Chapter 1

My fiancée, Hanna Sterling, and I both worked at the same elite private security firm.

During a high-stakes transport mission, we were ambushed by a group of armed thugs.

In the heat of the moment, a blade swung toward her childhood best friend, Ashton Vance.

Without a single second of hesitation, Hanna shoved me into the path of the knife to shield him.

The blade buried itself deep into my chest, missing my heart by less than an inch.

While I lay in a coma, drifting between life and death, Hanna was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't until I woke up that I learned the truth.

During my recovery, she had been inseparable from Ashton, taking on private duo-contracts with him.

My heart turned to stone as I realized the truth.

I handed in my resignation and headed straight for the brutal battlefields of the Northern Front.

Years ago, I had given up my promising military career just to stay by her side as a simple bodyguard.

But people change, and loyalty rots.

It was time for me to reclaim my honor and fight for something that actually mattered.

......

When my wounds were finally scabbing over, Hanna finally remembered I existed.

She showed up at my door clutching two bags of dried fruit.

"Jude, I'm so sorry. I've been so swamped lately that I didn't have time to look after you," she said.

"But you've always been the independent type. I knew you'd be fine."

I didn't say a word, pretending not to see the flickering guilt in her eyes.

How could she not feel guilty?

Her being "swamped" actually meant she was playing house with Ashton while I was unconscious.

Even the dried fruit she brought was a bag I had bought for her months ago when she was feeling under the weather.

Hanna was wearing a stunning blush-pink silk dress today, her hair pinned up with an elegant silver clip.

I had given her both the dress and the jewelry for her birthday last year.

Back then, she had hugged me, jumping with joy, promising she would only ever wear that outfit for me.

Yet, she had never touched it since that day.

Whenever I asked, she'd make excuses about it being too fancy or uncomfortable for work.

It turned out she was perfectly willing to dress up if it meant catching Ashton's eye.

She noticed me staring, and a flash of discomfort crossed her face.

She gripped her sleeves tightly and forced a smile.

"You always said you wanted to see me dressed like this. I put it on just for you today. Do I look good?"

I didn't bother calling out her pathetic lie.

I just gave her a cold, blunt "Yeah."

Hanna bit her lip, looking restless and uneasy.

"Jude, are you mad because I haven't been around? I'm serious, work was just so crazy that I―"

I didn't want to hear her fake excuses, so I cut her off.

"Don't apologize. It's just a stab wound. I'm not dead, so it doesn't matter."

Those were her exact words to me right after I was wounded.

Some of my closest brothers from the firm had been there that day.

They had seen her shove me into the blade to save Ashton and had screamed at her in rage.

To protect Ashton's reputation, Hanna had pointed at my dying body and snapped at them.

"He's not dead yet, is he? Why are you all getting so worked up?"

"Besides, it's just a little cut. As long as he doesn't die, it's fine!"

The memory clearly hit her, and she went pale, unable to find a comeback.

Maybe out of a sudden burst of shame, she offered to take me for a walk outside.

I had been stuck in bed for two weeks, so I agreed, wanting to feel the fresh air one last time.

The city streets were bustling with life and the smell of street food.

When we passed a high-end accessory boutique, Hanna stopped in her tracks.

She spent a long time picking out an expensive white gold tie clip and paid for it without blinking.

As she held the box, a sweet, dreamy smile spread across her lips.

Realizing I was watching, she quickly masked her expression and turned to me.

"My dad lost his favorite tie clip. He told me to pick up a new one for him."

The lie was so bad it was almost funny.

Everyone knew Ashton loved playing the part of the refined gentleman and had a thing for white gold.

It was obvious who that gift was really for.

Whatever. It didn't matter anymore.

This farce was coming to an end very soon.

I looked away and acted like I believed her.

A few minutes later, Hanna stopped again.

She looked at me with a face full of feigned conflict.

"Jude, I just remembered there's some urgent paperwork back at the office…"

She didn't even finish her sentence before her eyes locked onto a familiar figure at the end of the alley.

She couldn't even wait five minutes to run back to Ashton.

I felt a cold sneer forming in my mind, but I kept my face neutral.

"Fine. Go. I'm getting tired anyway, so I'll just head home."

Hanna looked stunned by how easily I let her go.

"Jude, why are you being so…"

She paused, then added awkwardly, "Don't overthink it. I'll come see you when I'm done."

"My parents want to discuss our wedding plans. Let's all have dinner at that fancy steakhouse tomorrow."