Chapter 2

"Jennifer?" I could barely get her name out.

She smiled awkwardly. "It's been a long time, Annika. I came back a few months ago. I'm Matthew's second in command now. I helped plan this operation."

Every word cut deeper.

Matthew stayed silent. No explanation. No question about why I was looking straight at him.

He still hadn't realized I could see again.

His phone buzzed, and one of his men walked over. "Don Matthew, everyone's waiting."

Matthew looked at me for a second. "I'll explain everything later, Annika. Not now, okay?"

Would he? Or was that another lie?

Without another word, they walked off together, and I was left standing there alone.

A bitter laugh slipped out of me. If my life hadn't changed three years ago, I'd still be standing beside him. I'd be leading that operation with him, not watching from the sidelines.

The pain from my wounds pulled me back to reality. I walked off quietly, leaning on my cane whenever someone looked my way. One of the medics let me rest inside an empty SUV.

Not long after, voices drifted in through the half-open window.

One of Matthew's men laughed. "Boss and Jennifer make a good team now. Almost as good as Boss and Annika used to be."

Jennifer laughed nervously. "Don't compare me to Annika. I'll never be as good as she was."

Another man shrugged. "Maybe before. But that's the past now. The Annika today..."

Jennifer cut him off. "Don't say that. If I hadn't been stupid back then, if I hadn't let my feelings for Matthew cloud my judgment, I wouldn't have wandered into that place. I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped, and Annika wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself for me."

Silence.

Then Matthew spoke, calm. "You were young. You made a mistake. That's all."

Someone else sighed. "Exactly. You spent three years overseas trying to make up for it. You've done enough. Besides, you're a better partner for boss now. You can fight beside him. You're not someone he has to protect."

My fingers tightened around the blanket over my legs.

Jennifer lowered her voice. "Matthew, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to replace Annika. I came back because I couldn't keep watching you carry everything alone. You've spent three years taking care of her while running the empire. I just wanted to help lighten your load."

Matthew answered after a pause. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we're working."

Three years ago, Matthew would've defended me the second someone called me a burden. He would've looked them in the eye and said, "Annika is my wife. She's never been a burden."

This time he said nothing.

That silence hurt more than anything they said.

Jennifer's mistake cost me my eyesight and my career. Matthew knew what happened. He knew how many surgeries I went through, how hard I worked to recover, how badly I wanted back in the field.

He forgave her anyway. He let her take my place.

Maybe they were right. Maybe I'd become nothing but a burden to him.

Their voices faded. I sat alone in the SUV, colder than when the Assassin King held a knife to my face.

The man who promised to stay by my side had already chosen someone else. So had the team that used to wait for me to come back.

I was the only one who hadn't noticed.

At least they didn't know my eyesight was already back. Not perfectly, but enough. I still wore the glasses and carried the cane because I wasn't ready to say anything.

I'd already gotten ready to return to work. I was just waiting on my doctor to clear me.

No point now. Jennifer had my position.

I called Director Wilson.

"Director, I'd like to accept the university professor position."

He sounded surprised. "You finally changed your mind? We've been trying to recruit you for years. You were a great investigator, Annika, but you've always been a great teacher too."

I smiled faintly. "I've figured it out."

I wasn't going back. From now on, I'd live for myself.

...

When Matthew came home that night, I was on the couch reading.

He smiled when he saw me. "Case is over, and I'm free tomorrow. You've been wanting to check out that new lakeside café, right? Let's go."

I closed the book. "I can't. I have a follow-up with my ophthalmologist tomorrow."

He sighed and crouched in front of me. "Are you still upset about yesterday? I know what I did bothered you."

I"I'm not angry. My appointment matters and I don't want to miss it."

He took my hand. "Then I'll come with you. Lunch after."

I pulled my hand away gently. "Okay."

...

The next morning, we opened the door and found Jennifer waiting outside.

She looked anxious. "Don Matthew, the family needs you back right away. Something urgent came up." She glanced at me. "Sorry, Annika."

Matthew frowned. "I already told Annika I'd go with her today."

"It's fine," I said. "Go handle it."

He hesitated, looking at me.

Jennifer smiled. "I'll take Annika to her appointment. I'll stay with her until you're done. You can pick us up after."

Matthew nodded. "Alright. I'll come as soon as I finish."

After he left, Jennifer drove me to the clinic. I sat in the waiting area with my cane beside me while a TV played in the corner.

The program switched, and Matthew and Jennifer appeared on screen. It was footage from the Brewster Empire Foundation's charity gala. Matthew wore a black suit, Jennifer an evening gown, walking hand in hand down the red carpet.

If only people knew the billionaire on screen was the Mafia Don running the Brewster Empire underneath it all.

What got my attention wasn't the interview. It was how he held her hand, the way he watched her, how he guided her through the crowd without thinking about it.

It looked natural.

I remembered our first year as investigators. We'd been asked to film a promo video for the academy, and the director wanted Matthew paired with another woman.

He said no. He took my hand instead and told them, "I'm only filming with Annika."

Back then he never wanted another woman standing next to him.

Jennifer laughed softly beside me. "It actually aired." She leaned in. "Annika, you should've seen us at the gala. Everyone kept teasing us, we looked so natural holding hands. I was nervous with the cameras on us, but Matthew stayed with me the whole time. He even held my hand because the reporters were pushing too close. I would've been a mess without him."

I smiled faintly. "I'm sure you would've."

While she kept talking, I looked at her collar. Fresh kiss marks peeked out from underneath it.

They weren't there yesterday.

My fingers tightened around my cane.