Chapter 444

Liam's piercing gaze darkened like storm clouds gathering. "You seem to know me better than I know myself."

Adrian responded with an icy smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "After fifteen years by your side, General, I've learned all your tells."

"Then how dare you betray me?" Liam's voice remained dangerously calm, like the stillness before a hurricane.

Adrian defiantly lifted his chin, his jaw set in stubborn defiance. "Fortune favors those bold enough to seize it. No risk, no reward."

Liam rose slowly from his chair, his movements deliberate. "I fear you'll find your riches come with an expiration date." His voice was deceptively soft, like velvet over steel.

Turning away, Liam settled onto the leather couch. His expression appeared impassive, but those who knew him well could see the subtle tension in his shoulders.

Beneath his controlled exterior, a storm raged. Adrian had been more than a subordinate - he'd been a brother-in-arms. This betrayal cut deeper than any battlefield wound.

Outside, Aldenrian soldiers loaded prisoners into armored vehicles while the recovered explosives were secured in specialized containment trucks.

As dawn broke, the rain finally ceased, washing away the night's horrors.

After twenty-four grueling hours of emergency care, Rosalind's condition stabilized.

When Nathaniel arrived at the hospital and saw Evelyn's exhausted face, his chest tightened with sympathy.

With Rosalind resting, Evelyn and Nathaniel stepped into the sterile hospital corridor for privacy.

"So," Nathaniel began, leaning against the pale green wall, "with everything that's happened, when do you plan to return to Solterra?"

Evelyn's fingers twisted together nervously. "I don't want to go back. I want to stay in Aldenria with my grandparents. I need to find my parents." Her voice cracked. "Solterra isn't home anymore."

"Cassandra..." Nathaniel spoke gently but firmly. "The Institute won't allow that. Neither will our government."

A bitter laugh escaped Evelyn's lips. "Exactly. So I'll be dragged back to my lab, forced to live a life of regret and what-ifs."

"Solterra will help locate your family. You have my word."

"And what about him?" Evelyn's voice dropped to a whisper.

Nathaniel frowned. "Who?"

"The man I love."

Nathaniel shrugged. "Simple solution. Bring him to Solterra with you. While your work is classified, spouses get monthly visitation rights."

Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes as she met Nathaniel's gaze. "Simon... the man I love is General Liam Blackwood."

Nathaniel's breath caught. The silence between them grew heavy.

Evelyn continued, her voice trembling. "He commands the Aldenrian military. Holds the rank of Defense General. Our positions... they make us enemies by default."

A single tear traced down her cheek as she covered her face with shaking hands. After a steadying breath, she confessed, "The cruelest part? We're forbidden from even exchanging letters."

Nathaniel looked down at his shoes. "When did you realize you loved him?"

Evelyn dropped her hands and exhaled slowly. "I think part of me always has. We were inseparable as children - practically grew up together. Back then, it was innocent. Pure. I thought he hung the moon."

Her fingers traced patterns on her knees. "After I left for Solterra, we lost contact. There was... an ache. But my studies consumed me, and maintaining ties seemed pointless, so I let go completely."

She smiled faintly. "The truth hit me three years ago, after the accident. When I saw him again..." Her voice softened with wonder. "It was like remembering something my soul had known all along."

Nathaniel's shoulders slumped. "Cassandra, in matters of national security, love is a luxury we can't afford." His words carried the weight of painful experience.