When Matthew walked into Ethan's office, he found Ethan pacing restlessly from one end of the room to the other, fury radiating off him.
"What happened? Why are you this angry?" Matthew asked, brows knitting together.
Ethan halted, glanced at him, and sank into his chair without a word.
Matthew tried again, "What's got you so worked up?"
Ethan exhaled sharply. "Bella."
Matthew let out a small laugh. "What has she done this time to make you this furious?"
Ethan shot him a glare, eyes darkening. "Divorce."
Matthew's smile faded. "What? What could've happened that you're talking about divorcing her…?"
Ethan cut him off, voice tight. "She wants it. She told me that after the training session she'll talk to her family, and then we'll file for divorce."
Matthew's expression turned serious. "Have you ever tried talking to her—really talking to her? How long will you keep avoiding this? You can't ignore something like this. You love her. So, tell her."
Ethan looked at Matthew, the weight of his words sinking in. Deep down, he knew Matthew wasn't wrong.
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"Will you stop crying and tell me what happened?" Ellena snapped, irritation creeping into her voice as she looked at Bella.
Norah, sitting beside her, gently rubbed Bella's back. Harry stood close by, holding a bottle of water, concern clouding his expression.
"What happened, Bella? Did Officer Becky say something to you again?" Derek asked softly.
Bella shook her head, took the bottle from Harry, and splashed some water onto her face. She pulled a small hand towel from her bag and wiped her face clean.
"I'm fine," she murmured.
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The next day, during the afternoon break, Sergeant Harris walked over to Bella.
"Officer Matthew is calling you to his office," he informed her.
Bella nodded. "Okay, Sergeant Harris."
She walked to Matthew's office and knocked. A voice from inside replied, "Come in."
Bella stepped in. Matthew was seated at his desk, eyes focused on his laptop. When he noticed her, he said, "Cadet Bella, have a seat."
Bella quietly sat in the chair across from him.
Just then, another knock sounded. The door opened, and Ethan walked in. Bella's heart skipped; a nervous tension washed over her as Ethan took the seat beside her.
Matthew smiled slightly. "Cadet Bella, Officer Ethan wanted to talk to you. I have to head to Head Ace's office for something urgent, so you two go ahead and talk."
Bella looked at Officer Matthew with pleading eyes, silently begging him not to leave her alone. But Matthew simply said,
"Avoiding things only creates more misunderstandings. Talk it out. Discuss everything."
And with that, he stood up and left them alone.