I lowered my gaze as I sliced the ham. "Okay."

Ryan sounded like he was briefing an assistant. "From now on, I'll be at the office on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I'll be home the rest of the time. I don't want you coming to the office to find me."

The system wailed in protest inside my head. "I don't want cheese! I want spaghetti!"

I smiled faintly. "Okay."

Ryan frowned as he watched me finish my milk, push back my chair, and stand.

"Tasha."

I glanced over my shoulder. "Yes?"

He studied me. "You used to be less obedient. What's wrong with you today?"

Honestly, his little speeches hadn't registered at all.

"Nothing," I said with a smile. "Maybe good things are coming."

Ryan adjusted his tie, yet the tight line of his mouth betrayed his frustration. Even agreeing to marry me clearly went against every fiber of his being.

I smiled slightly. "Hey, Ryan? Can you at least wish me a safe return?"

He blinked, snapping back to reality. After a moment, he said, "Come back safely."

"Thanks."

I turned and walked out.

The system was snarky. "That was boring. I thought he'd refuse."

…

I'd been here seven years, and the city's crime rate was fairly manageable. Violent incidents were rare. I never expected my last call as a cop would hit me like this.

It was a brutal kidnapping. The kidnappers demanded 30 million dollars and a van to escape the city.

By the time I arrived, a light rain was falling.

Amy Miller, my partner, sat at the foot of the stairs. Her eyes were red when she saw me.

"Tasha, the negotiator already went in. The kidnappers want to swap the hostage," she said.

"Swap the hostage?"

"Yes, the current hostage is a pregnant woman."

The team went silent.

If the kidnappers agreed to switch hostages, we'd have to take the replacement.

"So, has someone been chosen?" I asked.

Amy bit her lip. "They want a woman."

Among the team, only Amy and I were female officers.

Amy's husband worked in homicide and had been injured recently. He was still in the hospital. I unstrapped my gun and handed it to her.

"I know. I'll do it."

The system screamed in my head, "Tasha, this is not a joke. If you die, you can't go back!"

I couldn't let Amy go in. She had been with me longer than Ryan had over these seven years. We were the best partners. Amy collapsed into my arms, sobbing. "Tasha, I'm sorry. I know you're getting married, I'm sorry, but James is still in the hospital…"

"I know," I said, patting her shoulder before stepping out into the rain.

The factory on the outskirts of the city was abandoned.

Through the drizzle, I could see the woman cradled in the kidnapper's arms. Her face was pale, but her beauty shone through the blood. Her long dark hair clung to her cheeks, and her wide eyes were filled with pleading.

She pressed her hands to her belly, trembling. "Please, help me. I'm pregnant. I'm carrying the Jamison family heir."

My heart skipped a beat.

The system reminded me, "It's Elaine."

I met her eyes through the rain and felt an odd, complicated twist in my chest.

The kidnappers drove the knife into her, and crimson blood poured over her skin.

"Get over here, or I'll send her to hell!"

Elaine's eyes widened in terror as she looked at me. "Tasha, please, I can't die. Ryan will go crazy. If he finds out you didn't save me, he'll hate you forever…"

She knew who I was. I glanced at Amy and sighed. Then, I walked toward the kidnapper.

When the blade hovered at my throat, Elaine stumbled, then scrambled into the safety of the police perimeter.

Only the kidnapper and I remained.

"I want the car!" he barked.

Before I got in, the captain gave me a subtle nod. According to the plan, they would track the vehicle's route.

All I had to do was buy some time and cooperate until they could take him down.

My hands were tied as I was thrown into the passenger seat. Just before the door slammed shut, I saw Ryan breaking through the crowd, throwing his arms around an unconscious Elaine.

…

The car sped down the empty highway. The rope rubbed my wrists raw until blood began to drip down my hands.

As the last police car disappeared into the rain, the kidnapper gave a cold laugh. "Stop waiting. They're not coming for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked. My voice was trembling.

He turned on the radio, humming along with the static. The radio broadcast was playing Elaine's interview.

Her voice quivered over the broadcast. She sounded as if she'd been deeply shaken. "I heard the kidnappers say they were meeting at Southgate. Please, you have to save her!"

But in reality, we were speeding toward Northville.

Soon after, all the police units were redirected to Southgate.

The kidnappers took me to a rundown house in the countryside.

One of them pulled out a dagger and sneered. "Ms. Woods is much prettier than you. I have no idea what Mr. Jamison sees in you."

Even a fool would realize then that he and Elaine were working together.

I dodged his blade and pleaded, "Please, just let me make a call."

He scoffed. "Who exactly are you planning to call? Your captain? Keep dreaming."

"Ryan," I said.

The kidnapper burst into laughter and kicked me hard. "Officer Cullen, are you serious? Do you really think you matter that much to Mr. Jamison?"

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and pressed my phone against my face. "Go on then. Let's see."

After a few rings, the call was cut off.

That seemed to excite him even more. He dialed again. Ryan hung up once more.

The kidnapper's eyes glimmered with twisted amusement as he kept calling and watching my expression, trying to catch a glimpse of despair.

I didn't give him what he wanted.

Frustrated, he plunged the dagger into my lower back. Pain shot through me, and I let out a muffled groan.

He leaned in until his breath brushed against my neck. "How about a little game? Tell Mr. Jamison where you are. If he doesn't make it here in 30 minutes, you'll bleed out right where you stand."

Warm blood trickled down my back, seeping into my uniform.

At last, the call connected.

Ryan's cold voice came through. "What is it?"

My teeth chattered from the pain. "He's in Northville—"

"Who?" he asked.

"The suspect. He kidnapped me. I'm with him now," I said.

There was a long pause before Ryan spoke again. "Tasha, is this your idea of a joke?"

I coughed up blood, barely able to form words. "Ryan—"

He cut me off. "Enough!"

It was the first time he had ever spoken to me in such a sharp, cutting tone.

"There's something I never told you," he said, barely holding back his anger. "Elaine is my bottom line. Don't use a stunt like this to test my feelings. If you're jealous, stay put in Northville. I never asked you to risk your life for her."

The sound of a blade piercing flesh echoed.

He stabbed me again.

The pain was unbearable.

"It hurts," I gasped. Tears were streaming down my face. Clutching the phone like it was my only lifeline, I begged as if reaching for salvation. "Ryan, will you marry me? Please, come for me. Please."

Ryan paused for a few seconds, and when he finally spoke, his voice was icier than ever. "Elaine's pregnant. My promises mean nothing now."

Just then, a clear chime sounded.

"Task objective achieved: Be rejected by the male lead one hundred times.

"Congratulations, Tasha. You've completed your mission.

"Reward calculation in progress…

"Calculation complete.

"Mission reward: 80 million dollars. Severe injury compensation: 30 million dollars. Total: 110 million dollars.

"Special reward: Talent Point – Police Intuition.

"Countdown: three seconds until world exit. Welcome back to reality. Have a pleasant day."

When the darkness lifted, I realized I was holding a bouquet of flowers.

The blazing summer sunlight filtered through the sycamore branches, scattering golden flecks across the ground.

And then it came back to me—this was the summer I graduated from the police academy.

The senior I'd secretly loved showed up at my graduation ceremony.

A hand reached out toward me. The person was dressed in a police uniform, and he was wearing a gentle smile.

"I heard you helped one of the instructors solve a few major cases. Mind if I get to know you?"

…

It was midnight. Elaine was already asleep, and the clock in the corner ticked softly.

After talking to the doctor, Ryan leaned back wearily on the couch. For some reason, his right eyelid wouldn't stop twitching.

Elaine had been badly shaken, and the baby had almost been lost.

Ryan had cleared his entire schedule and stayed by her side for three straight days.

Now that the house was finally quiet, an uneasy pang tightened in his chest.

Tasha's face suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Ryan closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the confusion inside him.

He thought he loved Elaine, but as he looked at the woman lying in bed, his heart remained still and cold.

He thought Tasha was insignificant, yet tonight, the ache for her tore through his chest.

He unlocked his phone and opened their chat. The conversation had stopped two weeks ago.

Tasha had sent him a smiling emoji and a simple "Thank you." Back then, she was heading out for a steak dinner. After putting it off for days, Ryan had suddenly felt like having company and chose her.

He remembered how beautiful she'd looked that day. She'd been wearing light makeup. Even when he refused the wine she recommended or turned down the dishes he didn't like, she stayed cheerful.

She had always been obedient and sensible. She had always played the lesser role in their relationship.

Without even noticing, Tasha had been with him for seven years—longer than Elaine had ever been.

Ryan knew Tasha was the kind of woman a man could settle down with. He'd grown used to her presence in his life.

As he stared at their silent chat that hadn't moved for three days, his expression darkened. He wondered if he had gone too far the other night, if he had scared her off.

Looking down, Ryan started typing a message. "Did you learn your lesson?"

She shouldn't have used Elaine to test his feelings. She needed to understand that pushing too hard would only break her. He hoped she'd come to realize that someday.

Before he could hit send, his phone buzzed. Joe, his assistant, was calling.

"Mr. Jamison, the officer who served as a hostage in place of Ms. Woods didn't make it," Joe said hesitantly.

Ryan's mind was weighed down with several matters, and his tone was tinged with impatience. "Find her family. Give them two hundred thousand dollars and be done with it. Saving people is what police are supposed to do. Handle the PR, and don't let any dirt land on Elaine."

Joe opened his mouth, then hesitated.

Ryan asked, "Anything else?"

"Ms. Cullen—"

"Speaking of Tasha…"

He turned on the television and said offhandedly, "Get Tasha a gift. Send it to her while she's on leave. A necklace or a watch—your choice."

Considering how pitifully she had cried a few days ago, he realized that maybe it wasn't so bad for once. After all, he was going to marry her, wasn't he?

The TV flickered to life. Tasha's photo appeared on the screen.

His gaze remained fixed on the screen as the words ran beside her photo. "Officer Cullen Fatally Stabbed, Dies in the Line of Duty."

For a few seconds, he didn't fully process what the words meant.

Joe's trembling voice came through. "Mr. Jamison, I was going to say that Ms. Cullen died in the line of duty. Didn't you know?"

After a brief pause, Joe added, "She's the officer who made the ultimate sacrifice."