Chapter Twelve: The Wedding Day (Part Two

The Billionaire's Contract Bride

The chapel erupted into panic.

Guests screamed as security agents rushed toward the altar. Some ducked beneath the pews while others hurried toward the exits.

"Nobody leaves!" Ethan Cole shouted.

"Lock every gate!"

Within seconds, Blackwood Estate was sealed.

Claire remained frozen on the floor.

Warm blood stained her white wedding gown.

Her trembling hands pressed against Martin's injured shoulder.

"No..."

Her voice broke.

"No, Martin... please..."

Martin tried to sit up.

"It's only my shoulder."

The effort sent another wave of pain through him.

Claire's eyes filled with tears.

"You call this 'only'?"

She tore a strip from the edge of her veil and pressed it firmly against the wound.

"You've lost a lot of blood."

Martin looked at her instead of the wound.

"You're safe."

Claire stared at him.

Even now...

His first concern wasn't himself.

It was her.

Moments later...

Paramedics rushed into the chapel.

"Move back!"

They placed Martin onto a stretcher.

As they wheeled him away, his hand instinctively reached for Claire's.

Without thinking...

She held it.

Neither of them noticed.

Neither wanted to let go.

Until the ambulance doors closed.

Blackwood Memorial Hospital.

The emergency department sprang into action.

Doctors hurried Martin into surgery.

Claire stood outside the operating room, still wearing her bloodstained wedding dress.

Her makeup had been washed away by tears.

Guests quietly left the hospital.

Reporters gathered outside.

News channels interrupted regular programming.

Breaking News: Billionaire CEO Martin Blackwood Shot While Protecting His Bride.

Across Los Angeles, millions watched the story unfold.

Edward Blackwood arrived at the hospital in his wheelchair.

When he saw Claire sitting alone, he slowly reached for her hand.

"My child..."

Claire looked up.

"I should have been the one shot."

Edward shook his head gently.

"No."

"He made his choice."

She lowered her eyes.

"But why?"

Edward smiled sadly.

"My grandson never does anything halfway."

"When he decides to protect someone..."

"He protects them with everything he has."

Those words settled deeply in Claire's heart.

Meanwhile...

In a quiet room two floors above...

Ethan watched surveillance footage frame by frame.

"There..."

He paused the video.

The disguised violinist.

The man's face was partly visible for less than two seconds.

Ethan enlarged the image.

His expression changed.

"No..."

He immediately picked up his phone.

"Sir..."

Martin was still unconscious.

So Ethan called the only person he trusted with this information.

"Grandfather Edward."

The old man answered.

"What is it?"

Ethan's voice became heavy.

"I know who hired the assassin."

Silence.

Edward closed his eyes.

"Tell me."

"It wasn't Ivy."

Edward frowned.

"I suspected as much."

"It was someone much closer."

"Who?"

Ethan swallowed.

"The payment came through a company secretly owned by..."

Before he could finish—

The lights in the surveillance room suddenly went out.

Darkness swallowed everything.

A loud crash echoed through the corridor.

Ethan reached for his flashlight.

When the emergency lights flickered back on...

The computer hard drives were gone.

Someone had broken into the room.

And on the monitor...

A single sentence had been typed in red letters.

"Stop digging... or the next funeral will be hers."

Ethan stared at the screen.

This wasn't just a threat.

It was a promise.

Three hours later...

The operating room doors opened.

The chief surgeon removed his mask.

Claire jumped to her feet.

"Doctor?"

"The surgery was successful."

Relief swept through the corridor.

"The bullet passed through the shoulder without damaging his heart."

Claire closed her eyes.

A quiet tear rolled down her cheek.

"Thank God."

The doctor smiled.

"He'll wake up soon."

Late that night...

Claire quietly entered Martin's hospital room.

The machines beeped steadily.

He looked strangely peaceful without the stern expression he usually wore.

She sat beside him.

"You always pretend to be so strong," she whispered.

"But today..."

"...you nearly died."

She reached for his hand.

"I don't know when it happened..."

"But somewhere along the way..."

"...you stopped being just my contract husband."

She smiled through her tears.

"You became someone I couldn't bear to lose."

She gently rested her head beside his hand.

Exhaustion finally overcame her.

Within minutes...

She fell asleep.

Neither of them noticed that Martin's fingers moved slightly.

His eyes slowly opened.

The first thing he saw...

Was Claire sleeping beside him.

A soft smile—one no one had seen in years—appeared on his face.

He whispered so quietly that only the silent room could hear:

"I'm glad..."

"...it wasn't you."

Just outside the room...

A shadow slipped away unnoticed.

The mysterious visitor had heard every word.

And in the visitor's pocket...

Was another envelope marked:

"Phase Three."