"Where are you going? Wren, why aren’t you talking?"

"Because she’s lost her voice!"

Shaun Quinn swept aside the tent flap and entered, his brow creased with anger.

"Lost her voice?" Kaden Xavier zeroed in on the key part of Shaun’s statement. "Why would Wren lose her voice?"

Shaun Quinn looked at Wren Wynter with concern, his lips twisting into a bitter smile.

’The reason she lost her voice...’

’She thought Kaden Xavier was dead. The shock gave her intermittent traumatic aphasia.’

’But he wasn’t about to tell Kaden that. He would never let him know.’

"You should worry about yourself, Mr. Xavier. You were lucky to survive this time. You might not be so fortunate again."

Shaun was right. This was a war zone; death could come at any moment.

A single shell could land, and it wouldn’t matter how rich or powerful you were. You’d be just as dead as anyone else.

But something else terrified Kaden even more.

He frowned, his gaze lingering on Wren Wynter, filled with heartache.

’He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her in such a dangerous place.’

"What exactly happened to Wren?" Kaden pressed, returning to the point.

Wren shot Shaun a look, signaling him to keep quiet.

Shaun understood. He turned to Kaden with a sneer. "Wren’s business is no longer your concern. The two of you are finished."

’The moment Wren heard Kaden’s life was in danger, she became so distraught she developed traumatic aphasia.’

’If Kaden got hurt again—’

’Or even died here!’

’What would that do to Wren?’

’Shaun couldn’t bear to think about it.’

Kaden’s sharp gaze turned icy. "My business with Wren is none of your concern."

Not wanting to see them argue, Wren picked up her phone, typed a message, and held it out.

[Shaun is right. The front line is dangerous. Captain Xavier, you must go back.]

Kaden refused instantly. "If we’re going back, we’re going together. I’m not leaving you here alone..."

Before he could finish, his phone began to ring abruptly. RING... RING...

Kaden glanced at the screen, annoyed, and rejected the call.

When he didn’t answer, the caller sent a text instead.

Kaden glanced at it, and his brow furrowed instantly.

[Several rival companies know you’re out of the country. They’ve teamed up to drive down our stock. The share price has hit the daily limit down.]

A stock hitting its limit down could easily cost the group hundreds of millions!

Between his company and Wren, Kaden didn’t hesitate for a second. He chose her, his hand subconsciously tightening around hers.

Wren saw his reluctance. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she firmly pushed his hand away.

[Go back. This is important and can’t be delayed. I’ll have the international medical organization help get you across the border as soon as possible.]

Kaden’s expression was thunderous.

"Wren, don’t be ridiculous. If we’re leaving, we’re leaving together!"

[Between you and me, there is no ’us’.]

Wren put her phone away and turned to leave.

’If she wasn’t ruthless, Kaden would never agree to go back.’

Kaden reached for her, but Shaun stepped in his way.

"Mr. Xavier, stop this pointless struggle. If you really care about her, you’ll leave at once and stop causing her more grief!"

Kaden stood frozen, his fists clenched as he fell silent.

Wren’s figure receded into the distance until she rounded a corner and disappeared completely.

He looked down, gripping his phone tightly as a tide of pain surged in his eyes.

「Two mornings later.」

By the time dawn broke over the horizon, Wren had already been working for half the night.

She worked without pause—giving injections, staunching bleeding, changing dressings—as if only by immersing herself in her work could she ignore the dull ache in her heart.

The tent flap was swept aside, and a familiar figure entered.

Wren recognized Shaun. Seeing he was alone, she let her shoulders relax in relief.

[He’s gone?]

She typed on her phone.

"He," of course, was Kaden Xavier. They both knew it without having to say his name.

"Given the time, he should be crossing the border by now."

Wren nodded numbly. The dull ache in her chest, which she had suppressed with work, began to flare up again, thread by thread.

’Kaden was finally gone.’

’He had left this dangerous country and returned to his safe, prosperous homeland.’

’His business empire was there, his family, his friends... everything.’

’Everything... except her.’

’As of this moment, it was truly, completely over between them.’

Wren turned away, her vision blurring as tears welled in her eyes.

’She couldn’t lie to herself about the pain in her heart.’

’Still, it was better than him staying here.’

’They had no future together anyway.’

She sighed and gently wiped away the tears that slid down her cheeks.

"It’s for the best that he’s gone. At least he’s not an eyesore around here anymore."

Shaun watched her thin shoulders tremble slightly. His lips parted as if to speak, but he ultimately remained silent.

’He knew she was heartbroken to see him go.’

’But as long as Kaden was gone, as long as he stayed far away, she would get over the pain. She would truly heal.’

"Wren, the sun’s coming up. It’s a new day."

Wren nodded firmly.

’She still couldn’t speak, but right now, that was for the best. It was the perfect cover for her emotions.’

’Goodbye, Kaden.’

’Goodbye, to the Wren I used to be.’

「Five years later.」

The airport was bustling with people. Joy Lynch stood in the arrivals area, craning her neck and growing impatient.

"She’s almost two hours late. Where is she? Please don’t tell me something happened..."

SMACK!

Crystal Nash, who was standing beside her, smacked her on the back of the head and shot her a glare. "Do you have to be so pessimistic? Spit and take it back!"

Joy clutched the back of her head where she’d been hit. "Aferia’s been in a state of war for five years," she mumbled. "There are still militants launching attacks all over the place. It’s perfectly normal for me to be worried."

Crystal Nash froze at her words.

’She couldn’t have actually run into trouble, could she?’

Once the thought took root, it was hard to shake. Crystal quickly pulled out her phone and started searching for news from Aferia.

Just as the phone screen lit up, someone suddenly tapped them on the shoulder from behind.

"What are you guys up to?"

"AH!"

Joy Lynch was startled.

Crystal Nash turned around and came face-to-face with a familiar person. "Wren!"

Joy’s lips trembled and her eyes turned red as she threw her arms around Wren in a bear hug.

"Wren, we missed you so much."

Wren was squeezed so tight in the enthusiastic hug that she could barely breathe. She patted Joy’s back helplessly. "Let go of me first. Any tighter and you’re going to hug me to death."

Joy quickly let her go, scratching her head sheepishly. "I was just so worried about you!"

Crystal shook her head in exasperation. "You were two hours later than we expected. We were starting to think something had happened."

"Nothing like that." Wren’s delicate brows curved as she explained, "The airport is undergoing major renovations, and a lot of the runways are out of commission. That’s why we were delayed."