Chapter 1

Madeline Snow walked out of city hall, staring dazedly at her marriage certificate. It turned out that getting a marriage registered only took ten minutes.

She couldn't believe she was actually married, and not to Isaac Chance, her fiancé. Her newlywed husband was a stranger she'd only known for less than a week.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Snow. I have an urgent mission, so we can only have our wedding in a month. Is that okay?" A deep, apologetic voice rang out beside her. She turned to look at the man.

The setting sun's rays shone down on him, accentuating his chiseled features and making his skin seem even more tanned than it was.

He stood with his back straight, and his expression was calm and composed. However, his actions were sharp and decisive. He was the perfect embodiment of a soldier.

He was her newlywed husband, Elijah Quilton.

"That's okay." Madeline nodded. "Your mission is more important."

Elijah smiled faintly before stepping forward to give her a quick hug. "We'll act as planned, then. I'll see you in Halston City in a month for the wedding. I'll pick you up after my mission, so wait for me."

The hug was over before Madeline could process it. Elijah turned and left.

Madeline stood there for a while longer to process the fact that she was married. Then, she tucked her marriage certificate into her bag and took a cab home.

The apartment was empty, as always, but she ignored that. She headed straight to the master bedroom to pack her things.

She and Isaac had been promised to marry since childhood, so it had been fine for her to live at his place before. But not anymore. Now that she was already married, it would be best to leave as soon as possible.

She'd just retrieved her suitcase when a voice rang out from the door. "Where are you going?"

Madeline looked up to see Isaac standing there after not returning for two weeks. His suit jacket was thrown over his arm, and he rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted.

"I've been swamped lately, Maddie. Please don't try something ridiculous like running away from home. I don't have the time to play games with you," he said irritably.

He was doing it again. He was always impatient when speaking to her—it was as if he'd had to squeeze out time from his schedule to entertain her.

She was genuinely about to leave, yet he only thought she was kicking up a fuss. She didn't want to waste her breath explaining anything, so she lowered her gaze and started to fold her clothes.

"The hospital is sending me to Icewind City soon, so I'm preparing for that."

Isaac faltered when he realized he had misunderstood her. His expression softened, and he said, "It's colder there than it is here, so remember to take warmer clothes."

"Okay."

He watched her rummage through the closet for more clothes. After some hesitation, he said, "I still want Rachel and Queenie to move in here, Maddie. I also need to have Queenie registered as my child. You know they don't have anyone to rely on in Summeria, and I owe them my—"

Madeline didn't wait for him to finish. She turned and interjected, "I'm okay with that. Bring them over."

She was about to leave anyway. It wasn't her business who moved into this apartment; she didn't want to have anything to do with the matter, either.

Rachel Livingston and her daughter, Queenie Livingston, had saved Isaac's life. They could even be considered Chance Corporation's saviors.

Half a year ago, Isaac had gone to Marvonia on a business trip. He'd encountered a terrorist attack there and had gone missing. He'd only reappeared a month ago at his grandmother, Marie Brown's 70th birthday celebration. He'd brought Rachel and Queenie with him.

It was a day when all of Shorestone City's upper crust had gathered, yet Isaac had appeared with his arm around another woman. He'd even introduced her and her daughter to everyone.

That day, he'd turned Madeline into the laughingstock of Shorestone City.

After the celebration, Isaac had explained to Madeline that he was only grateful to Rachel for saving him with her wits and courage. She'd also helped him keep the company's top-secret documents safe.

Madeline knew what she saw, though. His gaze wasn't just of gratitude when he looked at Rachel—there was no faking the love in his eyes.

In the past, she would've done everything possible to stop Rachel from invading her territory. Now, she wouldn't do that anymore.

Isaac didn't expect Madeline to agree so readily, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. He was pleased by her compromise, so his attitude softened further.

"Don't worry, Maddie. Rachel will move out of here once she familiarizes herself with things here and gets a job."

Madeline didn't care about that. She switched the subject and said, "About our engagement—"

Isaac didn't want to broach the subject. He cut her off and said, "Work has been busy lately. We can talk about marriage later!"

"I'm not—"

Isaac's phone rang. He ignored Madeline and answered it, his gaze immediately turning tender. "What's wrong, Rachel? Does Queenie miss me? I'll be right there!"

He turned and hurried to the door. As he got there, he seemed to remember that Madeline had been speaking to him.

He turned back and said, "Prepare the guest bedroom for Rachel and Queenie by tomorrow, okay? That's when they move in."

He left, shutting the door behind him. Madeline was left alone in the apartment with an empty heart. She looked at her outstretched hand and forced a smile, her gaze dull.

She'd wanted to tell Isaac that their engagement was off, not that she wanted to get married.

When had he lost the patience to listen to her? Nowadays, his gaze was always impatient and annoyed whenever he looked at her. It was as if he hated communicating with her.

He hadn't been like that in the past, though.