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Chapter5
Three years ago. A date. An injury?
The words thundered in Eveline’s mind.
For a moment, her breath caught, her heartbeat stalled.
Maria’s voice seemed both near and impossibly far, like something bleeding in from a dream.
She wished it were a dream.
But the sharp throb in her chest–and the deeper ache in her leg–told her this was excruciatingly real.
Another crack of thunder shook the sky as Adrian left the room in a hurry.
Eveline slowly sat up, staring at the leg that had been reinforced with steel plates. And suddenly-she
laughed.
Back then, she’d believed it was worth it. Trading her leg to save Adrian’s life… it had seemed like the most
natural thing in the world.
But now? The truth struck like a slap.
He hadn’t gone up that mountain at all.
And she–blinded by worry–had never once questioned why a man who hated the outdoors would
suddenly go hiking alone in a downpour.
It hadn’t just been a lie.
It had been betrayal, planted deeper than she’d imagined.
Perhaps the deeper betrayal wasn’t today–it was every day of the past seven years.
Tears welled as she laughed again–bitter, broken.
No wonder he’d come back unharmed. No wonder every sacrifice she made had meant nothing to him.
And now she wondered… that day, when she was rushed into the ICU, bruised and broken–was Adrian
scared for her life…
or just relieved she’d lost parts of her memory, so he could rewrite the story any way he wanted?
Another crash of thunder rattled the windows.
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Eveline broke.
Tears streamed down her face like the rain outside.
And then–arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Eveline, it’s okay. It’s just me.”
Martin.
She didn’t even have time to be surprised that he hadn’t left. His voice followed immediately, quiet and
steady:
“It’ll all be over soon.”
Yes. Soon.
Three more days, and Adrian would be “dead.”
And her life would finally, mercifully, move on without him.
Somewhere deep in her heart, the storm settled just a little. She even felt something like relief.
Maybe it was a blessing that Adrian never truly cared.
At least she was spared the agony of clinging to a love that was never hers to keep.
The night passed in a dreamless void.
By the time Eveline woke, Martin had left for work, leaving her a short message. Adrian still hadn’t
returned.
The group chat from her old rescue team was buzzing, several notifications tagging her by name.
When Eveline tapped in, she saw they were organizing a spring picnic.
“@Eveline, Captain Ashford! You have to come if you’re free–it’ll be our way of throwing you a
bachelorette party!”
“Yeah! It’s been way too long. Let’s all catch up–and maybe rope in Leon and the others to help out with
your wedding while we’re at it!”
Eveline’s chest warmed. These people had stuck with her through everything.
After her father’s death, she’d inherited not just his company but also his rescue team–at just seventeen.
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Since then, many had come and gone. Some aged out, some moved on.
But no one had ever truly replaced her.
Even after she’d stepped down three years ago, no one had taken the captain’s role.
They still called her “Captain Ashford,” still asked for her opinion on difficult missions. It was as if she’d
never left.
The rain had stopped. The sun peeked through the clouds.
Something in her eased.
She said yes to the picnic.
After picking up some groceries, Eveline arrived at the meeting spot early–only to freeze as soon as she
parked.
Adrian was there.
He stood with his back to her, speaking to someone in costume.
Maria.
They were surrounded by crew–lighting techs, production assistants, makeup artists. It was clearly a
filming location.
Eveline clenched her jaw, already preparing to turn back.
She pulled out her phone, typing a quick message to the group to change the venue.
But before she could press send, Maria’s overly sweet voice rang out:
“Eveline? What a coincidence!”
Eveline stiffened.
Maria practically beamed. “Our stunt consultant called in sick this morning. Think you could fill in? Just for
the day?”
Before Eveline could say no, Maria turned to the director, still smiling. “You’re in luck–Eveline’s a trained
expert. She used to lead an entire rescue unit.”
They’d only met a handful of times, back when Eveline was working with the Whitmore Group. Yet Maria
spoke as if they were old friends.
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Clearly, Adrian had played his role as the go–between flawlessly.
Eveline scoffed inwardly, then turned her gaze toward Adrian.
Sure enough, he looked nervous.
She had no desire to get dragged into their mess. And when Adrian said nothing, she simply shook her
head.
“Sorry. I’ve got a leg injury–I’m not really fit for the job.“.
Her tone was calm, almost casual, but the words hit Adrian like a punch to the chest.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something–but Maria cut in first.
“Oh, come on, Eveline. No need for modesty. You’re a total pro–we’d be honored to have you.”
The challenge in her eyes was barely hidden now.
Eveline’s brow tensed. She was about to respond when Adrian’s voice finally broke through the tension.
“…Eveline, could you stay? To ensure Maria’s safety.”
Chapter5
