The General’s Secret Wife

Late at night, my best friends voice, hoarse and breathless, came through on a voice message.

Six-foot-two, eight-pack, a body built by the gods... girl, I've hit the jackpot!

I got the picture instantly, my heart swelling with a familiar pang of envy for her.

But the next second, when I saw the photo she sent, my entire body went rigid.

In the picture, a mans bare chest was a canvas of love bites and teeth marks, but the face above it was one seared into my soul.

It was my husband of six years, Major General Eason Pierce.

Annas voice messages kept coming, a chaotic mix of illicit sounds and her broken, panting words.

"Nina... mmm... we've been... ah... together for three years..."

"He wants... oh... to marry me..."

My mind was a snowstorm of white noise. My hands trembled as I tried to type.

Eason and I had a marriage of convenience, a contract that had expired just last month.

Id cautiously asked him then if we could maybe not get a divorce.

But Eason had said he didn't want to endanger my daughter and me. He was the youngest Major General on the base, a prime target for terrorists who often went after military families.

So, for six years, no one besides our parents knew he was my husband.

I thought it was his way of protecting us.

Only now did I realize it was all so he could be with the woman he truly loved, out in the open, without a single shadow of complication.

I choked back a sob and managed to ask, "Didn't you say he was a high-ranking officer? Aren't you afraid of retaliation if you marry him?"

Anna sent me a screenshot.

The message, from that all-too-familiar profile picture, contained more words than hed said to me in the past month.

"Anna, the fact that I'm proposing means I can protect you. I promise."

"If you're worried, I can transfer half of my assets to you right now. And I'll draw up my will. Our child will be my sole heir."

"Anna, I have the most magnificent wedding planned for you. All I need is for you to say yes."

Tears blurred my vision, a sharp pain lancing through my heart.

I remembered our own wedding. To keep it secret, we didn't even take photos. Just a quick, sterile trip to the courthouse.

I remembered giving birth, completely alone, not even daring to write my husband's name on the forms.

I remembered my daughter being taunted in kindergarten, called a pathetic little girl with no dad.

A tide of bitterness and grief washed over me, threatening to pull me under.

Just as I was about to tell Anna that this man, her man, had once signed a marriage certificate with me, another message came through from her. "Nina, let's meet up tomorrow. Our old spot."

Fine. Some things were better said face to face.

I went to the familiar old diner where we used to grab food back in our academy days.

The moment we met, Anna grinned and handed me a wedding invitation.

The cover was embossed with gold foil. Inside, a photo of her and Eason, beaming. Below it, their signatures, side-by-side.

"He said he wanted to show how much he values my friends and family, so he signed every single one of their invitations by hand," Anna said, her eyes soft with a light that I recognized all too well whenever she spoke of her fianc.

The words I had practiced, the truth I had come to tell, all caught in my throat.

I was silent for a long time before I finally found my voice. "Anna," I said softly, "I can't make it to your wedding. I'm being transferred away from the base soon."

Annas smile faltered. "What? Why?"

"I got divorced."

Her eyes instantly reddened. "Did that bastard hurt you? Tell me who he is! I'll have my Eason teach him a lesson!"

The truth rolled to the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it back down.

I squeezed her hand tightly. "Anna, your fianc whats he like?"

"Eason is wonderful to me," she said, a gentle warmth spreading through her eyes. "You'll see when you meet him."

Before the words had even faded, her face lit up and she waved towards the door. "Eason! Over here!"

I had imagined confronting Eason a thousand times, in a thousand different scenarios, but never like this.

He walked towards us, his uniform immaculate, the star on his epaulet glinting under the diner lights.

I stared into his eyes, searching for a flicker of panic, a hint of guilt.

There was nothing.

His stride hesitated for a fraction of a second when he saw me, but he recovered instantly, extending a hand with practiced ease. "Good to meet you, Doctor Collins. Anna mentions you often. I'm Eason Pierce, her fianc."

His voice was as steady as ever, as if we were truly strangers meeting for the first time.

I slowly raised my hand to shake his.

My mind flashed back to six years ago, to him kneeling before me under the regimental flag. Hed slipped the ring on my finger and whispered, "Hello. I'm Eason Pierce, your husband."

"This life, I am loyal to you, and to our country."

Anna's gaze lingered on our joined hands, a flicker of confusion in her smile. "Hey, you two you're looking at each other kind of funny. Have you met before?"

The air in the diner seemed to thicken, to freeze.

Before Eason could speak, I pulled my hand back and pasted a calm smile on my face. "No, we haven't."

I turned to him, my voice clear and steady. "General Pierce, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Nina Collins, Anna's best friend."

Eason retracted his hand, his posture ramrod straight. "Likewise. This is the first time."

"So formal on the first meeting!" Anna teased, lightly punching his arm. "Nina and I have been through hell and back together. If you ever dare to bully me, she'll come after you with a scalpel, I swear!"

Eason managed a small smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "With Doctor Collins watching over me, I wouldn't dare."

The air in my lungs felt thin, suffocating. I had to get out of there. Now.

"Alright, you two lovebirds can have your moment. I don't want to be a third wheel," I said, grabbing my coat. My tone was so breezy it felt like a lie even to myself. "Anna, I'm so happy for you. I have to get back to the hospital, I've got a surgery."

"Nina" Anna started, trying to make me stay.

"Remember, it's a secret for now," I cut her off, giving Eason one last, deep look before turning and walking away.

It wasn't until I found an empty corner outside that my strength gave out. I leaned against the cold brick wall, clamping a hand over my mouth to choke back the sobs that threatened to tear me apart.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, the special ringtone Id set for him grating on my nerves. I wiped my face and answered.

Two encrypted messages:

"Waiting for you at the house."

"Return at once."

When I got home, Eason handed me two plane tickets.

"The earliest flight tomorrow. Take Lily and go south for a few days."

"Come back after my wedding with Anna is over."

I stared at the cold glint of the star on his shoulder, my voice eerily calm. "Eason, Anna and I met at a field hospital on the border. She took a bullet for me."

"So, since you're willing to lie to me for six years just to marry her, you had better treat her right."

"If you ever hurt her, I swear I will expose everything and make sure she leaves you."

Eason stared at me for a long moment, a ghost of a mocking smile on his lips. "Done with the theatrics? This marriage with Anna has been two years in the planning. I will not allow for any accidents."

"That includes you."

He paused, his gaze turning complex. "You can have whatever you want as compensation. A promotion to head of surgery, shares in the military hospital, even... I could retire from the service."

I froze.

For Anna, he would even give up the stars on his shoulders.

So he was capable of sacrificing everything.

It was just that the impulse had never been for me.

"This is the only thing I'm asking of you," Eason said, seeing the stunned look on my face. A rare note of weary pleading entered his voice. "Take Lily on vacation. Once the wedding is over, I'll arrange everything. I'll compensate you and our daughter properly."

He said compensate, as if the scraps left over from his grand wedding could erase six years of deception and betrayal.

I was silent for a long time before I asked a question I never thought I would have to ask.

"Eason."

"When you decided to marry her, did you ever, even for a second, think about what would happen to Lily and me?"

He turned his face away, his jawline clenched tight. It was a long time before he spoke. "I did. But I was more afraid that if Anna found out, she would never forgive me."

Seeing him, ready to throw away his entire future for another woman, the fire that had burned inside me for six years suddenly went out.

"Fine. I'll take Lily and go."

Eason visibly relaxed, the tension in his eyes easing. "I'll change the tickets to the first flight out tomorrow. Your accommodations will be arranged according to the highest standards for military families."

"Don't bother," I said with a faint smile. "General Pierce, I wish you a happy marriage."

The next day, I held Lilys hand as we walked into the airport.

With half an hour until boarding, Lily leaned against my leg and whispered, "Mommy, will we be able to see Daddy's big training planes from the new place?"

"Yes," I said, crouching down to straighten her collar. "And we'll see stars even brighter than the ones on Daddy's shoulders."

My phone vibrated.

It was Anna.

I picked up, and her frantic voice spilled out. "Nina... I'm being followed. A military jeep has been tailing me since yesterday afternoon. I'm in my dorm now, and there's a shadow outside the door..."

"Have you called base security?"

"Eason isn't picking up his phone," Anna's voice was thick with tears. "Nina, I'm scared..."

I looked down at Lily's small, upturned face, then at the boarding gate display.

"Lock your door. I'll call the guard platoon right now. I'll come over as soon as I get Lily settled."

After hanging up, I crouched down to look my daughter in the eye. "Lily, Auntie Anna needs Mommy. Can you go back to the compound with the orderly for now? Please?"

Lily nodded fiercely. "Mommy, go help Auntie fight the bad guys."

After sending my daughter off, I rushed to the base security office.

I had just stepped into the main hall when I collided with Eason, who was storming out.

Our eyes met, and his turned to ice.

I was about to speak, but he grabbed my wrist and dragged me around the corner of the hallway.

"Nina, what are you trying to pull?"

"Anna's in there, I need to"

"Enough," he cut me off, his eyes dangerously dark. "You arranged for that car to follow her, didn't you? After loving me for all these years, did you really think I'd believe you'd just walk away?"

Every word was a poisoned needle, stabbing into my heart.

So he knew. He knew I loved him, knew I didn't want to leave, knew how much this was killing me.

"Let go of me! Anna is waiting."

"Leave now, and I'll pretend this never happened," Eason warned, his voice low. "Don't push me."

"Eason!" Anna's voice called from behind us.

She hurried over, her eyes darting between us before settling on his hand clamped around my wrist.

"Anna, are you hurt?" I tried to step forward, but Anna subtly moved to block my path.

"I'm fine," she said, linking her arm with Eason's and smiling at me. "Eason brought guards with him. Nina, thanks for coming, but..." She rested her head gently on his shoulder. "I have my fianc to protect me now."

I watched Anna's natural, possessive gesture, watched Eason raise a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and suddenly felt like an intruder.

"I should go then," I managed, forcing a smile. "Anna, stay safe."

"You too. Be careful on your way back."

Anna's smile was as bright as ever, but it lacked the warmth and intimacy we once shared.