Chapter 28
**[Grace's POV]**
"Okay, Tommy, you were incredibly brave. You've officially earned the ultimate prize."
I offered the little seven-year-old boy a bright, practiced smile as I handed him a shiny gold sticker and a cherry lollipop. He grinned, missing two front teeth, before hopping off the examination table and running out to his mother in the waiting room of the Sunshine Pediatric Clinic.
I let out a long, quiet breath, leaning against the edge of the examination bed.
It had been two weeks.
Two weeks since I left my rings on that mahogany desk. Two weeks since I packed my life into Mia's beat-up Honda and walked away from the terrifying, imposing Supreme Commander who possessed my entire heart.
I was trying so hard to move on. I threw myself into my new nursing job, working double shifts just to keep my mind occupied. I lived in a cozy, entirely too-quiet apartment with Mia, drinking cheap wine and forcing myself not to look at my phone every five minutes.
I sold off my father's house because it had tooo many memories
Of my father
My mother
Alexander
It was just too overwhelming
I was miserable.
Every time it stormed, I missed the heavy, absolute safety of Alexander's arms wrapping around me in the dark.
Every time I made toast, I thought about him silently eating it burnt just so he wouldn't hurt my feelings.
I missed his deep, gravelly voice. I missed the way he commanded a room without even trying.
Although I always have this feeling that I was being watched
Or maybe I am just loosing my mind
"Earth to Grace. Blink twice if you're drowning in your own tragic thoughts again."
I snapped my head up to see Mia leaning against the doorframe, a clipboard pressed to her chest. She was wearing bright pink scrubs covered in cartoon dinosaurs, her chaotic energy a stark contrast to my exhaustion.
"I'm fine," I lied smoothly, forcing a smile. "Just tired."
"Uh-huh," Mia said, not believing a word of it. She walked into the room, but before she could start interrogating me, a tall, handsome man in a pristine white doctor's coat appeared behind her.
Dr. Liam Hayes. He was the newest pediatrician at the clinic, twenty-six, conventionally attractive, and he had been following Mia around like a lost, lovesick puppy for the past five days.
"Hey, Mia," Dr. Hayes said, offering her a charming, dimpled smile. "I was wondering... my shift ends at six. If you're free, maybe I could take you out for dinner tonight? There's a great Italian place down the street."
Mia didn't even blink. She slowly turned around, looking Dr. Hayes up and down with the critical eye of a woman who simply had zero time for nonsense.
"Dr. Hayes, you're a very nice guy," Mia stated bluntly.
"But you use lavender-scented hand sanitizer, you iron your scrubs, and you look like you would cry if a spider crawled on your shoe. I only date men who look like they could survive a zombie apocalypse using a rusty spoon. So, it's going to be a hard pass. But thank you."
Dr. Hayes blinked, completely stunned. "I... oh. Okay."
He awkwardly cleared his throat, turned on his heel, and retreated down the hallway as fast as his perfectly ironed scrubs could carry him.
I couldn't help it. For the first time in two weeks, a genuine, bubbling laugh escaped my lips. "Mia! You didn't have to destroy the poor man!"
"Please," Mia scoffed, waving a hand. "He needs to build character. Besides, I am way too busy managing your life to date anyone right now. Now, come on, let's go restock the supply closet before-"
Mia's words died in her throat.
Outside the large glass windows of the clinic waiting room, the bright afternoon sun was suddenly blocked out by two massive, matte-black armored military SUVs screeching to a halt at the curb.
My heart instantly stopped. My blood ran ice cold.
"What in the world..." the front desk receptionist whispered, standing up.
The heavy doors of the SUVs swung open. Four men stepped out, stepping onto the sidewalk. They weren't wearing standard military uniforms. They were wearing full, terrifying tactical gear-black combat vests, earpieces, and heavily armed.
The chaotic, noisy pediatric clinic went dead silent. A mother pulled her toddler behind her leg. The receptionist backed away from the glass.
The heavy double doors of the clinic swung open.
Stepping through the threshold, parting the heavily armed guards like the Red Sea, was Colonel Ethan Brooks.
He wasn't in tactical gear. He was dressed in his immaculate, razor-sharp formal dress uniform, his medals gleaming on his chest. His posture was rigid, his face completely devoid of emotion as his highly trained eyes scanned the room, immediately locking onto me.
"Oh my god," Mia whispered beside me. "They found us."
I was paralyzed. I watched as Ethan marched straight through the pastel, cartoon-covered waiting room, his heavy boots clicking rhythmically against the linoleum floor. The entire clinic watched in terrified awe as this imposing military officer stopped exactly two feet in front of me.
He didn't speak immediately. Instead, Ethan snapped his boots together and delivered a razor-sharp, flawless military salute.
"Ma'am," Ethan said, his voice loud, clear, and dripping with absolute, unwavering respect.
"Colonel Brooks," I stammered, my voice trembling. My hands were shaking so badly I had to grip the edge of the clipboard to hide it. "What... what are you doing here? Is... is Alexander hurt?"
The panic in my chest flared instantly at the thought of him bleeding out on some foreign battlefield.
"The General is perfectly fine, Ma'am," Ethan replied smoothly, dropping his salute. "He returned from deployment two weeks ago. However, he was... distinctly displeased to find the estate empty."
My stomach plummeted. Two weeks ago. He had seen the rings. He had seen the divorce papers. I expected Ethan to hand me a signed copy of the divorce decree. I expected him to tell me to never contact the Supreme Commander again.
Instead, Ethan reached inside the breast pocket of his uniform jacket.
He pulled out a thick, heavy cream-colored envelope. It was sealed with a wax stamp bearing the gold-embossed crest of the United States Armed Forces.
Ethan held it out to me with both hands.
"I have been ordered by the Supreme Commander to deliver this to you personally," Ethan stated.
I stared at the envelope like it was a live grenade. Slowly, with trembling fingers, I took it. "What is this?"
"As you may know, Ma'am, the General is being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor this Saturday by the President of the United States. It is a globally televised event," Ethan explained, his tone strictly professional, though I swore I saw a flicker of sympathy in his eyes.
I nodded slowly. I knew about the ceremony. It had been scheduled months ago.
I slid my finger under the flap, breaking the wax seal. Inside was a heavy, gold-leafed formal invitation.
*The President of the United States formally requests your presence at the Medal of Honor Ceremony honoring General Alexander Reeves.*
But it wasn't the formal invitation that made my breath hitch. Tucked behind it was a small piece of heavy, black cardstock. Written on it, in sharp, aggressive, masculine handwriting that I recognized instantly, were two simple sentences.
*You left your rings. I will return them to you on Saturday.*
I stared at the black card, my mind completely short-circuiting. Alexander wasn't letting me go. He hadn't signed the papers. He was commanding my presence at the most important, highly publicized event of his entire military career.
"Ethan," I whispered, looking up at the Colonel. "The contract is over. I signed the dissolution papers. I am not his wife anymore. I can't go to this."
Ethan's expression didn't change, but his eyes hardened with that fierce loyalty he held for Alexander.
"With all due respect, Mrs. Reeves," Ethan said, completely ignoring the fact that I just said I wasn't his wife, "The General made it abundantly clear that he does not recognize any such papers. Furthermore,
I was instructed to inform you that the four gentlemen currently securing the perimeter of this clinic are your new, permanent security detail."
I whipped my head toward the windows. The four heavily armed mercenaries were standing at the corners of the building, terrifying anyone who even looked in my direction.
"Security detail?!" I gasped. "Ethan, tell him to call them off! I am a pediatric nurse, not a military asset! I don't need-"
"I cannot do that, Ma'am," Ethan interrupted firmly.
"The General's exact words were: 'If she is stubborn enough to live outside my walls, she will be guarded like my own beating heart.' They will follow you everywhere. They will sleep outside your door. You will not even notice them, but if a threat approaches you,
they have authorization to use lethal force."
I was hyperventilating. The sheer, overwhelming dominance of Alexander Reeves was suffocating, terrifying, and yet... it made a traitorous thrill run straight down my spine. He was insane. He was ferociously possessive.
And he wanted me back.
"I will not be attending the ceremony," I said, trying to summon whatever courage I had left, tilting my chin up to look Ethan in the eye. "Tell the General that I appreciate the invitation, but my answer is no."
Ethan just stared at me. He didn't look angry. He just looked at me like I was a very naive civilian who didn't understand how the military worked.
"I will relay your message, Ma'am," Ethan said smoothly. "However, a custom black gown has already been delivered to your apartment, tailored to your exact measurements. A military convoy will arrive at 1700 hours on Saturday to escort you to the Capitol. The General expects you in the front row."
Before I could argue, before I could scream in frustration, Ethan snapped another flawless salute.
"Have a wonderful afternoon, Mrs. Reeves."
He spun on his heel and marched right back out the doors. The terrified patients and staff parted for him instantly. He climbed into the black SUV, and within seconds, it sped off down the street, leaving only the four terrifying guards posted outside my clinic.
The entire waiting room was dead silent, staring at me.
Mia slowly turned her head, her eyes wide as saucers, her jaw practically on the floor.
"Well," Mia whispered, breaking the silence. "I think it's safe to say... General Reeves does *not* want a divorce."
I looked down at the black card in my trembling hand.
*I will return them to you on Saturday.*
My courage crumbled. I was absolutely terrified. I was heartbroken. But as I stared at his handwriting, a single tear slipped down my cheek, because I knew one undeniable truth.
You cannot run from the Supreme Commander. And on Saturday, I was going to have to face the man I loved.
**AUTHOR'S NOTE ????**
Y'ALL. ALEXANDER REEVES DOES NOT PLAY GAMES! ??????
He didn't send a text. He didn't call. He sent a heavily armed military convoy to a PEDIATRIC CLINIC to hand-deliver a Presidential invitation!
And the note?! *"You left your rings. I will return them to you on Saturday."
* THE SCREAM I JUST SCRUMPT. This man is the absolute blueprint of a dominant, possessive, unyielding protector.
And Mia rejecting the doctor because he uses lavender hand sanitizer? Iconic Queen behavior only. ??
**TEASER FOR CHAPTER 29 (The Surrender - CLIMAX):**
This is it, besties. The climax of our story!
Grace arrives at the massive, globally televised Medal of Honor ceremony.
Millions of people are watching. Alexander is on stage with the President.
And he is about to go completely off-script, break every single rule of military protocol, and do something so mind-blowing that it will shatter the internet. GET YOUR TISSUES READY. ??????
**Let's chat in the comments!**
?? *How loud did you scream when Ethan showed up with the guards?!*
?? *What do you think Alexander is going to say to her in front of the whole world?!*
**Don't forget to VOTE ?? and COMMENT your thoughts! See you in Chapter 29! ????**