The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 409

As memories from the past surfaced, Citrine’s expression grew unusually solemn.

“Three years ago, there was a shootout in Magnolia. Several of our country’s business leaders and a few young people were taken hostage by criminals there.”

“To rescue the hostages, our team lost three comrades, and another was gravely wounded. But the operation was at a critical point—if we broke formation to help the injured, the criminals would have discovered us, and the lives of everyone on that boat—those business leaders and youngsters—would have been in even greater danger.”

“It was agony for all of us. On one hand, there were our brothers-in-arms, people we trusted with our lives. On the other, there were the civilians we’d sworn to protect. No matter what choice we made, regret would follow.”

“At the most desperate moment, our wounded comrade made the decision himself—he threw himself overboard. We were devastated. But in that instant, there was no time to grieve. We had to channel our pain into action and stick to the plan to take down those criminals.”

“In the end, we got the hostages out safely. But just as we were about to leave, one of the criminals who hadn’t died suddenly fired at the hostages. For a split second, my mind went blank. Instinct took over—I threw myself in the way of the bullet. In that moment, only one thought echoed in my mind: ‘I have to protect them.’”

When Citrine finished, the group stared at her, stunned into silence.

Most of them had only ever participated in training exercises. The other day had been the first time they’d seen a comrade fall. Listening to Citrine’s story now, their eyes shone, filled with respect and something like awe.

“Instructor, you’re a hero.”

“Instructor, I’m proud to have you as my mentor.”

“That comrade who chose to sacrifice himself... he was a hero too.”

“We want to become people like you.”

Finally, with the rambunctious recruits left behind, the two of them had a moment alone. Hastings was in high spirits the whole way.

He spoke up first. “Citrine, what made you come back to the squad today?”

She gazed out the window and answered casually, “Had some free time, thought I’d drop by.”

The truth was, she couldn’t set her worries aside. When it came to matters of national security, she could never just stand by. Losing a training exercise was one thing, but watching a whole team lose themselves to doubt and trauma—she could never forgive herself for letting that happen.

Hastings hesitated, then finally asked what had been on his mind. “If you joined the army three years ago, why aren’t you still serving?”

To him, Citrine was a rare talent—her skills, her professionalism, her leadership. She was everything the force needed, and more. So he couldn’t understand why she’d chosen to step away.