Stuart didn’t offer an explanation, but wore a wide smile as he approached Elias.Raising his glass, he greeted him with flattery. ‘Lieutenant Colonel Westwood, I’m so glad to see you here! When I sent you the invitation, I thought your busy schedule might prevent you from attending. I’m so honoured you’d find the time to come.’Stuart’s words dripped with adulation, attempting to win Elias’s favour.Elias, however, took another casual sip of his wine, seemingly unimpressed by the praise.His response was nonchalant. ‘I happened to have some free time.’Had it not been for Callie’s sake, he would have tossed the wedding invitation in the trash.Elias’s stand-offish attitude did nothing to dampen Stuart’s enthusiasm.If anything, it spurred him on.He nudged Abby forward. ‘Colonel Westwood, allow me to introduce my daughter, Abby Colman. She also works at Rosedale Hospital and was part of the team that treated your wounded soldiers.’Elias acknowledged Stuart’s introduction with a curt
Elias continued as if he was oblivious. ‘By the way, I’m here today purely because of her. She wanted to witness the joy of a newlywed couple, so I decided to come with her.’His words hit like a shockwave, leaving the three of them stunned.Abby, in particular, was dumbfounded.She had never considered Callie a real threat.To her, defeating Callie was child’s play, whether it meant stealing her boyfriend or sabotaging her research paper by bribing the editors.She had assumed that Callie wouldn’t dare to attend the wedding.And if she did, she would be a pitiful sight, crushed under Abby’s triumph.But she had never imagined that Callie would show up with Elias by her side.Hadn’t Callie been abandoned by Simon?And why on earth would a remarkable man like Lieutenant Colonel Westwood fall in love with her?Among the three, Stuart was the first to regain his composure.He snapped back to reality and forced a smile. ‘Callie, how in the world did you manage to keep your relationship wi
‘Yeah.’ Callie giggled. ‘I was going to say sycophantic, but your word works too. And with you by my stand, he lost his arrogant air to me as well.’She grinned. ‘Now I understand why everybody likes to make friends with big shots.’‘So I’m a big shot?’‘Of course!’ Callie nodded eagerly. ‘One of the biggest I know!’Not only was he a big shot, he was also a man of his word.He promised he’d stand up for her and help her exact revenge on those who’d wronged her, and he did.‘I really can’t thank you enough,’ Callie said again, sincerely.Elias lowered his head, gazing at her. ‘I said I’ll protect you and keep you safe.’She might not remember what happened three years ago, but he would never forget it.This young woman deserved his protection for the rest of his life.Upon hearing this, Callie’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushing with an alluring shade of crimson.The air was filled with the enchanting melody of a waltz, the open-air garden illuminated by the soft glow of twink
Abby’s eyes burned with resentment.Why did Callie get to have such an amazing man for a husband?Simon was oblivious to their conversation, as his gaze was fixated on Callie, who was beaming with happiness.His eyes were filled with darkness and coldness, a storm brewing behind a calm façade.The Colman family all watched Elias and Callie on the dance floor, lost in their own thoughts.But those two dancing souls seemed unaffected by anyone else’s opinions.They were completely engrossed in the enchanting melody.When the song came to an end, Callie looked at Elias and grinned. ‘How did you become such a fantastic dancer? I thought you only knew how to fight.’‘In addition to dancing, I can do plenty of other things.’ Elias’s eyes sparkled with mischief. ‘In the future, I’ll show you just how versatile I am.’Was that a promise?Callie smiled and nodded at Elias. ‘I look forward to it.’The day was perfect; she was on top of the world.Suddenly, staying here felt like a waste of time
Gripping his arm, tears streaming down her face, Callie finally burst out, ‘Elias, were you planning to hide all of this if I hadn’t noticed? Were you going to pretend as if nothing happened?’‘How can you do this?’ Her voice quivered with a mix of anger and pain.‘My body, my choice. If I say it’s nothing, then these injuries are nothing to me,’ Elias replied nonchalantly.‘How can you call this “nothing”?’ Callie’s voice wavered, her lip trembling. ‘Do you think I’m blind? This... If this isn’t something to you, then what is? You’re clearly hurt, in more than one place, yet you still came to Simon’s wedding when you should’ve been lying in a hospital bed.’‘I made a promise.’‘What?’‘I promised you that I would come, that I would be by your side, protecting you and not allowing anyone to harm you.’ A resolute gleam flickered in Elias’s eyes. ‘Once I make a promise, I always keep it.’Callie stared at him, open-mouthed.She had agreed to marry him on an impulse, and legally, she was
Callie leaned over, placing her hands on the armrest of Elias’s seat, careful not to press onto his wounds.She closed her eyes and quickly pecked him on the cheek. ‘Done.’Elias couldn’t help but chuckle at her response. ‘That’s not a kiss.’‘What? I did what you asked.’‘Maybe I wasn’t clear.’ Elias pointed to his lips. ‘I want a kiss here.’Callie almost jumped up from her seat.She had never initiated a kiss with anyone, not even with Simon.The peck just now already required her to summon up every ounce of her courage.But now, to kiss him on the lips!Callie gripped the edge of her seat, fidgeting.Elias gazed at her with calm anticipation, his eyes fixed on her beet-red face.He was eager to see how she would act. ‘Bunny, I’m waiting. And while I wait, I might be bleeding out. Who knows, maybe I’ll—’Before Elias could finish, Callie pressed her lips against his.Soft and fragrant, her lips held a captivating allure and smelled faintly of champagne.Callie had intended for a br
Dozens of pairs of eyes fell on Callie, who was making quite an entrance in the captivating red dress instead of her usual white lab coat.Their voices were not particularly loud, yet Callie could hear every word clearly.Her heart raced, and a faint blush coloured her cheeks.She instinctively glanced up at Elias, only to find him already looking at her.This time, Callie didn’t rush to distance herself from Elias as she had done in the past.Instead, she walked alongside him, their steps in sync.‘What’s on your mind?’ Elias inquired with great interest. ‘You are not going to hide anymore?’‘I’m done hiding,’ Callie replied with a nod. ‘Today, we attended Abby and Simon’s wedding together. Many of our colleagues were there. It won’t be long before the rest of the hospital find out about us.’‘Do you think they’ll start calling you Mrs Westwood now?’‘What?’Elias’s smile was tinged with a hint of mischief as he spoke, ‘I’ve already submitted the necessary paperwork for our marriage.
Callie repeated the doctor’s mantra in her head, determined not to let him affect her.Taking a few deep breaths, she finally managed to regain her composure.Her gaze settled on Elias’s injury, noting the haphazardly applied bandage.If Callie’s keen observation served her right, Elias had taken care of it himself—a crude attempt at best.Did he really think he could do this on his own, when some of his injuries were on his back?Moreover, sweat had caused the gauze to stick to the wounds.Callie furrowed her brows, gingerly gripping a corner of the gauze with a pair of tweezers, preparing to remove it.‘This might sting a little,’ she warned. ‘I need to clean the wound thoroughly, so brace yourself for a little discomfort.’‘All right,’ Elias replied, his tone nonchalant.With his consent, Callie proceeded with her task.Fearful of causing him pain, she carefully unravelled the adhesive gauze, going as slowly as she could.Surprisingly, Elias didn’t find it painful.Compared to the