From His Betrayal, I Rose Into My True Love

The day when I planned to go public with my relationship with one of my ‘uncles’, Julian Hunt, my father assigned him a mission with a one-in-ten chance of survival.

Julian said if he returned alive, he would marry me in a grand ceremony.

So I rejected all marriage proposals and waited for him for three years. Until one day he knelt before my father, limping and losing fingers, covered in wounds.

"Dominic, I wish to exchange this achievement for the honor of marrying Yolanda Stanton."

The girl named Yolanda timidly cradled her pregnant belly.

My father instinctively looked at me. Everyone knew I might skin them alive and cause an endless commotion.

But I called out, "Nice to meet you, Aunt Yolanda."

However, three years' worth of marriage contracts had piled up in every corner of my room. I picked one at random and got married.

On my wedding day with that man, Julian held a gun and threatened me, "If you marry him, I'll kill him."

——

My father had seven man he considered as brothers who had fought alongside him through life and death. Julian Hunt was the seventh.

He was the most handsome of my seven uncles and the one I had liked since childhood.

My father said that he would never have let Julian leave if he had known about our feelings earlier.

Among my seven uncles, Julian was the most skilled fighter. That was why the others would only die in vain if he didn't return.

Now, three years had passed.

"Miss! Mr. … Mr. Hunt is back!"

I snapped awake and dashed barefoot outside.

The butler grabbed my arm. "Miss … "

Seeing him hesitate, I knew something had changed.

"I understand."

I grabbed an umbrella and rushed out. Yet, my skirt hem was already drenched with rain from my haste.

The entire front hall was packed with people.

While out in the long corridor, the seven uncles looked at Julian with a mixture of hatred and joy. Although I didn't know where this resentment came from.

"Dad."

Everyone looked at me and the anger on my dad's face finally softened.

"What is it? Why is he kneeling?"

Julian only glanced at me, as if looking at someone irrelevant.

He bowed his head heavily. "Dom, she and the child are innocent. I don't want to put them in a difficult position."

"I beg you, Mr. Caldwell. I beg you, Miss. Please grant us your blessing."

He bowed his head again.

In a daze, I felt as if I understood something.

A girl about my age stepped in cautiously from outside.

Yet beneath the pristine white dress, her belly was unmistakably rounded with pregnancy.

She knelt before my father, her voice trembling with tears.

My father twirled the beads in his hands, saying nothing.

Julian hadn't expected his proposal to be this difficult.

After all, our relationship had never been made public. Nobody knew.

Yet somehow, he forgot.

If I hadn't confessed, I would have gone out to an arranged marriage long ago and there would be no way I would have waited for him for three years.

Everyone present looked at me with sympathy and pity.

I might have seemed obedient, but I actually had a terrible temper.

When the sixth uncle, Nathaniel, approached from behind to comfort me, I raised my hand and cut his attempts. My gaze, however, remained fixed unwaveringly on Julian.

Three years had aged him considerably.

A deep scar cut across his brow, his leg was crippled and one finger was gone.

It was clear these three years had not been kind to him.

"Uncle Julian is a great contributor to the Caldwells. How can we make such a hero kneel?"

My father waved his hand, his voice trembling with emotion as he helped the man beside him to his feet.

"Dad, I remember the third day of next month is a good date. Let's arrange for Uncle Julian and Aunt Yolanda to get married."

My father, usually stern and reserved, choked up for a moment.

Around him, all the uncles lowered their heads in silence.

Leaving only two figures in the rain stood embracing each other, weeping.

They knew that the third day of the following month was originally the date my father had set for me and Julian.