All Chapters of The bride he never choose: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Chapter 22: The Night Everything Changed The hospital was swallowed by darkness. Someone screamed. Another voice shouted, "Emergency power! Turn on the generators!" My heart raced. "Damian!" "I'm here," his voice came from the darkness. I reached for him just as his fingers found mine. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm here." Then I heard footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. They weren't running like the nurses or security guards. They were coming toward us. A flashlight flickered beneath the door. Someone was outside. The handle turned. Once. Twice. Then the door slowly creaked open. A figure dressed in black stepped inside. His face was hidden beneath a hood. "Stay behind me," Damian said instinctively. I stared at him. Even without his memories... His first instinct was still to protect me. The stranger raised a silenced pistol. Before he could fire— The emergency lights suddenly flashed back on. Red lights bathed the room. The gunman hesitated. Damian grabbed

MY DAUGHTER "My... daughter?" The words barely left my lips. Victor smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Yes." I took a step back. "No." "You've been living under a lie your entire life, Angela." "Don't call me that!" His smile faded. "Your real name is Angela Hale." I looked at the letter in my trembling hands. Every instinct screamed at me not to believe him. "This is another trick." Victor chuckled. "I knew you'd say that." He reached into his coat and pulled out a worn leather wallet. From it, he removed an old photograph. He tossed it toward me. It landed at my feet. My hands shook as I picked it up. It showed the same little girl from the locker. Me. Only this time, I was sitting on a man's shoulders, laughing. The man was younger... But there was no mistaking him. Victor. I stared at the picture in disbelief. "No..." "You were five years old," Victor said quietly. "Every Sunday we'd come to this very station to watch the trains." A sharp pain e

The Woman Who Should Have Been Dead The photograph slipped from my trembling fingers. Victor Hale... My father? I wanted to scream. I wanted to deny everything. But the video... The letter... The photographs... None of them looked fake. Damian stepped in front of me, shielding me from Victor's lingering gaze. "You're not going anywhere near her." Victor's lips curled into a faint smile. "Even without your memories, you're still protecting her." "I don't know who you are..." Damian's voice was calm but firm. "...but I know one thing." He reached for my hand. "She's staying with me." The warmth of his hand against mine stole my breath. He couldn't remember falling in love with me... Yet he still chose me. Victor noticed it too. "Interesting." He looked at me. "Does he know why his father kept you close?" My heart pounded. "What are you talking about?" Victor's smile disappeared. "Richard Carter didn't raise you out of kindness." "He raised you because you w

Chapter 28: The Betrayal That Wasn't The gunshot echoed through the abandoned church. "Father!" Damian rushed forward as Richard Carter collapsed onto the cold stone floor. Blood spread across his white shirt. I turned to Vivian in disbelief. "You shot him!" Vivian didn't answer. Her face remained unreadable. The pistol was still steady in her hand. Richard coughed violently, blood staining his lips. "Don't..." he whispered. "Don't let him..." Another gunshot rang out. This one wasn't from Vivian. The stained-glass window exploded inward. "Get down!" David shouted. Bullets rained through the church. Damian threw himself over me, shielding my body with his own. The sound of gunfire filled the sanctuary. Victor's men. They were everywhere. "They've surrounded us!" one of David's guards yelled. Smoke grenades rolled across the floor. Within seconds, the church disappeared beneath a thick gray haze. I could barely see my own hands. Someone grabbed my wrist. I sc

Chapter 30: The Fire Between Us The steady beep echoed beneath the church. Beep... Beep... Beep... David's face turned ashen. "There are explosives under the foundation." Panic spread through the church. Victor smiled. "You have three minutes." He took a step backward. "Save yourselves..." "...or save each other." With that, he disappeared through a hidden door behind the altar. "After him!" Richard shouted. "No!" David barked. "If we split up now, no one gets out alive!" The floor trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling. Damian grabbed my hand. "Angela." His voice was calm. "We're getting out together." --- The security team searched desperately for another exit. One guard shouted from the back. "I found a tunnel!" Everyone rushed toward it. The opening was narrow. Only one person could pass at a time. Richard looked at David. "Take Angela first." "No," I protested. "I'm not leaving without everyone." Damian turned to me. "This isn't the time to argue."