Chapter 16
“No!”
“Yes.”
Eleanor Grace burst into the room, her lips cracked and bleeding.
In just two days, she looked like she’d aged a decade.
Her younger son’s grave was still fresh, and her older son’s reputation was in ruins. Zoe Young was now her last hope of redemption.
“Mom!” Adrian’s fist smashed into the wall. “Liana is my wife!”
“Her transfer papers have been approved!” Eleanor clutched at his sleeve, sobbing. “Do
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you have to push Zoe to her death to be satisfied?!”
Zoe smirked silently from the hospital bed, twirling the bloodstained diagnosis report between her fingers.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
Soaked to the bone, Ethan, a soldier, rushed in. “Captain! There’s news–about Liana!”
Adrian’s pupils shrank.
“She–she’s gone to the frontier!” Ethan panted.
Time stopped.
Adrian shoved past everyone, storming out as Zoe’s shrieks and Eleanor’s furious scolding blurred into background noise.
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The rain slammed against his face, but for the first time in half a year–he felt like he could breathe.
Liana had gone to the frontier just to escape him.
Even if it meant facing a military tribunal, even if the world turned its back on him–he
would find her.
The border winds carried the breath of snow–capped mountains across Liana Langston’s pale face.
She hadn’t expected the train ride to hit her so hard–three days of relentless nausea, vomiting until the world spun. In the end, it was Miles Lawson who wrapped her in his military coat and carried her off the train.
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For over two weeks, she’d curled up like a sickly cat in the lake–facing room on the second floor.
Only today did she finally have the strength to push open the floor–to–ceiling window and take in the little cottage perched halfway up the mountain.
The white–tiled walls glistened in the sunlight. In the front yard, fruit trees drooped with green apricots; behind the house, grapevines fenced in a vegetable patch.
Miles Lawson had even rigged up a swing for her, padding the ropes with anti–slip fabric.
By the lake, he sat on a folding stool under a straw hat, pants rolled up to his knees, calves tanned and sturdy.
Seeing her approach, he hurriedly wiped his
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hands on his shirt and helped her sit.
“Still queasy?” he asked, handing her a cup of warm ginger tea. “Mess Sergeant’s remedy–works every time.”
Liana shook her head.
The border sunlight cast a golden glow over him, even softening the rough calluses on his hands.
“Should’ve picked a southern base,” Miles muttered as he patted her hands. “Too much cold here–those frostbites on your hands haven’t even healed.”
She looked out at the shimmering lake, suddenly realizing-
There was no smell of disinfectant here. No
whispers, no gossip.
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And no him.
Miles‘ patrol cap still hung by the bed.
He was the youngest colonel in the unit and could’ve easily applied for a base with better conditions down south.
But when he’d heard Liana had turned down his marriage proposal, he’d almost masochistically requested the most remote border base–as if distance alone could kill the feelings in his heart.
Then the moment his transfer came through, the matchmaker told him: Liana said yes.
He sat on the snowy mountain all night, soaked to the thighs, and never even noticed.
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“Should’ve changed a base,” Miles said, gently rolling her reddened fingertips between his. “This outpost doesn’t even have Hershey’s Kisses for a proper wedding toss.”
Liana watched the shadows of soldiers patrolling the snowy ridge and suddenly rose on tiptoe to kiss his chin. “Good. At least we can skip the dollar dance.”
Supplies were scarce on the frontier, so the wedding was kept simple.
There was no crowd of guests, but the blessings from the border troops were louder than fireworks.
Surrounded by their cheers, they made their
Vows.
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