Chapter 2

Iris wandered the streets in a daze, her vision blurry, until a deafening gunshot rang out. At that moment, she was standing outside a bank, and a masked robber dragged her violently into a group of hostages. While the robbers were distracted, she eased her right hand into her pocket and pressed the side of her modified phone three times. It was the emergency program Ethan had personally designed. Six years ago, under the night sky on a rooftop, he had placed the phone in her hand and promised, "Iris, wherever you are, press it if you're in danger, and I'll come to your rescue." Even though she had been battered and bruised throughout these six years, she'd never used it. This was the first time—and the last. Every second of waiting flayed her alive. Iris forced herself to stay calm and assess the situation. Then, she locked eyes with a foreign man who began communicating with her in Morse code. She hastily responded, yet her heart grew colder by the second. Time dragged on until the shrill siren of the tactical team cut through the air. Her phone, however, remained dark and silent. Ethan never came. The lifeline he had sworn he would carry even in death failed her, as did his empty promise. Iris' will to survive tangled with grief and rage. The moment the robbers let their guard down, she struck—she seized a gun, chambered it, and fired. Five shots rang out, and five robbers fell. The foreign man subdued the last one in no time. When the situation was brought under control, she staggered toward the tactical team, her voice shaking. "Did Mr. Cooper send you?" The officer shook his head. "We received a call from a civilian." Her nails dug into her palms as she lowered her head and stared at her spotless phone screen. There were no missed calls or messages. It dawned on her that the lifeline she had treasured had long been discarded by him, the same way he had discarded her. The old wound in her chest flared up again. Iris doubled over and burst into laughter. As she laughed, hot tears fell onto the cold screen. "Ms. Whitman?" The foreign man walked up to her with unmistakable admiration in his eyes. "I'm Robert Brown, ICTF's regional representative. I saw you years ago at an international shooting competition. 300 yards with extreme wind conditions, yet you hit the target with your first shot. You're a born sniper." He changed the subject as soon as he noticed her pallid complexion. "You don't look too good. If I remember correctly, according to the records, your fiancé is Mr. Cooper. He—" "He's not my fiancé." Iris cut him off sharply. Her voice was hoarse but crystal clear. "He's nobody to me." Robert fell silent for a moment before handing her a business card. "The ICTF International Prosecutorial Fellowship. Two years at Euravia headquarters. Your record and what you demonstrated earlier put you well above the bar for a special recommendation." His tone was solemn. "There's a 30-day background check. Once approved, you'll leave for Euravia." Euravia. Far away from here. Far away from him. Iris tightened her grip on the business card until her fingers turned white. Then, she raised her hand and wiped the remaining tears away from her face. When she looked up again, the pain in her eyes had been replaced by icy resolve. "I'm willing to take part in the program." Just then, harsh brakes screeched. Ethan jumped out of the car and rushed toward her. Gripping her arms, he checked her over frantically. "Iris, are you okay? I'm sorry I'm late! Something urgent came up." Iris tore her arms from his grasp, the cold of it sinking into her skin. "Spare me your concern, Mr. Cooper." All of the questions she wanted to ask died in her throat when her eyes landed on the bright rose-pink lipstick stain on the collar of his white shirt. That was Violet's favorite color. When her life had been on the line, he had been losing himself in another woman's lips. An invisible hand closed around her heart, squeezing it until the pain stole her breath. "Ethy!" Right then, a sweet, coquettish voice rang out. Violet hopped out of the passenger seat, focusing on a game on her phone and smiling without a care in the world. All of a sudden, she tugged at Ethan's sleeve and grumbled, "This stupid program keeps popping up location alerts. It made me lose my game, so I deleted it for you!"