at finding my parents.

I wanted to go find my parents with him, but didn’t dare speak up.

Every time I tried, the words got stuck in my throat. What if he said no? What if he just left me behind, like everyone else?

Maybe I should try?