ManyWriters

To save the kidnapped fake heiress Grace, my boyfriend, the rescue team leader, handed me over without hesitation.
Knowing full well that I had a hefty bounty on my head from the rebels and that sending me over would likely be a death sentence, Nolan didn't hesitate for a second.
The kidnappers said they'd release me once the ransom was paid, but my birth parents, resenting me for causing the fake heiress to suffer a few extra days, insisted I should endure some hardship and refused to pay.
Left with no choice, I could only pin my hopes on my childhood sweetheart Kael, who was coming to the rescue.
But a week later, when I had been tortured beyond recognition, I learned that my boyfriend and childhood sweetheart were throwing a lavish birthday party for Grace at their base camp.
The militant leader saw it as a provocation and had my organs harvested, then threw my naked body onto the street.
In the moment of my bitter death, I was reborn.
This time, I dared not have any expectations. After ensuring my survival, I erased my identity and went into hiding under an assumed name.
But when my boyfriend and childhood sweetheart learned the truth, they gave up everything and spent seven years searching desperately for me.

Love Hides In the Dust And Smoke

"I'm just playing around. You've caused us so much trouble, and I haven't even taken your life. A little entertainment isn't too much to ask, is it?"


My entire body went cold, shaking uncontrollably.


"My family has the money ready. If you touch me, I'll kill myself, and you won't get the ransom."


"Where we come from, suicide isn't such a simple matter."


In the dim light, my screams nearly shattered the entire camp.


I was tortured to the brink of despair, left with only lifeless eyes staring blankly.


Afterward, they used high-pressure water guns to viciously wash away the marks left on my body.


I completely blacked out, vaguely aware of many people coming and going in my daze.


I saw Nolan, who had once guided me step by step forward. He told me that only I could break through the darkness.


I desperately worked to improve myself, honing my skills, and achieved many accomplishments.


But in the end, all these efforts became his excuse for the most suitable way to exchange for Grace.


I had been bullied by Grace since childhood, and he knew better than anyone the grievances I had suffered.


But after our roles changed, he unconsciously began to feel sorry for Grace.


He said she had been spoiled since childhood, and it wasn't easy for her to suffer hardship now. I should be more generous.


So for the two extra days of suffering she endured, I must repay with my life.


I'm not one to cry easily. I've endured so much pain, always silently bearing it.


When I opened my eyes, I found myself on an airplane.


The man sitting next to me was a stranger. I instinctively curled up, watching him warily.


Noticing I was awake, he glanced at me indifferently.


"I'll provide you with a new identity, erase all your past, and give you a fresh start."


"All I need is for you to do me a favor."


I hesitated for a moment, then asked half-doubtfully:


"So after this, they'll never be able to find me again, right?"


The plane landed in a deep mountain range.


From a hidden research facility, an elderly man in military uniform walked out and extended his hand to me.


"We've been secretly observing you for nearly three years. There's an undercover mission, and you're the ideal operative for it."


I was stunned for a moment, about to ask a question, but he seemed to have read my mind.


"Aid mission? You don't need to worry about that. We've joined forces with government troops and will round up those armed groups in one fell swoop."


"As of now, news of your death has been released. The follow-up work is also being carried out urgently. No one will leak this secret."


He opened an internal file on his phone, which displayed my obituary.


[We deeply mourn the loss of Comrade Lena, who heroically sacrificed her life during an aid mission at the age of twenty-six.]


Scrolling down, there was a black and white photo with my headshot. My heart sank heavily.


The video showed Nolan and Kael's reactions upon receiving the death notice.


Nolan first furrowed his brow, then asked:


"Lena's dead? How is that possible? She's done this kind of small mission countless times. When has she ever not come back safe and sound? How could this particular time go wrong?"


Kael, on the other hand, looked at the paper over and over again, then his legs went weak and he stumbled back several steps.


Chapter 4