William excused himself once the party was over, saying that he had something to do. I figured he was probably going to spend time with Emily, who was hiding in that room.

Not long after, I heard two gunshots coming from the top of the hill. Feeling numb, I looked up only to see strangers approaching me.

I stared at the people before me as they took guns out and aimed at my head.

Just when I thought I was going to die, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of me. When the armed men saw that it was William, they fired a few shots in succession.

William quickly picked me up in his arms and slid down the hillside, holding onto me tightly the entire time. He had been shot in the left part of his chest, and his body was all bloody from being scratched by the gravel.

Even then, all he did was protect me as he muttered, "Don't be scared."

The culprits were quickly subdued. It turned out that they were spies who had snuck in, and they never expected to run into me head-on.

A few years ago, William killed the pregnant wife of one of the men on the other side of the border. Furious, he wanted revenge on William.

…

In the hospital, I stared at William, who was lying on the bed in a daze. If he could give up his life for my sake, then why was he treating me like this?

William was gravely wounded. However, on the third day of his stay, he insisted on getting out of bed and said that he had to negotiate with the enemy leader. I hated the way my heart softened at his words.

When he saw me staring at him, guilt flashed across his eyes. "It's really important. I have to go."

"Okay," I replied quietly.

Wedding props had been popping up in the headquarters lately, and Emily had sent me a wedding invitation the night before. Obviously, I knew where William was headed.

Maybe what Emily said was true—William didn't love me anymore. All I felt was disgust at the sight of him hugging her.

…

I soon boarded the cruise ship to Stanhert. My phone dinged with a text. It was from William, and it read, "I'm at the negotiation site, Stephanie."

While he was having a wedding with Emily, he sent a fake picture of himself at the negotiation site. It was like he was trying to prove himself.

I knew the picture was fake because I was watching a live stream of the wedding. Emily was the one streaming the whole thing to me over a video call.

Through the livestream, I could see the wedding being held in a basement. Clearly, William was worried that I would find out.

He was dressed in a suit, and the blood from his chest wound was already seeping into the clothes. Even so, he insisted on having a wedding with Emily.

I could see William standing at the altar. After the priest recited the oath, William kissed Emily's hand and affectionately said, "I do."

At that point, I laughed at my own stupidity. When he told me he was leaving to negotiate that morning, I actually had a bit of hope in my heart. I wondered if he actually had something urgent to deal with.

The more one trusted someone like William, the more he would treat them like a fool.

After stepping down from the altar, William sent me a text.

"The negotiations are going well. What do you want to eat tonight?"

I replied, "Are you actually negotiating right now?"

As soon as I sent the message, I received a barrage of calls and texts.

"I am. I'll explain it to you once I'm home."

Through the livestream, I could see that William was shocked. He completely disregarded the wedding and hurriedly took his suit off, rushing home as if it were a matter of life and death. However, I had already left the borders of Moria.