The woman's voice was filled with a newlywed wife's sweetness and playful reproach.
Yet every word was like a burning steel needle, driving deep into Yue Xiaofei's ears.
Yue Xiaofei fell silent, unsure how to begin.
He did not know how to shatter the happiness that should have been hers.
The woman on the other end seemed to sense that something was wrong.
"Hello? Comrade? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Has... has something happened to Jun? Is he hurt? Is it serious?"
Panic began to creep into her voice.
Yue Xiaofei closed his eyes and forced the words out.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Li Jun... was killed in the line of duty."
Boom!
Yue Xiaofei could almost hear an entire world collapsing on the other end of the phone.
"No... that's impossible!"
"You're lying! You must have made a mistake! This can't be true!"
That gentle voice instantly turned shrill and hysterical!
"He promised me! He said he'd take me to get our wedding photos taken once this mission was over! We'd already picked the place!"
"He also promised to take me to see the sea after he left the service! He said I'd grown up inland and probably had no idea what the real ocean looked like!"
"How could he be dead? He promised me! He wouldn't lie to me!"
Her voice went from adamant disbelief to a growing tremble, then finally broke completely.
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until all that remained were the same despairing murmurs, repeated over and over.
"He lied to me..."
"He's a liar..."
"He lied to me... sob..."
Her cries were heartrending, filled with endless sorrow and resentment.
Yue Xiaofei's heart broke. He could not say a word.
Against such a brutal reality, any comfort seemed hollow and ridiculous.
All he could do