---- Chapter 9 Erika POV: After the storm, there was silence. It was as if Coleton had finally evaporated from my world. The calls stopped. The texts ceased. The ghost outside my office was gone. The quiet was so absolute, it was almost jarring. | heard, through the grapevine, that he' d left the city. Moved to some small, forgotten town in the south to manage a bookstore. The brilliant, ambitious project lead who had been on the fast track to the C-suite was gone, replaced by a quiet man selling paperbacks. He was quickly forgotten by the world we had once inhabited. Life with Bret was... peaceful. It was a calm harbor after a hurricane. He was kind, considerate, and unfailingly supportive. We were good partners. We attended galas, hosted dinner parties, and negotiated mergers with a seamless, professional grace. He remembered | preferred tea over coffee, and he always took my side in pointless family debates. There was no wild, all-consuming passion. There was no breathtaking romance. But there was respect. There was stability. And after the chaos of Coleton, that was more than enough. My family was thrilled. The wedding was being planned. A ---- spring ceremony, my mother had decided. It felt less like a choice and more like an inevitability, the logical next step in a well-executed business plan. | was content. Or perhaps, | had just forgotten what happiness felt like. One afternoon, a package arrived at my office. It was a simple manila envelope with no return address. Inside, there was a copy of a share transfer agreement and a single, handwritten letter. The agreement showed that Coleton had transferred his entire portfolio of company shares-a small fortune | had helped him build-to me. Unconditionally. It was everything he had. My hands trembled as | unfolded the letter. The handwriting was messy, rushed. Erika, it began. This is the only thing | can think of to do. It' s not an apology, because what | did is unforgivable. And it' s not a bribe to get you back, because | know that' s impossible. Think of it as... restitution. For everything. Without you, | would have had none of it anyway. |' ve had a lot of time to think. About us. About the last five years. | remember everything. The way you used to bite your lip when you were concentrating on your code. The sound of your laugh when we watched stupid movies. The feeling of your hand in mine. | had it all, and | was too stupid, too arrogant, too blinded by my own damn ego to see it. ---- | let you down. | know that. | broke us. When | found out the truth about you, about Aura, | wasn't shocked because of the money or the power. | was terrified. Terrified because | instantly knew, in that one horrible moment, that | had lost something priceless. Not because of who you were, but because of what | had done to you. | had taken the purest, most genuine love | had ever known, and | had treated it like it was disposable. | chose cheap thrills and easy validation over a love that was real. It was the single greatest mistake of my life, and | will regret it every day for the rest of it. | finally understand who | love. It was always you. Just you. Not Aura. Not the power. Erika Larson. And | lost her. I'm not going to bother you anymore. | don' t deserve to be in your life. | just wanted to say I' m sorry. For everything. Be happy, Erika. You deserve it. Goodbye, Coleton The letter slipped from my fingers and fluttered to the floor. A strange pressure built in my chest, a painful, suffocating tightness. He finally understood. He finally saw it all with perfect, heartbreaking clarity. And it was too late. ---- A year passed. Spring arrived, and with it, the final preparations for my wedding to Bret. | stood in front of a three -way mirror, a seamstress fussing over the hem of a couture wedding gown, and | stared at the stranger in the reflection. She was beautiful, poised, and completely empty. Bret was a good man. This would be a good life. But a part of my heart had been frozen that day in Austin, and | didn' t know if it would ever thaw. 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.