Alice sat on the edge of the hotel bed, the dim light casting soft shadows over her tear-streaked face. Across from her, Aaron leaned against the headboard, his battered body bare, exposing a mix of old and fresh wounds—cuts, bruises, and even a healing gunshot wound. And now, another injury marked his arm, hastily patched up.
Alice bit her lip, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape.
"I know this must hurt," she murmured, her fingers trembling as she carefully applied ointment to his bruised skin. She wasn’t afraid, but the sight of him like this twisted something deep inside her.
Aaron gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Don’t cry, sweetheart. I’m fine," he said gently.
Alice shot him a sharp look. "How can you say that? I saw those wounds with my own eyes, Aaron!"
He exhaled, his expression calm despite the concern in her voice. "I’m used to it, Alice. Trust me, this isn’t the first time, and it probably won’t be the last."
Her chest tightened. She lowered her gaze, brushing over a particularly nasty bruise on his chest with even more care. His body was still strong despite the pain, a silent testament to everything he had endured.
She forced herself to stay focused.
"Should we run again?" she asked suddenly.
Aaron’s eyes softened as he looked at her. Slowly, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing just beneath her eye, where traces of tears still lingered.
"We can’t keep running and hiding," he murmured. "I know Greenice will find us eventually. I have to face them, Alice. I’m working on getting out of this, for good."
Alice felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. "What are you planning, Aaron? I can’t watch you go through this again. They want to destroy you. You can’t take them on alone!"
He gave her a faint smile, his touch still gentle against her skin. "I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can’t tell you." His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don’t want you involved. But please, give me time to end this. After that, we can go back to the way things were."
Her heart clenched. What if Aaron’s plan ruined everything? What if Phantom’s carefully constructed operation crumbled because Aaron decided to act alone? But at the same time, how could she stop him? He had always been the kind of man to fight against whatever held him captive.
"Please, trust me," Aaron said, his voice deeper now, laced with quiet desperation. He took her hand, pressing it to his cheek before brushing his lips over the back of it, a lingering, intimate gesture that made her pulse falter.
Alice swallowed hard. She wanted to refuse, to demand answers, but she couldn’t. There was no lie in Aaron’s words tonight. And despite all the deception between them, she knew this was the one truth he was holding onto.
Slowly, she nodded, even as doubt gnawed at her. She could only hope that trusting him wouldn’t lead to destruction. Though deep down, she already knew—it was inevitable.
Aaron’s expression softened with relief before he pulled her into his arms without hesitation. His wounded yet steady arms wrapped around her, holding her close, offering warmth that made her feel safe even as the truth between them threatened to tear them apart.
Outside the hotel window, the city of Los Angeles continued to glow in its endless vibrance. But inside that room, two conflicted hearts were on the brink of an unspoken reckoning—one that neither of them could escape.
...
Alice stared at her phone screen, her thumb hovering over the send button. The encrypted message she had just typed felt so small compared to the turmoil raging inside her.
"I’m with Phoenix now. It seems like he has nothing to do with tomorrow’s operation."
She took a deep breath before finally pressing send. The glow from the screen illuminated her troubled face. Lifting her gaze, she looked toward the bed where Aaron lay asleep. His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm, as if no threat loomed over him.
Alice turned away, but her thoughts remained tangled with him. His battered body, the faint bruises on his lips from the beating he had taken, and yet—how he still managed to smile through the pain.
When had she started thinking about Aaron like this? When had her hatred for him begun to fade?
Her phone vibrated, snapping her back to reality. A message from Phantom.
"How can you be with him? Are you having second thoughts? What has that man done to you?"
Alice’s eyes widened at the words. Why was Phantom suddenly questioning her loyalty? For years, she had been known as an agent who never wavered, who carried out missions with unwavering discipline. So why was Phantom starting to doubt her now?
She hurriedly typed a response.
"Victor beat him up. I’m sure Victor ordered him to rejoin, but Phoenix truly wants out. He doesn’t want to be involved."
She hit send, but the storm inside her didn’t settle. Was Aaron really trying to stay out of this? What if it was just a ploy to evade suspicion? What if he was only pretending—waiting for the perfect moment to infiltrate Phantom’s operation?
But if Aaron truly wanted out… could she ignore everything she knew and simply trust him?
Alice let out a quiet groan, pressing her fingers against her temples. Her head was starting to pound.
Her phone screen lit up again. Another message from Phantom.
"Angel, if you’re having doubts, you can step back from this operation."
Step back?
Alice tightened her grip on the phone. Did Phantom sense something? Did they know she was wavering? No, that was impossible. She was still in control. She was still loyal to her mission. She still wanted to uncover the truth behind her parents’ murder.
But… what if Aaron really was the one who killed them?
Her heartbeat pounded louder. She had spent the last year with a man who might have murdered her family. She had lived as his wife, shared a life with him, felt the warmth of his touch.
How had it come to this?
She turned her gaze back to the bed, to Aaron’s sleeping form. The dim hotel light cast soft shadows on his face. Alice bit her lip.
She could end this tonight. She could press a gun to his head and demand the truth right now.
But… she couldn’t.
Alice closed her eyes for a moment and exhaled deeply. No. She couldn’t act recklessly. She needed proof, not assumptions. She needed certainty before she pulled the trigger.
But what if the truth turned out to be more painful than she had ever imagined?
With trembling fingers, she typed one final message to Phantom.
"Understood. I’ll proceed with the operation."
Without waiting for a reply, she turned off her phone and set it down on the table. Then, she stepped toward the bed, standing beside where Aaron lay.
Alice lowered herself slightly, studying his face up close. He looked peaceful—nothing like the feared Phoenix everyone whispered about.
If Aaron truly wanted to leave his past behind… if he wasn’t the one who killed her parents… could they—could they have a future?
She shook her head. No. She couldn’t afford to think like that. This wasn’t about them. It was about the mission. It was about the truth.
But if the truth meant losing Aaron, Alice knew she had to accept it.
That had been her purpose from the very beginning.