Chapter 4

I thought Wade would panic and try to explain.

Instead, he rubbed his temples. His voice carried a hint of exhaustion.

"That's right. Your marriage certificate is fake. Seven years ago, Harry needed to be registered, but my brother's identity was unique. We couldn't let anyone know he had a child. So Helen and I registered our marriage to make the paperwork easier."

Helen hurried forward and grabbed my hand.

"Wendy, as long as it means Harry can go to school, I'll divorce Wade right now. You can have your marriage back!"

I could see the seemingly sincere and anxious look in her eyes. There were even tears in them.

Yet, I snorted and pulled away.

"Don't bother. Since we're avoiding suspicion anyway, whether there's a marriage certificate or not makes no difference. Once I finish the case I'm working on tomorrow, I'll cooperate with you two and handle the paperwork."

My calmness seemed to surprise Wade.

Before he could say anything, I turned around and went into the bedroom to pack my things.

When I came back out, Wade was feeding Harry at the dining table.

Helen stood beside him while wiping down the table. The scene looked peaceful and complete.

Not one of them looked up at me.

"I'll sleep at the precinct tonight," I said.

Wade hummed in response. He didn't even stop moving the spoon in his hand.

I opened the door and left.

The next morning, the precinct held a briefing.

There had been a breakthrough in the case Wade was handling. The suspect had been identified.

He was a murderer who had been moving across multiple towns, specifically targeting women who were alone.

Surveillance footage had captured him operating in our city. Time was running out.

Our team leader stood in front of the projector with a grave expression.

"We need a female officer to serve as bait and lure the suspect out. He's extremely violent, so this operation carries a very high level of risk."

Among the officers on duty that day, I was the only woman.

The other was Wade's assistant, Helen.

Everyone fell silent.

Helen's eyes were still red from crying the day before.

She stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Wade stood beside her while twirling a pen between his fingers.

"Since there are two candidates, let's draw lots. That's the fairest way."

Everyone agreed. Wade picked up two pieces of paper from the table, turned his back to us, and wrote something down. He then crumpled the paper into balls and placed them on the table.

With everyone watching, Helen picked one up and unfolded it. It was blank.

I saw Wade's shoulders relax ever so slightly.

He was relieved that Helen wasn't the one who had drawn the dangerous assignment.

I clenched the other piece of paper in my hand, but I no longer had the courage to unfold it.

I already knew the result. There was no need to verify it.

The operation was scheduled for that evening.

The location was an abandoned factory. As dusk settled in, a few streetlights barely illuminated the area.

I stood in the open space as planned. I was pretending to be waiting for someone.

The wind blew through the gaps in the broken walls. It was cold enough to make me shiver.

I touched the miniature earpiece in my ear and waited for the signal.

Soon, I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

According to the plan, I was supposed to wait for my team's signal before making a move.

Several seconds had passed, but there was still no response through the earpiece.

I pressed the button behind my ear and switched to Wade's channel.

Wade's voice came through almost immediately, but his tone was soft and almost soothing.

"It's okay, Helen. You don't have to blame yourself. Both pieces of paper were blank. It was my decision, and it has nothing to do with you. I'll make sure Wendy stays safe."

Helen's voice was choked with tears. "But what if something happens to Wendy–"

"It won't. I have someone stationed nearby."

I felt a chill down my spine and stood frozen in place.

It sounded like the footsteps behind me were merely inches away.

Wade did this. He had switched both pieces of paper to blank ones.

To keep Helen from taking the risk, he had pushed me to accept the assignment instead.

The next second, a cloth with a pungent chemical smell was suddenly clamped over my mouth and nose.

I struggled desperately, but my strength slowly drained away.

At the same time, Wade's communicator crackled.

Our team leader's urgent voice came through.

"Mr. Graham! All three of the undercover officers we stationed nearby have been injured! The suspect made his move early, and Officer Wendy is missing!"

At that moment, the color gradually drained from Wade's face.