Chapter 1

The entire Special Police Department knew Ryan Cole as their top crisis negotiator—a man who could dismantle anyone's defenses in moments. Yet Emily Grant's tears always left him helpless.

Everyone believed he adored her, that he'd give her anything she wanted.

Only Emily knew his heart belonged to someone else.

On the day Sophie Lane returned, a storm raged outside. Late that night, Emily heard Ryan was in trouble and rushed out into the rain, only to be hit by a car. She lost their four-month-old fetus.

Ryan arrived from Sophie's welcome party, his voice unsteady. "It was a drinking game. You didn't really think it was true, did you?"

Through the pain, she heard him force a calm tone. "Maybe it's better this way. My job makes too many enemies. A child would only be a target."

His words cut deep, but Emily said nothing.

Ten days later, she found them together in his apartment, close and comfortable.

He took her hands, eyes pleading. "Emily, trust me. We were discussing a case. She's a colleague."

Without a word, Emily turned and left.

Two months after Sophie's return, a kidnapper held a knife to Emily's throat, grinning at Ryan.

"Your wife or your lover—choose one!"

Ryan's gaze was pained, but his voice firm. "Sophie is a specialist. The department needs her."

Emily watched Sophie run into his arms. The enraged kidnapper stabbed her six times.

She woke from a two-month coma and went straight to file for divorce.

But the clerk looked confused. "Ms. Grant, this isn't valid. There's no record of a marriage between you and Mr. Cole. Don't you know?"

*****

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. Six years of what she had thought was a solid marriage—all a lie?

"That's impossible. Check again. We've been married for six years..." she insisted, her voice trembling slightly.

The clerk gave her a sympathetic but firm look before turning back to the system. After a thorough search, he faced her again, his expression serious. "Ma'am, forging marriage documents is a crime. I'll let it slide this time, but don't try this again."

Stunned, Emily traced her fingers over the simple certificate. The sheer absurdity of it washed over her.

Now, with Sophie back in the picture, everything clicked into place.

Ryan had been waiting for his true love all along, using this sham marriage as a cover.

As soon as Emily got back to the hospital, Ryan hurried over, worry written all over his face. "Emily, you're still not fully recovered. Why are you running around like this?"

But Emily shook off his hand and walked away without looking back.

Ryan looked stunned. "Are you still blaming me? You know, ever since I chose this career, the interests of the nation and its people come before everything else... And besides, Sophie ended up getting hurt just to save you."

Emily looked at the man she'd spent six years with, day in and day out, and suddenly he felt like a complete stranger.

Of course. she never really saw him for who he was.

"Yeah, she got hurt, she's the hero, and me? I'm just the ungrateful fool," Emily said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Emily clenched the marriage certificate in her pocket, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

What was she to Ryan, anyway? Just something to pass the time while he waited for Sophie to come back?

Emily brushed past him and went straight back to her hospital room.

She crashed into a deep, exhausted sleep, and when she finally woke up, it was already afternoon. Not long after, one of the officers from Ryan's team dropped off a meal for her.

But instead of leaving after putting the food down, the officer hesitated for ages, then finally blurted out, "Emily, you really shouldn't be mad at Ryan. You just have it out for us cops!"

Before Emily could even get a word in, the officer was already getting all worked up.

"Ms. Lane messed up big time during the rescue for your mom, but we're only human. We put our lives on the line every time, but we can't always keep the hostages safe!

"You can't hold a grudge over that—it's prejudice! She was disciplined, sent abroad, and she's learned her lesson. She earned her way back with commendations!"

In an instant, Emily's mind went blank.

Six years ago, during a bank robbery, her mother was taken hostage.

While talking to the kidnappers, a young female negotiator acted impulsively and ended up angering them, which resulted in the hostage being killed.

Later, Emily heard that the negotiator got punished, and her family got compensation from the government. That was when Ryan showed up in her world.

Emily was stunned and unable to believe it. So the negotiator back then was Sophie?

So Ryan was here all along, trying to atone for someone else's sins.

The officer's voice faded into background noise. Emily didn't even notice when he left.

She sat there, numb, for what felt like hours. Finally, she picked up her phone and dialed a number.

When the call connected, she heard her own voice—unnaturally calm, almost detached.

"Emily Grant, reporting in. I accept the assignment. Ready for action at any time," she said.

Emily couldn't stand the sharp smell of disinfectant in the hospital. Ignoring the doctor's warnings, she signed herself out early.

Her phone buzzed relentlessly—Ryan calling.

She ignored it, sent the call to voicemail, and then blocked his number for good.

When she got home, Emily tore through the whole place.

The engagement ring from their engagement lay in a velvet box. There was a custom music box with two little figurines dressed as a bride and groom. A thick diary was filled with all their sweet conversations from when they were madly in love. And their wedding photo hung on the wall, staring back at her.

Emily just stared at them for a moment, then swept them all into a box and tossed the whole thing straight into the trash.

It felt like an old scar had finally peeled away from her soul.

She scrolled through the photos on her phone, each one bringing back vivid memories of happiness she once felt so deeply.

Some showed them in the kitchen, flour smeared all over their faces; others caught them kissing when the Ferris wheel reached its highest point.

Emily stared at each photo, deleting them one by one. With every tap, it felt like stabbing her own heart, a cruel reminder that the sweeter the memories, the more fake they turned out to be.