My relationship with Evan Aldridge was not a secret to everyone.

He was a mercenary, living a life where danger lurked in every shadow. For five years, I followed him faithfully, like his shadow. I stitched his wounds and shielded him from bullets.

Evan had once risked his life for me too. He infiltrated enemy camps to save me and painted entire bases red to avenge me.

But now, this same man who had once loved me with his heart was shamelessly having an affair with another woman right in front of me.

Our love had turned into the cruelest joke of all.

With trembling hands, I dialed a top-secret number. "I accept an S-level mission and I request an immediate transfer."

——

"Evan, you’re still so fierce, even with your injury."

Violet Roswell lay breathlessly on Evan's bare chest, her delicate fingers tracing lazy circles on his skin.

"This wound was just stitched up by Doctor Montclair. Aren't you afraid it will split open again?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "Doctor Montclair" and her tone was dripped with provocation.

Evan's large hand gripped her slender waist, his breathing heavy. "You little devil. You tempt me so much, I don’t feel any pain."

"Not even afraid of being caught by Doctor Montclair?" Violet whispered as she leaned and breathed her warm breath against his ear.

Upon hearing these words, Evan froze for a fleeting moment.

He shifted and rolled over to pin Violet beneath him before replying in a low voice, "She won't know. She loves me too much to ever doubt me."

"And what I have with you is just physical."

"My heart has always belonged to Isla."

After saying that, he kissed Violet's red lips fiercely, he crushed her lips with his own, as if desperate to drown out the turmoil her words had stirred.

I stared at the message from Violet on my phone. [Doctor Montclair, do you want to see how "healthy" your beloved Captain Aldridge is in the ward?]

Attached was a photo that showed Evan and Violet entwined. My eyes instantly reddened.

My hands were trembling as I clicked on the ward monitor.

As the attending doctor at the base hospital, accessing the monitor without proper authorization was a clear violation of protocol. But in that moment, rules no longer mattered.

The scene played. On the hospital bed, Evan and Violet were locked in a passionate kiss. Violet’s curvaceous figure writhed beneath him, like a serpent tempting its prey.

And Evan… my Evan… was pressing hard into her, again and again.

The fresh wound on his side had reopened, staining the white sheets with blood. The stark red mocked me, laughing at my foolishness.

But what did the pain of a reopened wound mean to a man like Evan, with a beauty like Violet Roswell in his arms?

I pressed the replay button. It felt like self-punishment, watching their betrayal over and over again. For a full five hours.

The gasping and moaning sound from the video made my stomach churn violently.

Five years ago, I gave up everything for him and walked away from a bright future at the research institute to follow him, mission after mission.

I thought our love was the strongest bond.

But now?

I stared at Evan on the screen and it felt like looking at a stranger.

The way Evan hugged Violet and surrendered to his desires again and again was completely different from the affectionate Evan I knew.

Then, my phone buzzed again. Another message from Violet. [Doctor Montclair, Evan is really amazing. I wonder if he’s ever slept with you like this.]

[Five hours! My waist almost gave out.]

I could not take it anymore, so I rushed into the bathroom and retched into the toilet.

The sour burn of stomach acid clawed at my throat, but it was nothing compared to the searing ache in my heart.

The sound of my vomiting must have alerted the nurse next door. "Doctor Montclair, are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

I fought against the waves of dizziness and leaned heavily against the wall for support.

I walked toward Evan's ward, my face blank and emotionless.

Pushing open the door, I noticed that Violet was gone, but the lingering trace of their intimacy still hung in the air.

Evan lay on the bed with his cheeks still flushed.

When he saw me, he quickly sat up and adjusted his hospital gown. His eyes lit up with what seemed like genuine joy, as though nothing had happened just moments ago.

"Isla, why are you here?"

His voice was soft and warm, entirely different from how he had sounded with Violet.

"Isla, do you miss me?"

I kept my tone steady. "I came to check on your wound."

At my words, Evan reached out and grabbed my wrist. "Isla still so cares about me."

His hand, the same hand that had just touched another woman, now sought to hold me.

A wave of disgust churned in my stomach, but I forced it down. I opened his hospital gown to see if blood had seeped through the dressing.

"Why is this happening? Were you doing extra exercise?"

At my words, an awkward flush crept onto Evan's face. He looked down, like a guilty child caught in a lie.

"I just… wanted to start training again so I could recover faster and rejoin the team sooner."

"I'll ask the nurse to replace the bandage later. Please take better care of yourself."

Without waiting for a response, I turned and began walking toward the door.

Behind me, his voice followed, full of promise. "It won’t happen again, Isla. I won’t make you worry anymore."

I just said yes and quickly left the ward.

I could feel Evan's genuine feelings for me.

However, it felt tainted and dirty.

I did not want this kind of love anymore.

"Isla, I’m home early from the hospital," Evan said as he stepped through the door, carrying a large bag of fruit like a child eager for praise.

He saw me preparing breakfast in the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind. His familiar scent enveloped me.

His warm breath tickled my ear, but it only froze me in place.

This posture triggered the image of him holding Violet in the surveillance footage to flash in my mind, over and over.

I turned stiffly, slipping out of his embrace. "Why did you leave the hospital early? Your wound... "

"I missed you. "

Evan took my hand and said, "That little injury is nothing. If I wasn’t worried about you, I wouldn’t have left so soon."

His gaze seemed so loving, but I could not forget what he had told Violet in the ward."You tempt me so much, I don’t feel any pain."

I gently pushed him away. "But I didn’t know you’d be back so soon. I didn’t prepare anything for you."

His expression darkened. "I can have you first."

He leaned closer, but before he could close the distance, there was a knock at the door.

It was Violet.

She stood there in a tight-fitting dress with a slit that ran scandalously high, almost to her waist.

The silk fabric clung to her curves.

Evan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Why are you here?"

I could sense unconcealable displeasure in his tone.

Violet’s charming smile did not falter. "I brought food for you this morning, Captain Aldridge. The nurse told me you’d been discharged, so I came to deliver it personally."

She turned to me and asked, "Do you mind, Doctor Montclair?"

"If you don’t mind, come in. It just so happens that I didn’t make your captain’s breakfast." I kept my expression calm.

At the dining table, Violet sat directly across from Evan. Her delicate toes teased his calves under the table from time to time.

Evan’s face tightened, yet he did not move away.

I pretended not to notice her antics, focusing on my meal. Yet, the images of them together kept flashing through my mind.

"Try this, Captain Aldridge. This one is so good."

Violet picked up some bread and brought it to Evan's mouth. The bread indeed was so delicious that it was blatantly irresistible.

Evan turned his head slightly to avoid it and refused, "No need."

Though his words were firm, his gaze flickered briefly to her low-cut collar.

"Why so shy? You weren’t like this in the hospital." Violet chuckled, her red lips parted slightly. "Are you worried that Doctor Montclair will get upset?"

Evan's Adam's apple bobbed visibly.

Violet turned her gaze to me again. "Doctor Montclair, don't misunderstand. The captain and I are just like close friends. You don’t need to think of me as a woman."

Even as she spoke, her toes brushed against Evan’s leg more boldly.

Evan's expression immediately stiffened. "Don’t talk nonsense, Violet. Isla isn’t the type to be overprotective."

"I'm going to get some milk," I said calmly, standing up. I didn’t want to witness any more of this charade.

As soon as I turned around after getting the milk, I bumped into Violet who was following me closely. The warm milk I was pouring spilled, soaking her thin dress. Her seductive outline was now on full display.

Evan’s eyes darted toward her instantly. His throat moved as he swallowed hard.

For a brief moment, a flicker of desire crossed his face, but he quickly masked it.

"Captain Aldridge, how can I walk around like this? Perhaps I should borrow something from Doctor Montclair to wear?"

Violet bit her lip lightly.

Evan avoided meeting my gaze as he said, "Isla, why don’t you help Violet find some clothes?"

"You go ahead. I need to clean up here first." I gestured toward the spilled milk on the floor.

Without protest, Evan led Violet upstairs.

Left alone, I sat at the dining table, listening to the faint noises from upstairs.

Not long after, a stifled moan was heard.

My fists clenched instinctively, my nails digging painfully into my palms.

They were betraying me even here in my home, in my bedroom. Brazenly.

For a full hour, the disgusting noises kept going. I turned on the TV and raised the volume to its maximum, hoping to drown out their shamelessness.

Finally, the noise stopped. Not long after, Evan and Violet came down the stairs one after the other.

Seeing me in the living room, Evan stiffened slightly, perhaps realizing how much time had passed, so he quickly offered an excuse, "Violet just borrowed our place to take a bath. It took a little longer than expected."

As he approached, a faint, warm scent of perfume trailed behind him.

The sweetness was almost suffocating.

I looked at him with a practiced smile. "I see. It took so long I almost thought I’d have to come up and look for you."

A flicker of panic immediately crossed his face.

"I need to head to the base hospital. You can entertain your... close friend," I said, keeping my tone steady.

Evan seemed oblivious to the bitterness beneath my words. Instead, his lips curved into a smile as he said with a warm tone, "Alright. When you come back tonight, I’ll have a surprise for you."

I stared at his fixed gaze on me as though I were staring at a stranger.

Well, I was not so sure. Would my leaving truly be a surprise to him?

When I returned home, Evan had already prepared a table full of delicious food.

He was always like this, acting like the perfect husband and taking care of everything in the house whenever he could.

As soon as he saw me coming back, he immediately brought out a small box like it was a prized possession. "Isla, this gift is for our anniversary."

I froze in place for a moment before it finally hit me.

In past years, this date was etched in my mind, but I had completely forgotten about it today. Well, I could barely bring myself to care anymore.

"I didn’t prepare anything for you," I said quietly.

Evan waved it off, his grin turning mischievous. "It’s okay. You can give yourself to me as a gift later and I promise I won’t mind."

That mischievous smile reminded me of the way he treated Violet and the memory of it suddenly twisted my stomach.

"I’m feeling a bit tired today. I’m going to take a nap."

"Then you should rest. We’ll celebrate properly on a vacation to make up for today," Evan assured with concern.

I nodded and went upstairs. Evan followed, staying close as if to keep watch.

Lying on the bed, I could not fall asleep. My mind churned with thoughts, trying to understand how he had become this person.

His special job required surveillance equipment at home. It was this equipment that told me everything.

The screen flickered back to a few hours ago...

Evan and Violet were entangled at the dining table. He picked up a glass of milk, pouring it onto her with deliberate intent.

"Captain, want some fresh milk?" Violet's charming eyes were as silky as silk.

Evan’s expression darkened as he leaned over her, pressing her against the dining table. "What do you think?"