---- Chapter 9 Hardin POV: | stood in the vestry, the starched collar of my shirt feeling unusually tight, like a noose. My fingers, usually so steady, drummed an impatient rhythm on the mahogany table. My phone screen was dark. She hadn't answered my last three calls. A strange, unfamiliar unease coiled in my gut. It was a phantom limb of an emotion, a feeling | hadn't experienced since before the accident. | tugged at my tie, trying to loosen the knot in my throat. My secretary, a man named Arthur, poked his head in. "Sir, it's time. Ms. Sparks is ready." | cleared my throat, forcing the disquiet down. "I'll be right there." He retreated, leaving me alone with the silence and the dead screen of my phone. | tried to bring up the security feed from the mansion. Black screen. Connection lost. My heart didn't just stumble; it plummeted. My fingers went numb. | immediately redialed Arthur. "Get someone to the ---- house. Now. Check the cameras." | smoothed down my suit jacket, my face a mask of calm composure as | walked out of the vestry and down the aisle. The church was filled with the most influential people in the country. Carina stood at the altar, a vision in white lace, beaming at me. The organ music swelled. The priest began to speak. | didn't hear a word. Arthur materialized at my side, his face pale and tight with panic. He leaned in, his whisper a death knell in my ear. "Sir... she's gone. Her luggage, her passport... she's not in the country." The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. A roar started in my ears, drowning out the priest's voice. Gone? It wasn't possible. A cold, furious panic seized me. "Keep searching," | hissed, my voice dangerously low. "Find her.' | took a half-step, ready to leave, to tear this city apart until | found her. But | stopped. | looked at Carina, at the expectant faces of our guests, at the web of alliances and business deals this wedding represented. The priest was looking at me. "Do you, Hardin Morrison, take Carina Sparks to be your lawfully wedded wife?" ---- My mind was a blank slate of roaring static. | couldn't form the words. "Hardin?" Carina prompted, her smile faltering. My gaze dropped to the floor. A single, terrifying thought cut through the noise. She left me. A wave of something that felt dangerously like desperation washed over me. "| don't," | said, my voice clear and cold in the cavernous silence of the church. "The wedding is off." A collective gasp rippled through the guests. Carina' s face went white. "Hardin, what are you doing?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry," | said, the words automatic, meaningless. "We'll reschedule." | turned to leave. She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my sleeve. "No! We can't! Please, Hardin, just say yes. We can figure this out later." A wave of irritation, sharp and sudden, washed over me. My heart was hammering against my ribs, a frantic, trapped thing. All| could think about about was Athena. "Don't be ridiculous," | snapped, shaking her off. She stumbled backward, losing her balance and collapsing in a heap of white lace and shattered dignity. Her wail was a thin, reedy sound of pure despair. ---- | didn't look back. | strode out of the church, ignoring the shocked faces and frantic whispers. | drove like a madman, the speedometer needle climbing into the red. My phone rang. Arthur. | fumbled to answer it, my eyes leaving the road for a fatal second. A horn blared, deafeningly close. | looked up. Headlights. The grille of a massive truck filling my entire windshield. Then, nothing but shattering glass and the sickening crunch of metal. The next time | opened my eyes, | was in a hospital bed. The world was a fuzzy, confusing blur. A woman with blonde hair was leaning over me, her face streaked with tears. "Hardin! Oh, thank God, you're awake!" She threw her arms around me. | recoiled, pushing her away. Her perfume was cloying, unfamiliar. Her face meant nothing to me. "Who are you?" | asked, my voice a rough croak. The room went silent. The other people gathered around the bed-strangers, all of them-stared at me in stunned silence. A sharp pain pulsed in my temple. | squeezed my eyes shut, trying to grasp onto something, anything. A face swam into ---- focus behind my eyelids. Soft brown eyes, a gentle smile. Athena. My eyes snapped open. The panic was back, ferocious and all -consuming. "Where is she?" | demanded, my voice raw with a desperation | didn't understand. "Where's Athena?" The blonde woman-Carina, someone called her-looked stricken. "Hardin, she... she left. Days ago." "No," | growled, the word a denial torn from my soul. "You're lying. She wouldn't leave me." A terrifying void opened up inside me, a black hole of fear and loss. "Get out," | roared, the sound ripping from my throat. "All of you, get out: They scrambled from the room, leaving me in a sudden, ringing silence. | grabbed my phone, my fingers shaking as | stabbed at the screen, calling her number. Voicemail. Again. Voicemail. Again. The automated voice was a mocking echo in the empty room. ---- She was gone. The thought was a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. A vast, suffocating panic washed over me, a tidal wave of terror. The world dissolved into a pinpoint of light, and then it, too, was extinguished. Title: A Princess? No! I'm the Female General! In "A Princess? No! I'm the Female General!" by CrushReel, Adela Taylor, a noble family's daughter, disguises herself as her brother to secure their Duke title by joining the army. Despite facing obstacles, she achieves remarkable success. However, upon her triumphant return, her brother betrays her, setting off a chain of events that will test her resolve and reveal hidden truths. This captivating novel delves into themes of secrets, reincarnation, revenge, murder, and drama. Adela's journey from deception to betrayal is filled with intrigue and suspense as she navigates through a world where power dynamics and family loyalties collide. What sets this story apart is its strong female lead who defies expectations and challenges societal norms in a quest for justice and redemption. Experience the riveting tale of Adela Taylor online at CrushReel and witness the transformation of a princess into a formidable female general.