My Dead Hero’s Wedding Chapter 03

My Dead Hero’s Wedding Chapter 03 Fading Bond, Far Escape
I got home and fell into a drowsy sleep.
When I woke up again, I picked up my phone.
There were several missed calls from my previous captain.
And one striking reply.
Just a single word.
“Fuck off.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
The bond I thought transcended life and death was nothing but pestering in his eyes.
My gaze drifted to my wrist.
A bracelet woven from paracord, faded and pale now.
It was a gift Adrian gave me five years ago.
He said wearing it meant he was by my side, and he would protect me for the rest of my life.
During that mission, he was shot twice, bleeding heavily.
The first thing he did after regaining consciousness was fasten this bracelet around my wrist.
“Sienna, keep this on. It will protect you in my stead,” he had said.
His voice still echoed in my ears.
Yet everything had changed.
I tugged the bracelet off violently, tossed it into the toilet and flushed it away.
The bracelet was gone.
Adrian, from this moment on, we are even.
I cried my heart out.
Then I pulled myself together completely.
I dialed a number I hadn’t contacted in a long while, “Panther, any jobs? The most dangerous ones.”
Panther’s voice came through the line, brimming with excitement, “Wren? You’re finally coming back to the game.”
There’s a job in Africa, “protecting a medical team, The pay is great, but it’s a suicide mission.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Got it! I’ll book your flight right away. Departure is in a week.”
I hung up and started packing.
One backpack, a disassembled sniper rifle, and a few changes of clothes.
That was all I owned.
I cut myself off from the outside world and finished all the paperwork within seven days.
My phone was unreachable. On the day I was set to leave, Claire showed up at my door.
Adrian followed right behind her.
She rushed over and hugged me, trying to drag me to the hospital.
I knew what she feared.
She was afraid I would take my own life.
I pulled away my hand and spoke in a calm tone, “I’m fine.”
I did not know how to face her.
Resent her? Or wish her happiness?
I could do neither.
All I wanted was to get away.
Claire let out a sigh of relief, “Will you please answer your phone from now on? Is your phone just for show? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?
“We came to pick you up. It’s your birthday, have you forgotten? We’ve prepared a party for you tonight, and I’ll introduce you to some nice guys.
“No turning it down!”
Her expression was earnest, her tone leaving no room for refusal.
Bright and warm-hearted.
No wonder Adrian had fallen for her.
I looked toward the man standing behind her.
His eyes were cold, as if he were looking at a total stranger.
I could not tell if I yielded to Claire’s concern, or simply acted out of my own selfish thoughts.
I let them inside.
I had decorated this apartment according to Adrian’s tastes.
Sharp and minimalist, dominated by black, white and gray.
Claire’s eyes widened, “Wow, Sienna, your taste… it feels so gloomy.
“Everything is dark, not a single touch of color.”
Because color had long vanished from my world.
I said softly, “My ex-boyfriend liked it this way.”