Chapter 2

Samantha's elbow was scraped and bleeding, and her leg hurt so bad it felt like someone was twisting a knife in it.

But Kendrick didn't come after her, not even when she fell. He didn't spare her a single glance.

Kendrick was too busy trying to calm Jenny down upstairs, since she'd been startled by all the commotion.

Samantha had held onto a faint hope that Kendrick might come looking for her, but now, that hope was gone. She felt utterly crushed inside.

She dragged her broken leg out of the Hinton residence, moving numbly, just as the sky broke open and rain poured down.

Then Samantha pulled out her satellite phone, which was built to survive anything: water, fire, and with global coverage no matter where she was.

It was her hard-earned keepsake from her days in the military, and the only lifeline she could truly count on.

Three soft beeps later, the line connected.

"You finally decided to contact us," came a familiar voice on the other end. "I've been waiting for you to reach out all these years. Your squadmates miss you, too."

When Samantha heard that, her eyes grew hot with emotion. "Sir, I..." she started, but the words caught in her throat.

The person on the other end seemed to sense her uncertainty. He said, "I never turned in your discharge papers back then. Now, answer me honestly, Major Mathis. Will you still devote the rest of your life to your country and its people?"

Soaked through, Samantha answered with a determined look in her eyes, "Yes. Samantha Mathis, Sixth Squad of the Peacekeeping Team, reporting for duty. I'm ready to come back."

The man answered, "Your reassignment order takes effect in ten days. Welcome back, Major Mathis."

As soon as the call ended, the rain outside came to a halt.

That rainy day brought Samantha right back to the first time she met Kendrick. It had been pouring then, too.

She'd just gotten back from her military leave when she ran into a knife-wielding robber on the street.

Being a soldier, Samantha jumped in without a second thought to stop him, and nearly got stabbed herself trying to protect the hostage.

That was when Kendrick burst onto the scene, throwing himself in front of her and taking three knife wounds to the back. He was this close to not making it out alive.

When Samantha asked him about it afterward, Kendrick just flashed her that laid-back grin of his. "A girl shouldn't have scars on her body. That's what men are supposed to do."

For the first time in her twenty-something years, someone had actually shielded her and treated her like she mattered.

So when Kendrick started pursuing her, Samantha fell for him without hesitation.

In three years of marriage, everyone knew Kendrick cherished her like she was his whole world. He'd never touch anything she didn't like, and he couldn't even bear to see her frown.

But now, Samantha realized that maybe those three knife wounds Kendrick took for her were never really about her at all. Maybe it was just because she reminded him of Jenny.

Samantha let out a bitter laugh. She went back to the house she'd once shared with Kendrick and started packing up her things.

For the first time, the empty villa felt suffocatingly lonely.

Right at the entrance to the living room, a huge wedding photo of her and Kendrick still hung on the wall.

In the picture, Kendrick had his arm around her, smiling at her with that gentle, doting look.

Kendrick had once said he put that photo there so everyone who walked in would know Samantha was his wife, and he was her husband.

But now, looking back, Samantha couldn't help but find it all utterly ridiculous.

She hurled the glass in her hand at the wedding photo with all her strength.

As the glass shattered, Samantha was stunned to see another photo hidden behind the broken frame.

It was another wedding photo, just as romantic. But the bride in this one wasn't her, it was someone else. It was Jenny.

"Samantha, are you losing it again?" A voice came full of irritation.

Before Samantha could even process what was happening, Kendrick stormed back home and shoved her aside without a second thought.

Samantha stumbled and fell to the floor, dozens of glass shards digging into her palm, blood streaming down her hand.

The same man who used to fuss over her at the slightest sneeze was now only concerned about whether his photo with Jenny had been damaged.

"Samantha, do you hate me so much that you can't even leave my photo alone?" Jenny asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Just then, Jenny walked in, dragging her suitcase behind her. "Oh wow, my face in the photo is all scratched up.

"Samantha, were you actually trying to ruin my real face instead?"

Jenny covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise, while Kendrick's face turned completely grim. "Jenny just got back to the country.

"What could she possibly have done to you? How could you have such a cruel thought?"

Faced with Kendrick's look of utter disappointment, Samantha felt completely powerless to defend herself. Even if she had a hundred explanations, none of them would matter.