The General’s Ex-Wife Is A Colonel He Can’t Have Chapter 11
Arriving in Virginia felt like starting over.
I was assigned to a department under the Defense Intelligence Agency, starting with basic analytical work.
No one here knew about Beau and me. No one knew I had nearly died for that marriage.
To my colleagues, I was just Major Wells, transferred from the west—quiet, steady, and good at my job.
During the day, I processed intelligence.
At night, I studied new flight systems.
On weekends, I spent nearly all my time in the flight simulation center.
General Thompson found me the best instructors.
He told me, “Your mother was one of the finest female pilots of her generation. Don’t let me hear anyone say you’re not worthy of her name.”
Three months later, I completed my first solo flight.
As the fighter jet climbed, the clouds rushed past the canopy.
The tower’s voice came through my headset.
And in that moment, I thought of my mother.
When she flew a fighter for the first time, had she felt the same way?
After I landed, my instructor laughed over the comms.
“Celine, you were born to fly.”
That night, I went to Arlington National Cemetery.
I laid a bouquet of white lilies at my parents’ graves.
On the headstone, beneath their names and dates, was a single line:
They gave their lives to their country and their hearts to each other.
I raised my hand in salute and said softly, “Dad, Mom, I’m home.”
Six months later, Beau found me in Virginia.
That evening, I was in the simulation center doing night-flight training when the duty officer ran in.
“Major Wells, there’s a General Walker at the gate asking for you. He says he’s your husband.”
I took off my helmet.
“Tell him I’m in training. I don’t have time.”
The officer hesitated.
“He said it’s about the divorce papers. He said it’s urgent.”
I was quiet for a few seconds.
“Take him to the visitors’ room.”
When I pushed open the door, Beau was standing by the window with his back to me.
At the sound, he turned.
We hadn’t seen each other in half a year. He’d lost weight, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
His general’s uniform looked loose on him.