Chapter 3

I curved my lips into a smile for the first time that day.

Touching my ring, I wrote back, "I'm good. Honestly, I haven't felt this great in four years."

…

Damian spared no expense for the wedding. Almost the entire Calloway family showed up, alongside the friends who served with him and his post-military business partners.

The ballroom was packed to the brim.

Everyone in the crowd kept whispering about how devoted he was, and the only person who thought of calling me was Elena.

"Evelyn, what on earth is that Calloway kid playing at? Didn't you two break up? Why is there a stranger at your wedding? And isn't The Regency supposed to host your commendation ceremony today? Why is there a wedding happening instead?"

When I arrived at the hotel, Damian was throwing a massive fit.

"What do you mean, short notice? I booked this ballroom a month ago. You can't expect me to cancel the venue on the spot!"

The hotel manager wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Sir, we never received a deposit, so the booking was never finalized," he explained. "Ms. Rowan spent years reporting from an active war zone. She risked her life for the truth, and her photos won the Pallister Award.

"The local news station wanted to interview her, so they booked our main ballroom for the occasion. Mr. Calloway, this is a matter of honor. Could you perhaps yield the venue?"

Damian frowned, ready to snap back.

But as his eyes caught the documents in the manager's hands, he froze. "The Ms. Rowan you're talking about… Is it Evelyn Rowan?"

A life-sized banner stood nearby, displaying a photograph I had taken amid gunfire and explosions. My name was printed in bold letters right next to the headline about my award.

Before Damian could process it, the hotel manager glanced at the wedding sign and put the pieces together.

"Oh, this is Ms. Rowan's wedding ceremony! I heard a couple of days ago that she had big news coming up. What a coincidence!" said the manager. "Since everyone is here for Ms. Rowan anyway, let's combine the events. It's a great opportunity for the wedding guests to see her work."

The manager turned to Camille, who stood there in a wedding dress.

"You must be Ms. Rowan! You're incredibly brave to go into a war zone like that. It's an honor to host you."

Camille turned pale.

I chose that exact second to step forward. The moment I walked into the room, every eye in the ballroom turned toward me.

Damian frowned at me. "I thought I told you to stay home and let Camille handle the ceremony. And when were you planning to tell me about this award?"

I looked at him, finding his confusion pathetic. "Damian, a lot happened over the last four years. My first year over there, I heard a group of Corvians was trapped in an air strike, so I ran straight into a hot zone to look for you.

"A bomb went off right next to me. I lost 60% of the hearing in my left ear. Did you ever bother to ask about that?"

Damian froze, his eyes dropping to my scarred earlobe.

"My second year looking for you, I took a bullet to the leg. I had to crawl out of the trenches on my hands and knees because I refused to die in a ditch over there. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing you again," I continued.

"Over the last four years, I've survived countless injuries. I nearly died multiple times, and the only reason I woke up was because of you."

My voice was calm as I added, "Damian, while you were busy punishing me, I was going through hell. So, tell me, do you want to hear about the rest of it?"

Damian's eyes welled with tears.

A heavy silence fell over the guests, the crowd visibly shaken by what I said.

Damian opened his mouth, stammering for an answer, but Camille interrupted him with a bellow.

"Oh, please! Stop playing the victim. You did it for fame and the prize money. You were so obsessed with your little award that you left children to die in those war zones. In the end, you got your fame, but what about their mothers?"