Chapter 6

The Lance who used to cry over Elvira, smile because of her, and give everything he had for her seemed to have disappeared.

"Get some rest," Elvira finally said as she suppressed the strange unease stirring within her. "I'll come see you tomorrow."

The door closed.

Lance's right wrist was throbbing with pain when his phone suddenly rang. It was the emergency call ringtone from the convalescent home.

Paying no attention to his injured wrist, he immediately answered.

"Mr. Archer, Mrs. Holden Senior has suddenly taken a turn for the worse. The doctors are trying to save her, but they say her condition is critical. You'd better get here immediately. This may be your last chance to see her."

Lance's heart seemed to stop. He ripped the needle from his hand, then stumbled out of bed and rushed out of the hospital room.

But Elvira was waiting at the elevator, looking equally frantic. She blocked his path.

"Move!" he rasped, trying to push past her. "Grandma is critically ill!"

"Andre has been taken!" Elvira gripped his arm with all her strength. "They're targeting me. You need to exchange yourself for him. We're leaving right now."

"No! Get out of my way!" Surrounded by the men Elvira had brought with her, Lance could do nothing but plead. "Please, at least give me one night!"

"There's no time. I'll arrange for a top medical team to look after Mrs. Holden Senior," Elvira said.

Elvira's men practically dragged Lance into the car.

Lance stumbled, and his injured right hand struck the wall. A searing pain shot through him, making his vision go black.

He gritted his teeth as he begged her, "Elvira, please…"

But of course, it was useless—Lance's pain meant nothing to Elvira.

Even his desperate, humiliating pleas only made her pause for a moment. Then, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and offered a perfunctory promise.

"I'll bring people to rescue you."

Inside an abandoned factory, Lance was exchanged for Andre.

Yet, for three whole days, Elvira never came to rescue him.

The abductors eventually lost patience. They broke Lance's ribs and severed the tendons in his right wrist.

Lance had bitten through his own lips and could no longer make a sound. All he could do was stare blankly at the door, wondering if Kathleen was alright. Had Elvira been unable to come in time because she was taking care of Kathleen?

It wasn't until the early hours of the fourth morning that he heard hurried footsteps and people shouting outside.

When the door was finally kicked open, several familiar faces rushed inside.

They were his colleagues from the base.

The moment they saw the condition Lance was in, they sucked in sharp breaths of horror.

As Lance was lifted onto a stretcher, he heard someone whisper under his breath, "Supreme Commander Skye had already broken through the perpetrators' defenses yesterday. But then Andre's cat went missing, so she turned around and went back."

Lance refused to enter the trauma bay, insisting that he be taken to the hospital Kathleen was in instead.

But then, a nurse quietly told him, "Mrs. Holden Senior passed away this morning, and she kept calling your name until the very end."

…

Lance knelt in the morgue without shedding a single tear. His chest felt so unbearably constricted that he could barely breathe.

All of a sudden, he spat out a mouthful of blood before passing out cold.

When he woke up again, he found himself in a hospital room.

Elvira stood up as soon as she saw his eyes open.

"You're awake."

Lance looked at her without saying anything.

"I've already arranged for the best medical team to look after Mrs. Holden Senior," Elvira said calmly, as though she were giving a mission report. "So, you don't need to worry, okay?"

Lance suddenly felt like laughing. The corners of his mouth twitched, but no laughter came.

Elvira had been so preoccupied with a missing cat that she hadn't even realized Kathleen had died.

"Tomorrow is the day we register our marriage," Elvira continued. Noticing how unusually quiet he was, she softened her tone for once. "You must be exhausted, so get some rest."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Lance, once we're legally married, you'll be my husband. I'll find a way to make you my sole flight partner as well."

The door closed gently behind her.

Lance slowly sat up and pulled the needle from the back of his hand.

Then, he changed out of his hospital gown and slung a bag over his shoulder. Inside were five small urns containing the ashes of Anthony, Jodi, Clint, Maya, and Kathleen.

When Lance walked out of the hospital room, he left three things behind.

The first was his resignation letter.

The second was the confirmation that the military tribunal's view was complete.

The third was a crystal pendant.

Lance no longer wanted the keepsake Elvira had given him when she rescued him all those years ago.