Reclaiming Her Heart
Chapter 718 Feeling a Bit Happy

The car cruised for a solid two hours before finally pulling up at the military restricted zone.

Cops were everywhere, with guard posts every few steps.

Donovan rolled down the window, flashed his face, and they let him through.

Raymond was about to bounce as soon as he got out, but Donovan was like, "Hey, come chill in my office for a bit."

Raymond had no choice but to tag along.

They strolled through the building and landed in Donovan's office.

On the desk was a photo, even Catherine was in it, looking like a picture-perfect family of four.

Raymond had zero memory of it, so he picked up the frame to get a closer look.

Seeing his interest, Donovan's fingers twitched with excitement, and he whipped out a photo album.

"These are all kinds of pics of you growing up, your military days, this one's when you got a commendation, and this one's when Grandpa punished you, whipped you a bunch, and made you kneel outside in the freezing cold till you almost passed out," Donovan said.

Raymond still had no memory, but seeing the pic of himself kneeling, a flicker of something crossed his eyes.

Bits and pieces of military memories started to come back, but that was it.

Donovan didn't want to interrupt, just sat back in his chair, watching Raymond slowly flip through the album. When he saw Christopher, Raymond's fingers froze.

He didn't remember Christopher, but the guy's gentle vibe was clear.

Unlike Raymond's sharp edge, Christopher was always chatty and cheerful, speaking softly, and everyone liked him.

Donovan had someone bring in two cups of coffee, placing one in front of Raymond.

Donovan said, "You and Christopher were tight. He visited you a bunch while you were in the military."

Raymond asked, "For real?"

He had no memory of that.

Donovan said, "Christopher cared a lot about you."

Raymond kept flipping, landing on the last photo, which was of Christopher at eighteen or nineteen, taken not long before he passed away.

Seeing the photo, Donovan's heart softened. "This was taken a few days before he went on that mission, while we were having drinks."

He wasn't great at expressing his feelings, even though he cared deeply for his kids, he often didn't know what to say.

Christopher was super gentle, always starting conversations and drinks with Donovan.

"What did you guys talk about that night?" Raymond asked, his tone flat.

The photo showed them looking happy.

"He said he had a girl he liked, but I drank too much that night and didn't catch her name," Donovan said.

"If he had a girl he liked, why'd he take on such a dangerous mission?" Raymond asked.

Donovan stayed quiet for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Raymond, every Montague generation has to have someone serve in the military. It's a rule our ancestors set. In your generation, Christopher was the one. Actually, he volunteered. He was just twelve, super smart, with a knack for research. Being chosen meant he was tied to this role, missing out on the normal ups and downs of life, barely seeing family. We serve until we retire. But back then, the military promised if he completed the mission, he could get more leave, maybe even an early release."

Raymond's grip on the album tightened.

He didn't need Donovan to spell it out; he could piece it together.

Because he had someone he liked, and young love couldn't handle the distance, Christopher wanted more leave to be with her. He took a gamble. But he lost, sacrificing his life.

So even the smart Christopher got caught up in love.

Raymond closed the album, noticing Donovan raise his hand to rub his brow.

"I drank too much that night and never caught the girl's name. Otherwise, we might have some clue about what he left behind," Donovan said. Because he rarely talked to Christopher, he lost his discipline that night, got drunk, and missed the crucial info.

Raymond put the album back, his tone cold. "I'll replace that woman."

Donovan stayed silent, his hand reaching into his pocket, gripping a gift.

But facing Raymond's back, he opened his mouth, then sighed.

"Want to stay for dinner?" Donovan asked.

"No need," Raymond replied. He still had a two-hour drive back and would be late.

Raymond started to walk out, but after seeing so many photos, the more he remembered, the more his head hurt.

The next second, he collapsed at the door.

"Raymond!" Donovan quickly called for the doctor and grabbed Raymond's old medical records.

"Doc, how is he?"

"Mr. Montague, don't worry. He just took in too much info at once, and his brain got overstimulated. He'll be fine when he wakes up."

Donovan blamed himself, knowing Raymond's head was injured, he shouldn't have let him see those photos.

At seven, Selena headed to the restaurant right on time.

When she got there, the whole place was empty. The tables were covered with flowers, candles were lit, and the place had a killer view of Silver Bay City's nightscape. She suddenly remembered Caterlington's cheesy moves, which were kinda similar, and couldn't help but laugh.

Flowers, fireworks, candlelight dinner.

Selena's lips curved into a smile, feeling a bit happy inside.