Chapter 3

I read the note and couldn't help the cold laugh that escaped me.

Based on everything I knew about Sophia, her chances of actually committing suicide were exactly zero.

This was another pathetic act, a drama designed to ruin our wedding night and drag Alexander's attention back to her.

Alexander gave the orders, and the guards fanned out to search.

Half an hour later, nothing. No sign of her anywhere.

A thought clicked in my head. For Sophia's plan to work, she needed a place that was hidden enough to seem dramatic but easy enough to find once they started looking.

The storage warehouse on the edge of the property was perfect.

"I'll check it out," I offered.

Alexander frowned. "Too dangerous. If she's truly unstable—"

"Trust me. I'm a professional. Remember what I do for a living?"

Ten minutes later, I found Sophia in a remote corner of the warehouse.

She was sitting on a pile of ammunition crates, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, looking pitiful and helpless.

When she saw it was me, the helpless act vanished like smoke.

"It's you?" She shot to her feet, venom in her eyes. "Where's Alexander? Why did he send you?"

I walked toward her slowly, a cold smile on my face.

"Sophia. You really put on quite the show to wreck my wedding night. I'm almost impressed."

Her face went sour. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Save it." I stopped in front of her. "You thought if I wasn't in the picture, you'd eventually end up as the mistress of this house, right? That he'd marry you one day? Too bad. He didn't choose you. He chose me."

She dropped the act completely, her face twisting with rage.

"Fine!" she spat. "I've been by his side for years. Years! I would have gotten him eventually. Then you showed up and stole all his attention! You made him treat me like this!"

I laughed in her face. "Wake up, Sophia. Even without me, he would never love you. Not the way you want him to. You're his adopted sister. That's all you've ever been."

I turned to leave. I was done wasting breath on her.

Then she started laughing wildly behind me. "Want to make a bet? If Alexander finds out what a vicious woman you really are, do you think he'll still want you?"

Before I could react, she pulled a small knife from her bag, a fancy little thing with a pearl handle.

My eyes widened. I stepped back, my hand going for my gun.

But she didn't come at me.

She drove the blade into her own arm. Deep. Blood poured out, bright red against her pale skin.

It happened in an instant. She screamed, a bloodcurdling shriek that echoed through the warehouse.

Before I could even process it, she was screaming toward the entrance behind me.

"Help! Someone help! Chloe's trying to kill me!"

Alexander and his guards burst through the door in a flood of light.

In that moment, I realized this was Sophia's setup. Her masterpiece.

I didn't panic. My mind went cold and clear.

"I never touched her," I said flatly.

I watched Alexander's face, ready to make a decision. If he believed her lies, this marriage was over before it even began.

But to my surprise, Alexander barely glanced at Sophia. He walked straight to me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

He took off his uniform jacket and draped it over my shoulders. "Are you cold?" he asked softly.

I froze. He believed me? Just like that?

Sophia shrieked from behind us. "Brother! Look at me! Chloe almost killed me!"

"I only asked her not to bully me, and she told me to go die—"

When Alexander didn't react, she doubled down, her voice growing shrill.

"She also said she only married you to infiltrate the Marshall family and sell military secrets! She's a spy! Stay away from her!"

The guards stirred uneasily.

"Chloe is a spy? Is that possible?"

"Miss Sophia has always been honest. She wouldn't lie about something like this."

"If that's true, the General has to execute her immediately..."

Sophia saw her plan working and smirked.

I was about to lose it. I was about to tear that smug face apart myself.

Alexander held me back.

My heart sank. He doubts me after all.

"Let go," I said coldly. "I don't need a husband who questions me."

But his grip only tightened.

He turned to the guards, his voice like a blade.

"I trust Chloe completely. Anyone here questioning my judgment?"

Silence. Nobody dared challenge a five-star general.

Sophia's jaw dropped. "Brother, don't let her fool you! Look at my wound—"

"I see it perfectly." Alexander's voice was ice cold.

He looked at her like she was a joke. "Sophia. You grew up in the Marshall household. You had military training. Didn't you know that self-inflicted wounds look completely different from ones caused by another person?"