4: Have We Met Before?

Daphne's pov

I couldn't stop staring at him.

General Adrik Hale was alive.

I had watched him die. I remembered the blood spreading beneath him, the gunshot that split the silence, the way his body had folded onto the cold ground. Yet here he stood in a dark uniform, composed, as though death had never laid a finger on him.

My nails pressed into my palms until the sting made me blink.

Stop staring.

If anyone noticed, I'd have to explain why a general I had supposedly never met had me looking like I'd seen a ghost.

"General Hale," my father said, stepping forward. "I wasn't expecting to see you at my daughter's wedding."

Adrik turned to him. "I'm sorry to arrive under these circumstances, Mr. Alistair. I understand this isn't the occasion you anticipated."

Ronald glanced toward the church doors, where guests were still whispering about the ceremony that had ended before the vows were finished. "It's certainly been an unusual day."

I lowered my eyes, though I could feel Adrik's presence like heat against the side of my face. I had just refused to marry Edward in front of two hundred people. A military general was the last complication I needed.

But Adrik didn't ask about the wedding. He offered no sympathy and made no comment on the commotion.

"There's a matter I'd like to discuss with you privately," he said. "It concerns a property you own outside the city."

Ronald's brow creased. "My property?"

"Yes, sir. I understand you own a considerable tract of land in a relatively isolated area. I'd like to discuss the possibility of using it."

I looked up. My father owned several properties through Alistair Holdings, including undeveloped land outside the state. I couldn't think why a general would suddenly care about one of them.

"What would the military need with that land?" Ronald asked.

"I'd prefer to explain in private."

He wasn't rude. He simply wouldn't offer even a basic explanation in front of the people around us, and the refusal felt deliberate.

Ronald studied him, then nodded. "Of course. We can discuss it at my residence."

"Thank you."

As my father gestured toward the waiting cars, I stayed rooted to the spot, my veil still tangled in my hair.

An isolated property. A private discussion. A general who had appeared without warning.

In my first life, Adrik Hale had never visited my father. I had never heard of any connection between him and Alistair Holdings. The first time I'd seen him in person was in that alley, shortly before his death.

So why was he here now?

Had my refusal to marry Edward changed something this large? Or had events already been moving in a direction I'd never seen?

"Daphne?"

My father's voice pulled me back. Everyone was waiting for me.

"Are you coming?" Ronald asked gently.

"Yes, Daddy."

Edward's absence was a relief. He had stayed behind to deal with the guests and the humiliation of our broken engagement. I didn't want to see him again, not today. Not after remembering what he'd done to me.

Ronald opened the car door. "Are you all right, sweetheart?"

His familiar face, lined with concern, nearly undid me. I pressed my lips together until I trusted my voice.

"I am now."

He searched my eyes, clearly unconvinced, but he didn't press. "Whatever happened in that church, we'll talk about it when we get home. You don't have to explain everything at once."

I nodded, grateful. I had to protect the people I loved without revealing my second chance, and I had to understand why the future was already changing.

The drive to the Alistair mansion felt longer than usual.

I sat beside Gavin, with Viola opposite us. My little brother kept shifting in his seat and glancing at me until he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Are you really not marrying Edward?"

"Gavin," Viola said softly.

"What? Everyone at the church was talking about it."

"I'm not marrying him," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to."

Gavin blinked, thrown by the simplicity of it. Then he grinned. "Good. I never liked him anyway."

Despite everything, I laughed, a small, startled sound. The knot in my chest loosened a little.

"Since when?"

"Since he told me I couldn't borrow his car when I turned eighteen."

"You are fourteen!"

"Exactly. He could have let me sit in the driver's seat."

Viola shook her head, hiding a smile behind her hand.

I let myself soak in the bickering, the ordinary rhythm of it. In my first life I had lost them both. I wouldn't spend this second chance so afraid of the future that I forgot to cherish the people I was trying to save. I reached over and squeezed Gavin's hand. He gave me an odd look but squeezed back.

At the mansion, Ronald led Adrik into his study, and the general asked that their discussion remain private.

"Would you like some refreshments, General?" the housekeeper asked.

"Water would be fine, thank you."

The study door closed behind him.

I tried to settle in the sitting room. I smoothed the same crease in my skirt three times while Gavin complained about the ruined reception. Viola eventually excused herself to rest, and Gavin wandered off in search of food.

I stayed.

My eyes kept drifting to the study door. I wasn't going to eavesdrop. I only wanted to know why Adrik Hale had walked into our lives.

The clock on the mantel ticked. I counted nine minutes before the door opened.

Ronald emerged first, looking thoughtful. Adrik followed with a slim folder under one arm.

"Daphne," my father called. "Come here a moment."

I rose and crossed the room.

"General Hale and I have discussed a possible arrangement involving one of our properties," Ronald said. "Nothing is finalized. If we proceed, I'll need someone from the company to help organize the preliminary documents."

I glanced at the folder. "I can help with that."

He raised an eyebrow. "You have enough on your plate today."

"I'd rather keep busy."

It was true. Sitting alone with my thoughts would only bring back the life I'd lost.

Adrik regarded me. "Do you have experience with property agreements?"

"Some. I've sat in on meetings with Daddy and reviewed documents with the legal department."

"Then perhaps you can assist once the details are ready."

His tone was professional, neither warm nor dismissive.

Ronald glanced at his watch. "General, I appreciate you coming personally. My office will contact you once we've reviewed everything."

"Thank you, Mr. Alistair."

Adrik handed him the folder and turned toward the entrance. I followed them into the hallway, ostensibly to see our guest out, my gaze fixed on the general as he shook my father's hand.

Then Ronald's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, excused himself, and walked back toward his study to answer.

Adrik and I were alone.

For the first time since he'd arrived, he looked directly at me with no one else watching.

I stopped breathing.

His gaze moved over my face and lingered on my eyes. I searched his expression for recognition and couldn't find any I trusted, yet the scrutiny made the back of my neck prickle.

"Miss Alistair."

"Yes, General?"

"Have we met before?"

My heart lurched. For one terrifying second, I wondered whether he remembered his first life, too.

I made myself meet his gaze, my palms pressed flat against my skirt to keep them from shaking.

"Why would you ask me that, General?"