Chapter 1: Captivated by an Enemy Officer's Handsome Face
My fiancé will be executed in two weeks.
The story that follows is about those brief eight months we spent together—how he captured my heart and made me fall for an enemy officer I never should have loved.
Three and a half years ago.
It was a dimly lit warehouse where Sophie and two other girls were held captive. They had no idea where exactly they were, only remembering the long ride in the back of a truck before arriving here. They weren't bound or gagged, probably because there was no sign of human life for miles around. So even if they screamed at the top of their lungs, no one would hear them.
(What will they do to us? Is there any chance they'll let us go?)
Sophie knew the answers to those questions, of course, but she didn't dare dwell on them. To comfort the two younger girls sitting beside her, she forced herself to stay calm.
"Don't worry," she said, lowering her head. "Mr Boss will come for us."
"Who's Mr Boss?" the two girls asked in unison.
"A hero," Sophie said firmly, but still not looking up. "He's the hero who'll get us out of here."
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The steel shutter that separated them from the outside world was pounded violently. Then a deep male voice barked through the shutter, "Shut up in there! Or else—"
The man stopped mid-sentence. Outside, the sound of an approaching vehicle cut through the silence. The engine cut off. A door opened and closed. Footsteps approached. Then someone began to pull open the steel shutter.
As the shutter was lifted open, Sophie could only make out three silhouettes. Then the lights flickered on. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust. And what she saw next made her heart skip a beat.
(That handsome face! If I can't escape my fate tonight, then let it be him.)
Sophie internally chided herself for having such a thought, telling herself that this handsome man standing before her was the enemy and that she was nothing but his prey. But her eyes refused to obey. They just remained glued to his face, entirely out of her control.
Then their eyes met. His gaze seemed to pierce straight through her inner thoughts, making her cheeks burn with intense embarrassment. For just an instant, his expression turned surprisingly soft, so tender it was as if he were remembering someone dear to him. She tried to look away but couldn't. After five or six seconds of locked stares, it was he who finally broke eye contact first.
(So cute!)
Once again, she scolded herself for thinking such a thing. But still, her eyes wouldn't leave his face. What made her heart flutter even more was that he began walking straight toward her and, without a word, placed his hand on her waist.
Her two companions were already seized by two other officers, with their dirty hands roaming freely over their bodies. But beside her, this handsome man just kept his hand at her waist—no higher, no lower. She knew that if he wanted, he could slide this hand up to her chest or move further down elsewhere, and she would have no choice but to endure it. But in reality, his hand just stayed there, resting on her waist, not even stroking, just like a piece of clothing hung at her side, which left her utterly confused.
The sound of her companions sobbing brought her back to her senses. She saw their futile struggles and heard their insistent but ignored pleas. Knowing that her turn would come, she wanted to cry but forced the tears back.
(Even if he's as good-looking as this, I don’t want him to force himself on me—only to use me as a plaything to satisfy his lust. )
She felt helpless. But the only person she could rely on now was the very man who was about to take advantage of her. Left with no choice, she gripped the gloved hand resting on her waist to stay calm.
After an unknown stretch of time, the man gave her waist a gentle nudge. She understood, and followed him out of the warehouse, leaving her two weeping companions behind. The man tried to pull his hand away, but she held on tightly, walking beside him, shoulder to shoulder. She didn't dare look back, afraid that if she did, she would no longer be able to hold back her tears.
