I was the world’s top mercenary, all because of one sentence she uttered: “The world is too dangerous, I want to build a life with you.” I fought tooth and nail to leave my organization, stopping dead in my tracks to be by her side. Until I overheard her conversation with a friend. “Boyfriend? Please. He’s just a bodyguard I sleep with.” Her friend then mentioned a name: Liam. The moment she heard it, Seraphina’s expression softened, her voice turning gentle. “Liam is different. He’s the purest, most innocent boy in the world.” In that instant, my dream felt like it shattered. I narrowed my eyes and called my Boss, who’d been waiting for my return. “Boss, that S-rank mission you mentioned? I’ll take it.” “Are you sure about this? It’s a covert operation, no contact with the outside world for an entire year.” “Aren’t you and your fiancée pretty solid?” I glanced at the woman I’d loved for three years. She was sitting in the center of the couch, delicately toying with her wine glass. The tender expression she’d worn just moments ago when Liam’s name was spoken still lingered on her face. I spoke softly. “Yeah, I’m sure.” Boss didn’t press further. “Alright, get ready. I’ll send a car for you tomorrow night.” After hanging up, I pushed open the door and walked in. The moment I stepped inside, countless mocking glances fell on me. “Look who it is, Mr. Jax! Seraphina, really, always making her boyfriend drink for her. Always a cheat.” “He’s not just a boyfriend, he’s her fiancé.” “Right, right. Mr. Jax risked his life for her, so Seraphina naturally had to give herself to him. A bodyguard who climbed his way up. Quite the trick, isn’t it?” These were Seraphina’s closest friends, the city’s privileged socialites. Their taunts weren’t new. I couldn’t be bothered to engage. I walked straight to Seraphina and sat down. Seeing my lack of reaction, their faces fell, and their teasing words grew laced with anger. “What? You really think you’re her fiancé now? We’re talking to you, can’t you hear us?” Seraphina chuckled, handed me a glass of wine, then turned to smile at the woman who’d just spoken. “Can’t a drink shut you up? He’s my savior for the night, don’t scare him off before he’s had a chance to help.” She turned to me, nodding her chin towards the glass in my hand, signaling me to drink it. “They’re just joking around, don’t mind them.” “It’s my birthday today, and they’ve given me so many toasts. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d be completely wasted.” Seeing that I still said nothing, Seraphina knew I was upset. She turned back to her friends and gently chided them again. “Say less of that next time. He doesn’t like it.” Over the years, Seraphina had often brought me to these kinds of events. I used to think it was a sign of her valuing me, letting me into her world. But now, it was clear. In her eyes, I was nothing more than a servant to deflect drinks, a bodyguard she slept with. Seraphina’s friends pouted, but eventually, they said no more. Just then, a figure walked in from the doorway. He looked a little flustered, tightly clutching a gift box in his hands. His knuckles were white from nervousness, as if this was his first time in a place like this. The moment he entered, Seraphina abruptly stood up from beside me and rushed to his side. “What are you doing here? I told you I’d come find you after I was done!” Seeing Seraphina, the boy’s panic instantly turned to surprise. He held out the gift in his hands towards her. “It’s almost midnight. I wanted to give you your present before then.” Just then, Seraphina’s friends’ mocking voices rose again. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. Liam? Hearing about him doesn’t do him justice; he’s truly an adorable little bunny.” Seraphina’s face instantly darkened. She snatched a wine glass from the table and hurled it, smashing it against the wall. “Cut that out! If you dare scare him, I swear I’ll make you pay!” Seraphina’s reaction was extreme, the icy chill radiating from her chilling everyone to the bone. The entire VIP room fell silent. Seeing her reaction, I felt a strange disconnect. Her friends had only teased him a little, yet she flew into such a rage, terrified that Liam might suffer even a hint of injustice. But moments ago, her friends had said far worse things to me, and even when I was clearly upset, she’d merely laughed it off, unconcerned. I lowered my head, chuckling self-deprecatingly. The air in the room grew heavy with tension. I picked up two wine glasses, stood up, and walked over to Liam, offering him one. “Mr. Liam, nice to meet you. My name is Jax.”
The words had barely left my lips when Seraphina snatched the glass from my hand, tilting her head back and draining it. “He has a sensitive stomach and doesn’t drink. I’ll drink it for him.” For three years with Seraphina, most of the drinks at these events were consumed by me, on her behalf. Now, Liam hadn’t even refused yet, and she was already protecting him, drinking his share. I was about to speak, but Liam’s necklace caught my eye. The pendant on the chain was a worn, faded bullet. Noticing my gaze, Liam’s hand instinctively clutched the necklace, his voice tinged with nervousness. “Is something wrong, Jax?” Before I could answer, Seraphina quickly interjected. “Liam said this necklace was special when we met last time, so I took the liberty of giving it to him.” I looked at Seraphina. A flicker of unease crossed her face. After three years of constant companionship, how could I not know her? Her hurried explanation was only because she was afraid I’d question Liam. But she didn’t know me. I, Jax, have never been one for drama. “Well, since your date has arrived, I’ll head home then.” “Seraphina, Happy Birthday.” With that, I walked out of the room without looking at anyone’s expression. As soon as I got home, my phone rang. I opened it and saw a video on SnapChat had tagged me. In the video, Liam was sitting amidst a pile of gifts, a large bouquet of Black Knight roses beside him, and a party hat perched on his head. The caption read: “Someone who truly loves you will spoil you rotten. Who knew even non-birthday people could get so many gifts?” Soon, the video disappeared, and a message popped up a second later. “I’m so sorry, Jax. I tagged the wrong person. My bad.” I smiled, put down my phone, and didn’t reply. Liam’s little games meant nothing to me. I began to pack my things calmly, but as I did, tears started to fall. I didn’t have much. Apart from my everyday clothes, there was almost nothing else. As I packed, I suddenly realized that in these three years, Seraphina had never once given me a gift. When we were most in love, I, like a naive boy, would pull her into my arms, holding her hand and tracing her fingers. “It’s always me trying to make you happy and giving you gifts. Other girlfriends always prepare surprises for their boyfriends, but I’ve never received anything.” “Next anniversary, how about a small gift for me?” Seraphina would always lean her head against my neck, clinging to me playfully. “My Jax isn’t like those *other* men, why would he like things losers pine over?” My mind flashed back to the video I’d just seen, that man sitting amidst a mountain of gifts. In that moment, I suddenly realized it wasn’t that I was “different,” but that she simply couldn’t be bothered to put effort into me. Piles of gifts that others couldn’t even stack were the surprises I’d begged for for three years and never received. How could my heart not ache? Three years with Seraphina were three years of my life. I genuinely believed, once, that I would build a home with her. “Why are you suddenly packing? Where are you going?”
Her familiar voice reached my ears, and my hands froze. “Nowhere. The closet’s a mess, just tidying up.” Hearing my answer, a flicker of suspicion crossed Seraphina’s face. But perhaps thinking I knew no one else besides her, she seemed to believe my explanation. She sighed, wrapped her arms around my waist, and gently nuzzled her head against my chest. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I just see him as a friend. I’m going to marry you, Jax.” “That necklace, he said it was special, so I let him wear it for a couple of days. If you’re upset, I’ll go get it back tomorrow.” “Don’t be mad, hmm?” That final “hmm,” with its rising inflection, was soft and intimate, laced with playful seduction. After three years together, she knew exactly how to make me melt. Every time I was even slightly upset, that single phrase from her would completely soften me, and I’d be instantly appeased. But this time, smelling the faint scent of men’s cologne in her hair, my nose just stung with a sharp ache. Before I could reply, Seraphina’s phone rang. “What’s wrong? Did you scratch the car?” “Don’t be scared, I’ll be right there. Are you hurt?” “Liam, don’t panic. Listen to me first, call the police and insurance…” Her face was etched with anxiety. She spoke rapidly, pulled open the door, and left the house without a backward glance at me. The entire house fell silent again, as if she had never returned. I smiled, reaching up to brush away the tears welling in my eyes. That necklace, so casually mentioned by her, was once a bullet that had nearly pierced my heart. As a top mercenary, our organization frequently took on illicit missions from the dark web. My acquaintance with Seraphina began because she was my client for one of those contracts. During that period, she was being hunted by rivals, and I was her bodyguard for three months. In those three months, I saved her life countless times. And on the day the three-month period ended, a killer hired by the other side and I fired our bullets simultaneously. My opponent died on the spot, and the bullet meant for me lodged half an inch from my heart. I narrowly escaped with my life. When I woke up in the hospital bed, Seraphina was asleep by my bedside. Her eyes were swollen and red, like a startled rabbit. “I’m fine, don’t cry. Our contract is over, and that mercenary is dead. No one can hurt you anymore, don’t be afraid.” At the time, I truly believed her tears were from fear. After all, she was different from someone like me, who dealt with death constantly. For someone like Seraphina, who’d lived a life of privilege since childhood, and a woman at that, experiencing such a life-and-death situation, fear was only natural. But she shook her head, pressed her forehead against the back of my hand, and choked out each word. “This world is too dangerous, Jax. I want to build a life with you.” “My Jax, my heart aches for you. Stay, stay by my side, okay?” I don’t know if it was Seraphina’s tear-reddened eyes that were too sincere then, or if her words were simply too moving. When she asked that question, I nodded, as if compelled by some unknown force. From that day on, I fought tooth and nail to leave the organization. I stopped dead in my tracks for Seraphina, fantasizing about building a home with her. And that bullet, Seraphina had made into a necklace, wearing it close to her skin. “This bullet will remind me every single moment that Jax is the love of my life.” But now, she knew the meaning of that bullet, yet she still gave it to someone else. Then, it was time for me to exit the stage.
Seraphina finally came home the next afternoon. There was a business reception that evening, and she was back to pick me up. I glanced at the clock on the wall. I still had a few hours before Boss’s car would arrive. I didn’t want to arouse Seraphina’s suspicion and cause unnecessary trouble later. I nodded, changed my clothes, and accompanied her out the door. I walked beside Seraphina, her arm linked through mine. We mingled elegantly, clinking glasses and exchanging pleasantries at the event. Just then, a woman in a fiery red gown with faint wrinkles on her face suddenly tripped. The red wine glass in her hand flew straight towards me. Drips of red wine ran down my collarbone, and the woman’s eyes fixated on me. “Ms. Davies, your arm candy is quite the catch.” Seraphina’s eyes held a smile. She took another glass of red wine from the table and handed it to the woman. “Ms. Davies, you joke. When I step out, I naturally make sure my companion isn’t a disgrace.” “Since you find him quite satisfactory, I’ve booked a wonderful dinner tonight. Let’s all go together and discuss the resort development project.” Hearing Seraphina’s words, the woman’s eyes lit up, and her gaze slithered over me, predatory and assessing. In the past, Seraphina often brought me to these kinds of events. Thinking about it now, in her eyes, I was probably just a skilled bodyguard. Perhaps a tool to deflect drinks, or even a pawn in her business deals. But never a fiancé. I lowered my gaze, masking the disappointment in my eyes. I smiled at the two women in front of me. “I look a bit undignified right now. I’ll just go to the lounge to freshen up. I’ll be right back.” By the time the server brought my cleaned clothes back, an hour had passed. I changed and prepared to return to the banquet hall. Passing one of the lounges, the door was ajar, and indecent sounds drifted out. The woman gasped softly, her voice full of longing. “I didn’t bring you here because these people aren’t good. How could I let you risk it?” The man’s voice was low, filled with raw desire. “But seeing him standing next to you, I was practically insane with jealousy.” “Don’t get so worked up, keep your voice down. Didn’t you say he was in the lounge too? What if he hears us?” The woman chuckled coquettishly. “The soundproofing in these fancy VIP lounges is top-notch. Besides, I’ve already closed the door.” The man continued his actions without restraint, seemingly pleased with the woman’s words. “I truly adore you. Your duality always thrills me.” The moment Liam’s words fell, his eyes flickered, meeting my gaze across the hall. In that instant, what more was there for me to understand? Whether it was his presence here, or him making sure I saw this whole show, it was all intentional, all Liam’s doing. I curved my lips, looked away, and thoughtfully closed the lounge door for them. Just as I got downstairs, my phone rang. “Jax, where are you? I’m coming to pick you up.” “The plan’s changed, we need to leave immediately.” After giving Boss my location, I walked straight out of the hotel, not bothering to return to the banquet hall. Well, if the plan changed, maybe it was fate. Seraphina, goodbye forever.
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