Chapter 2
I stumbled and crawled my way to the base hospital, only to freeze outside his room when I heard his mother’s voice through the cracked door.
“Cole, you brought home a hideous wife and made us the laughingstock of the entire base. And now you dare to risk your life to protect her? How long are you going to keep up this rebellious phase?”
There was a moment of silence before Cole’s calm, steady voice replied, “Mom, you know exactly what I want.”
“I know this is all for Selena.” Mrs. Sterling’s voice trembled. “She was just a performer in the military PR division, and her family is ruined. She could never marry into the Sterling family. Marrying Ava just to spite us won’t change anything.”
I leaned against the freezing hospital wall, my entire body going numb.
Selena.
Who was Selena?
With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and texted a friend in military intelligence.
Run a background check on Cole Sterling and Selena Vance.
The file came through quickly.
Selena Vance, lead dancer in the military’s public relations performance troupe. Cole’s first love. The golden couple in everyone’s eyes. Childhood sweethearts. A match made in heaven.
Three years ago, when they were discussing marriage, Selena’s father was investigated for severe financial fraud. Fearing the scandal would taint their reputation, the Sterling family vehemently opposed the marriage.
Cole fought for her, so his family pulled strings to have Selena deployed to a remote, desolate base.
The two eventually broke up.
After that, Cole went on a string of blind dates, brushing off every woman until he met me—the intentionally ugly girl at a military mixer.
It turned out he chose me simply to rebel against his family, to force them into accepting Selena.
I stared at the glowing screen and suddenly let out a broken laugh.
My mother had been terrified that I would be deceived because of my beauty.
But even as an “ugly” girl, I had been deceived all the same.
And the deception was even more absurd. Even more complete.
For the past three years, he tied my shoelaces, stood guard with me in the freezing cold, and remembered every casual remark I made.
It was all just a show.
A performance staged for the Sterling family.