Late at night, my best friend's voice was hoarse as she sent me a voice message, panting: "Six foot two, seven inches, eight-pack abs... Bestie, I scored the ultimate prize!" I instantly understood and was filled with envy. But the next second, when I saw the photo she sent, my whole body went stiff. In the photo, the man's bare upper body was covered in hickeys and bite marks, but his face was unforgettable. That was the Major General I had been secretly married to for six years, my husband, Arthur Vance. ...... Chloe's voice messages kept coming. The ambiguous sounds of movement were mixed with her intermittent voice. [Elena... mmm... we've been dating... ah... for three years..] [He wants to... mm-hmm... marry me...] My mind went completely blank, and my hands trembled slightly as I typed. Arthur and I had a political marriage, and the contract expired last month. I had tentatively asked him if we could stay married. But Arthur said he didn't want to implicate me and our daughter. He was the youngest Major General in the military district, and many terrorists had their eyes on his family. So, for the six years we've been married, apart from our parents, no one knew he was my husband. I thought this was his way of protecting me. Only now do I realize that it was so he could be openly with the woman he truly loved. Holding back a sob, I asked: "Didn't you say he's a military officer? Aren't you afraid of retaliation if you marry him?" Chloe sent a screenshot. The messages sent from that familiar profile picture contained more words than he had spoken to me in a month. [Chloe, since I proposed to you, it means I can definitely protect you.] [If you're worried about this, I can transfer half of my assets to you, and I will write a will stating that our child will be my sole heir.] [Chloe, I've prepared the grandest wedding for you, just waiting for you to say yes.] "..." Tears blurred my vision, and a sharp, piercing pain erupted in my heart. I remembered the year I married Arthur. To keep a low profile, we didn't even take wedding photos and hastily got our marriage certificate. I remembered giving birth with no one by my side, not even daring to write down my spouse's name. I remembered my daughter being called a pathetic fatherless child in kindergarten. Grievance and bitterness overwhelmed me like a tidal wave. Just as I was about to tell Chloe that Arthur had already married me. Chloe sent another message: [Elena, let's meet at our usual place tomorrow.] Fine, some things are better explained face to face. I went to the hot pot restaurant we often went to during our student days. As soon as we met, Chloe smilingly handed me a wedding invitation. It had a gold-stamped cover, and the title page featured a photo of Arthur and Chloe together. In the bottom right corner were their signatures side by side. "He said to show respect, he personally signed all the invitations for my family and friends." When Chloe talked about her fiancé, there was a soft light in her eyes. The words that were about to burst out of me all got stuck in my throat. I was silent for a long time before saying softly: "Chloe, I can't attend your wedding. I'm being transferred away from the military district soon." Chloe was stunned: "Why?" "I got divorced." Chloe's eyes instantly turned red: "Did he bully you? Tell me who it is, and I'll have my Arthur deal with him!" The truth rolled onto the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it hard. I squeezed her hand tightly: "Chloe, what kind of person... is your fiancé?" "Arthur is exceptionally good to me." Tenderness rippled in her eyes. "You'll know when you meet him." Before she finished speaking, she suddenly waved towards the door: "Arthur! Over here!" I had imagined confronting Arthur countless times, but I never expected it would be here. He walked over in a crisp military uniform, the star insignia on his epaulets shining. I stared intently into his eyes, trying to find panic or guilt. But there was none. He paused slightly when he saw me, then calmly extended his right hand: "Hello, Comrade Elena. Chloe often talks about you. I'm Arthur Vance, her fiancé." His voice was as steady as ever, as if we really were strangers who had never met. I slowly raised my hand and shook his. What came to mind was the image of him kneeling on one knee under the military flag six years ago, proposing to me. He slipped the ring on my finger and whispered: "Hello, I am your husband, Arthur Vance." "In this life, I am loyal to you, and loyal to the country." Chloe's gaze paused on our clasped hands, and she smiled with a hint of doubt: "Hey, the look in your eyes... seems a bit strange. Have you met before?" The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Before Arthur could speak, I let go of his hand and put on a calm smile: "Never met." I turned to him, speaking clearly: "Major General Vance, nice to meet you. I'm Elena, Chloe's best friend." Arthur withdrew his hand, maintaining his upright military posture: "Yes, this is our first time meeting." "So serious for a first meeting!" Chloe lightly punched his arm. "Elena and I have been through life and death together. If you dare to bully me in the future, she will really come after you with a scalpel!" Arthur smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "With Military Doctor Elena supervising, I wouldn't dare." The air in my chest felt terribly thin. I had to leave, immediately. "Alright, you two enjoy your sweet time. I don't want to be a third wheel." I grabbed my coat, my tone so light and brisk it felt fake even to me. "Chloe, seeing you happy puts my mind at ease. I still have a surgery, so I'm heading back to the hospital." "Elena—" Chloe tried to make me stay. "Remember to keep it a secret." I interrupted her, gave Arthur a deep look, turned around, and walked away. It wasn't until I reached a deserted corner that I leaned against the cold wall as if all my strength had been drained. I covered my mouth, desperately blocking the surging sobs in my throat. My phone vibrated in my pocket, the special ringtone piercing my ears. I wiped my face and opened it. Two encrypted messages: "Waiting for you at the family compound." "Return immediately." When I got home, Arthur handed me two plane tickets. "Take the earliest flight tomorrow and take Mia to the south for a few days." "Come back after Chloe and I finish our wedding." I looked at the cold glint of the insignia on his shoulder, my voice calmer than I expected: "Arthur, Chloe and I met at the frontier hospital. She took a bullet for me." "So since you didn't hesitate to lie to me for six years to marry her, please treat her well." "If you make her suffer any grievances, I will definitely expose your scandal and make her leave you." Arthur stared at me for a long time before twitching the corners of his mouth. His tone carried a hint of elusive mockery: "Done acting? I've been preparing for this military wedding with Chloe for two years. I will not allow any accidents." "Including you." He paused, looking at me with a complicated gaze: "Whatever compensation you want afterwards, you can have. Promotion to professor, shares in the military hospital, or even... I can retire from the military." I was stunned. For Chloe, he would even give up the stars on his shoulders. So he was also capable of being reckless. It's just that that impulse never had anything to do with me. "I'm only asking you for this one thing." Arthur looked at my dazed expression, his voice unusually carrying a hint of exhausted pleading. "Take Mia on a vacation. After the wedding, I will arrange everything and properly compensate you and your daughter." He talked about compensation as if the leftover charity after that grand wedding could erase six years of deception and betrayal. I was silent for a long time, and asked a question I thought I would never ask: "Arthur." "When you decided to marry her, did you, even for a moment, think about what Mia and I would do?" He turned his face away, his jawline tense. It took a long time before he spoke: "I thought about it. But I was more afraid that if Chloe found out, she would never forgive me for the rest of her life." Looking at how he could even abandon his future for another woman. The fire that had burned in my heart for six years suddenly went out. "Okay. I'll take Mia and leave." Arthur visibly sighed in relief, the tension in his eyes easing slightly. "I'll change the tickets to the earliest flight tomorrow. Accommodation will be arranged according to the highest standards for military dependents." "No need." I smiled faintly. "Major General Vance, I wish you a happy marriage." The next day, I held Mia's hand and arrived at the airport. Half an hour before boarding, Mia leaned against my leg and whispered: "Mommy, will we be able to see the big planes Daddy trains with at the new place?" "Yes." I crouched down to adjust her collar. "And stars brighter than the ones on Daddy's shoulders." My phone vibrated. It was Chloe. I answered it, and a panicked voice came from the other end: "Elena... I'm being followed. Since yesterday afternoon, a military-plated Jeep has been following me. Now I'm in my dorm, and there's a shadow outside the door..." "Did you contact the security department?" "I can't reach Arthur." Chloe's voice carried a hint of crying. "Elena, I'm scared..." I looked at Mia's upturned little face, then at the display screen at the boarding gate. "Lock the door first. I'll contact the guard company right away. I'll come over as soon as I settle Mia." Hanging up the phone, I crouched down and looked my daughter in the eyes: "Mia, Aunt Chloe needs Mommy. You go back to the compound with the orderly uncle first, okay?" Mia nodded vigorously: "Mommy, hurry and help Auntie beat the bad guys." After sending my daughter away, I rushed to the military district's security department. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I bumped right into Arthur, who was rushing in. Our eyes met, and his gaze instantly turned to ice. I was about to speak, but he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the corner of the corridor. "Elena, what else do you want to do?" "Chloe is inside, I need to go—" "Enough." He interrupted me, his eyes terrifyingly dark. "You arranged the tracking vehicle, didn't you? After loving me for so many years, are you really willing to just leave like this?" Every word was like a poisoned needle piercing my heart. So he knew. He knew I loved him, knew I was unwilling, knew how much I hurt. "Let go! Chloe is waiting for me." "Leave now, and I'll pretend nothing happened." Arthur's tone carried a warning. "Don't force me." "Arthur!" Chloe's voice came from behind. She jogged over, her gaze quickly scanning between us, finally stopping on Arthur holding my hand. "Chloe, are you hurt?" I wanted to step forward but was subtly blocked by Chloe. "I'm fine." She linked arms with Arthur and smiled at me. "Arthur brought the guards. Elena, thank you for coming all this way, but..." She gently rested her cheek on Arthur's shoulder. "Having my fiancé protect me is enough." I looked at Chloe's natural posture of leaning on him, and saw Arthur raise his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. Suddenly, I felt like I didn't belong there. "Then I'll get going." I forced a smile. "Chloe, stay safe." "Yeah, be careful on your way." Chloe's smile was still bright, but it lacked the intimacy of the past. Three days later, Chloe contacted me first. "Elena, usual place." The location was set in the veteran's forest outside the military district. There was the old pine tree where we hung wishing plaques, and the dirt mound where we buried bullet casings together. The forest at dusk was very quiet. I walked along the familiar path and saw Chloe lying by the side of the road, her camouflage uniform stained with dark blood on the chest. "Chloe!" I rushed over to help her, my fingers touching warm stickiness. Chloe struggled to open her eyes, her pupils shrinking sharply: "Run... it's an ambush..." Two masked men suddenly lunged out of the bushes, swinging shovels at us. I turned to protect Chloe, and a shovel struck my shoulder blade heavily. Amidst the dull thud, I heard the sound of my own bone shattering. A man smirked and raised the shovel, ready to strike again— "Nobody move!" Arthur's sharp shout shattered the air. He rushed over with the guards. The moment the sound of guns cocking rang out, the masked men turned and fled into the dense forest. "Chloe..." Arthur knelt on one knee and picked up Chloe, his voice trembling. "Hold on, I'm taking you to the hospital." Chloe's shirt on her chest was already soaked with blood. She leaned weakly in Arthur's arms. She looked at me, her lips moving, but no sound came out. Arthur picked her up, turned, and strode away. When he passed me, slumped on the ground, his footsteps didn't pause for a moment. I tried to support myself to chase after them, but the wound on my shoulder tore, and I fell to the ground. Bumping along the way, I followed them to the general hospital of the military district. The red light of the emergency channel was glaringly bright. Arthur stood in the corridor, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at me: "You still have the nerve to come? Elena, to ruin the wedding, you could even harm a comrade who trusted you with her life?" "It wasn't me!" Arthur sneered, "If you hadn't insisted on staying, how would Chloe have gotten hurt!" "I know you hate me. Come at me if you have a problem. Why go after Chloe?" "I'll say this one last time," My eyes were bloodshot. "Arthur, I'm a military doctor who took an oath in a field hospital. I would never fire on a comrade in this lifetime!" "Enough." Arthur interrupted me, his eyes filled with cold disappointment. "When you play the same act too many times, no one believes it anymore." "Guards, take her back to solitary confinement and keep a close watch." "Before the wedding, she is not allowed to contact anyone." Two soldiers grabbed my arms. "Arthur! Check the security footage! Check the ballistics! It wasn't me at all—" As I struggled, my wound burst open, and blood dripped onto the pristine white floor tiles. "Once Chloe is out of danger, I will interrogate you myself." I was dragged into a Jeep and escorted back to the underground solitary confinement cell of the military district. This time, even the ventilation window was welded with iron bars. Darkness. Silence. Only my own increasingly rapid breathing. On the first day, no one came to deliver food or water. The bone fragments of my shoulder blade rubbed against the festering flesh, and every breath brought up bloody foam. I could only lie on my side on the concrete floor, the high fever gradually blurring my vision. For the next full six days, I didn't have a drop of water or a grain of rice. The foul stench of the festering wound filled the small space. Until dusk on the seventh day, the lock on the door suddenly clicked open a crack. Mia's little face squeezed in. When she saw me, she burst out crying, "Mommy... you have so much blood on you..."
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