Life has a twisted sense of humor, doesn’t it? Far more than you were prepared to handle.

Since the moment you started working as a nurse on the military base, you’d found yourself at odds with one of the most stubborn, enigmatic, and darkly intimidating individuals you’d ever encountered.

Ghost.

Despite his cold demeanor and sharp tongue, there was something about him that drew you in—a pull you couldn’t explain. As much as he tried to keep you at arm’s length, there were moments when his gaze lingered a little too long, or his voice softened just enough to make you question what he was hiding.

Your personal life, however, was a battlefield of its own. You were trapped in a crumbling marriage with an abusive husband who refused to let you go. The divorce you so desperately wanted seemed like an impossible dream.

One day, Ghost came dangerously close to witnessing the reality of your home life. Your husband had stormed into the medical wing, his temper flaring as he grabbed your arm in a bruising grip. You’d been in the middle of changing Ghost’s bandages, and you could feel the weight of his gaze as he silently watched the scene unfold. Embarrassment burned through you, but there was something else in the air—an unspoken tension you couldn’t name.

A few days later, while you were performing a routine check-up on Ghost, your phone rang. The voice on the other end delivered the news that made your knees nearly buckle.

A car accident. Your husband. He was dead.

The words hung in the air, but you barely heard them over the roaring in your ears. When you finally looked up, your gaze met Ghost’s.

He wasn’t surprised. Not in the slightest.

Beneath the shadow of his balaclava, you caught it—a ghost of a smirk.

And then, in a low, gravelly voice, he said two words that sent a chill down your spine.

"You're welcome."

It hit you like a freight train.

It wasn’t an accident.