His Madness Took a Life, But Not My Love

Lovell's POV

My boyfriend was one of the world’s top mercenaries.

Three years ago, he took on an urgent, top-tier mission, an S-level classified operation. But before he left, he made me a promise.

"I'll marry you when I come back."

I believed him. I held onto that promise through more than a thousand days and nights.

A month ago, he finally came back. I thought those three long, agonizing years of waiting had finally led to something.

But last night, I overheard something that shattered everything.

Standing outside his study, I heard him talking to his second-in-command.

"Are you really going through with the wedding to Miss Porter? What about Jaylee and Zach? Zach is over two years old now, and he’s your child. This secret won’t stay hidden forever."

The man continued, "Back when Jaylee got pregnant with your child, you faked that three-year mission just to be with her. If Miss Porter ever finds out—"

Before the man continued, I heard my boyfriend's cold, cutting-edge voice as he interrupted, "She can’t find out! Ever. She’s the only one I’ll marry. Tell Jaylee to keep her mouth shut and keep that kid quiet!"

Zach? Two years old? His biological child?

So while I was here waiting and holding onto his promise for the past three years, he had met someone else and even had a child with her.

As the realization sunk into me, I stumbled back into the bedroom. Later, I dialed my grandfather's number with trembling hands.

"Grandpa, is the foolish heir of the Stokes family still alive? I’m willing to marry him."

——

He paused in disbelief.

"Lovell? You’ve waited three years for your boyfriend. What happened? You swore you wouldn’t marry anyone else."

"The eldest son of the Stokes is reclusive and mentally slow—if you don’t want to go through with it, Grandpa will protect you with everything I’ve got. You don’t have to—"

I wanted to speak, but the words caught in my throat. The tears came instead, fast and uncontrollable.

Everyone in the city knew I was in love with my bodyguard, Horace Mitchell, my mercenary bodyguard. From eighteen to twenty-three, I loved him with everything I had.

Three years ago, he promised me, "I'll marry you when I come back."

I clung to those words like they were sacred. I waited for him through rumors and whispers, people saying he had died in the field or simply abandoned me.

I ignored them all. I kept my head down and counted the days, believing he’d keep his word.

Here in our city, people knew I, Lovell Porter, was sharp and decisive in business, but had one weakness—Horace.

No wonder Grandpa didn’t understand. Even I hadn’t expected that Horace’s so-called “mission” had been a lie all along.

Even so, I didn’t explain a word, but on the other end of the line, Grandpa must’ve sensed my pain. After a long silence, he gently said, "If your mind is truly made up, then I’ll support you. The Stokes are very influential. At least with them, you’ll never be mistreated."

"The day after tomorrow, I’ll send a car to pick you up. Handle your affairs before then," he added.

Even after the call ended, I sat frozen, phone still pressed to my ear.

Horace’s words echoed endlessly in my head, tearing through me like a thousand needles. I could barely breathe from the weight of the betrayal.

So all this time, he’d already cheated. The whole “mission” was nothing but an excuse to build a life with another woman and their child.

The thought alone made my knees give out, and I collapsed to the floor.

Because of the nature of his job, I could never contact him freely these past three years. I could only wait for his messages, calls, and occasional returns, sometimes a few days later or sometimes weeks.