After I Died for Justice, He Chased Me for Years

At the Lirak City International Criminal Police Division, Jillian Raines stood beneath the police emblem and raised her hand in salute, officially bidding farewell to her six years of undercover work. Across the desk, Richard Hale sighed, his voice heavy with regret. "Jillian, if it weren't for you spending six years undercover, we never would have been able to take down the Taylor transnational crime syndicate for good. But your voice... is there really no way to fix it?" Six years earlier, when Jillian had first signed up for the undercover mission, she had intentionally damaged her own voice to make sure she would never blow her cover, no matter what happened. Back then, she had never even dared to imagine she would actually make it out alive. As she was lost in her memories, a noise came from the office door. Before Jillian could turn around, Richard called out, "Nathan, perfect timing. Come look who's here!" Nathan... Nathan Quinn, captain of the Second Unit. He had been her handler for all six years of her undercover mission, and he was also her childhood sweetheart, the man she loved. Jillian held her breath, her heart skipping a beat. For six whole years, she had dreamed of this very moment—of reuniting with Nathan, of standing side by side with him in the sun once the mission was over, of being just a normal, ordinary couple. Swallowing back the surge of raw excitement, she turned slowly, her eyes locking with Nathan's where he stood in the doorway. He had the same sharp brows and bright, piercing eyes she remembered, his uniform crisp, every bit the upright, noble officer he'd always been. Jillian pushed down the sharp, bittersweet ache of their long-awaited reunion and curved her lips into a soft smile. "Nathan..." No sound came out. It hit her a beat too late. She couldn't speak anymore. She couldn't even say his name out loud. She dropped her gaze, swallowing the bitter lump in her throat, and scribbled on a piece of paper with a trembling hand. "Nathan, I made it back alive." Nathan picked up on something off immediately. "What happened to your voice?" The familiar note of concern in his voice made her eyes burn. She shook her head, tears glistening as she forced a wobbly smile, and mouthed, "It's fine." He could tell she was hiding something, and his face hardened slightly. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy all of a sudden, and Jillian tensed, completely at a loss for what to do. Luckily, Richard cut through the awkward silence. "Nathan, it's been ages since you two saw each other, right? Take her out for a walk; I'll give you half a day off." "Understood." Nathan nodded and led Jillian out of the office. Neither of them said a word the entire walk. For six years apart, Jillian had imagined a thousand times how sweet it would feel to walk side by side with Nathan again. But right now, all that hung between them was awkward, unfamiliar silence. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Nathan's apartment. He was just pulling out his key to open the door when Jillian suddenly reached out and covered his hand, mouthing, "Let me." Under his slightly surprised gaze, she pulled a well-kept metal key off the necklace she wore around her neck. He had given it to her right before she left for the undercover mission. For six years, that little key had stood in for him, carrying her through countless dark, endless nights. Jillian fought to steady her shaking hands and carefully slid the key into the lock. Click. The door swung open. The tight, anxious knot that had been sitting in Jillian's stomach finally unfurled, her shoulders relaxing with relief. She stepped inside, letting her eyes roam over the space Nathan had called home for all these years. The space was decorated in a stark, minimalist palette of black, white, and gray, cool and understated. Just then, Nathan's voice drifted over from the master bedroom. "You can sleep here for now. We'll sort out everything else later." Later... what a hopeful, bright little word, Jillian thought to herself. That night, she lay on Nathan's soft, cozy bed, but she tossed and turned, wide awake. Knowing Nathan was just on the other side of the wall, she slipped out of the bedroom before she even realized what she was doing. In the living room, Nathan was stretched out on the sofa, eyes closed, sleeping soundly. Jillian padded over to him on silent feet, tracing the familiar lines of his face in the soft silver moonlight. She silently mouthed his name. "Nathan..." Nothing came out, of course—only the shape of the words, no sound to go with them. But Nathan jolted awake anyway. Their eyes locked, and for a second, Jillian felt like she was looking at the Nathan she knew six years ago. They used to do this all the time back then—stare into each other's eyes and see adoration shining in them, then lean in for a soft, sweet kiss. Six years of pent-up longing burst out of her all at once. She braced herself against the edge of the sofa, held her breath, and moved closer to his lips, inch by slow inch. But the next second, Nathan snapped his head to the side, dodging the kiss before it could land.