Evelin's POV
Soldiers formed tight lines on either side of the entrance, their movements sharp and synchronized. They snapped into position, delivering crisp salutes in my direction.
My breath caught when I spotted Commander Haward Rory approaching in his formal dress uniform. In his arms, he carried a black ebony urn wrapped in our nation's flag—the stars and stripes vivid against the dark wood.
The image slammed into me with crushing force.
That flag represented everything my parents believed in, everything they'd died for.
Years back, they'd enlisted with the Aegis Guard Regiment, shipping overseas with full knowledge they might never return home.
"Your parents... when we recovered them, they were found together," Haward's voice carried the weight of loss. "We cremated them as one unit overseas. Everything's contained here."
I stared at the flag-draped urn. "That works," I said, keeping my voice level. "Mom and Dad were inseparable. They'd prefer it this way."
Haward straightened, extending the urn toward me with ceremonial precision.
"To our fallen heroes, forever in our hearts!"
Behind him, every soldier's voice thundered as one: "To our fallen heroes, forever in our hearts!"
The sound echoed across the sky like rolling thunder.
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I kept my spine rigid, returning their salute with the respect it deserved.
"I'm here to take Mom and Dad home," I declared, my voice cutting through the silence.
The urn felt substantial in my hands—heavy with meaning, yet somehow comforting.
After three years lost on foreign soil, my parents were finally coming back where they belonged.
Once the ceremony concluded, Haward's expression softened. "Where's your husband today? Thought he'd be here with you."
My gaze dropped. "He got tied up with work stuff. Couldn't break away."
Haward had watched me grow up, and I could see him reading the exhaustion etched across my face. The spirited girl he remembered looked drained after three years of marriage.
"If you ever need backup, you call me," he said, squeezing my shoulder. "This old soldier's still got fight left."
"I appreciate that, Mr. Rory," I managed a weak smile.
"And remember—the base doors stay open for you," he added.
I nodded, said my farewells, and walked to my car with the urn.
Setting it carefully on the passenger seat, I started the engine and whispered, "Mom, Dad, time to go home."
Back at the villa, I hadn't even crossed the threshold when my mother-in-law Dalia's voice pierced through from the living room.
"Now that Grace's returned—and as a hotshot pilot—you need to dump Evelin and marry her instead," Dalia declared.
"Grace's just a friend, Ma," Grey replied, sounding drained.
"Friend, my foot," Claire, Grey's younger sister, scoffed. "Everyone knows you're head over heels for Grace. She's got the impressive credentials, the dream career—first female captain at Apex Airways! Evelin brings nothing to the table. She's not even close to your level."
Ice flooded my veins. Three years of marriage, grinding beside Grey to build his empire, working endless nights, even manning spreadsheets from hospital beds—and this was my payoff? Not in his league?
Claire's eyes found me then. "Evelin, you've got balls eavesdropping like some kind of spy!"
I stepped into view, completely composed. "I'm standing in plain sight, not hiding. How exactly am I spying?"
"You heard every word, so deal with it," Claire shot back. "If you had half a brain, you'd divorce my brother and stop blocking him from Grace."
"Claire, enough!" Grey snapped.
But she pressed on. "I'm speaking facts! Evelin's a nobody. She just swooped in after Grace left town, manipulating you into marriage!"
Grey's expression darkened. "Claire, are you finished?"
Claire sulked but went quiet. Dalia moved to comfort her daughter.
Grey approached me, his attention catching on the flag-covered urn in my arms. "What's that?"
"My parents' remains," I said simply. "I brought them home today."
Guilt flickered across his features. "I'm sorry, I planned to come with you, but Grace's mother injured her ankle, so—"
Dalia's voice sliced through his explanation like a razor. "Ashes?!"
She fixed me with a hostile stare. "You have some nerve dragging something so unlucky into this house!"
"Unlucky?" Disbelief cracked my voice. "These are my parents' ashes. How are they unlucky?"
To me, they were heroes who sacrificed everything for their country—they deserved nothing but honor.
"I don't give a damn whose ashes they are, they're bad luck!" Dalia snarled. "Remove that thing immediately. It's not staying under this roof!"
I held the urn closer. "I'm not going anywhere. This is my house too. Grey and I purchased it together when we married."
"Together?" Claire laughed harshly. "You mean with my brother's money." She turned toward Grey. "Grey, Mom just had eye surgery. The doctor warned against stress. Tell Evelin to take that thing and leave!"
Grey wavered, then said, "Evelin, maybe just... store it elsewhere temporarily."
My heart plummeted. How could he say that?
"You think my parents' ashes are cursed too? They can't even stay here briefly?" I demanded, forcing him to meet my eyes.
Grey remained silent, but his silence spoke volumes.
"And if I refuse?" I challenged. "Grey, three years of marriage, and I've never failed you. Never failed your family.
"When you were launching your company, I was there every step, working myself to the bone alongside you. When your mother's cataracts had every specialist claiming her vision was hopeless, I was the one making calls, leveraging every connection to find her the best eye surgeon available. I saved her sight!
"I treated your entire family like my own. But have any of you ever cared about mine?"
My words struck like physical blows, and the Ford family's faces contorted with anger.
Claire exploded. "You helped Mom? Give me a break. It was my brother's money that secured the top surgeon. And don't pretend you built his company. He's the one who took it public. You just tagged along for the ride!"
I ignored her completely, keeping my focus locked on Grey. "Three years of marriage, and I can't even keep my parents' ashes here for a few days?"
Grey frowned. "Evelin, don't create drama."
"And if I stand my ground?" I stepped closer.
Dalia snapped, charging toward me with her hand raised. "As long as I live in this house, you're not keeping those ashes here!"
Her palm connected with my cheek, and I staggered backward.
Before I could regain my balance, Dalia lunged for the urn, trying to rip it from my grasp.