Aaron

"I'll come see you next week."

That was the last thing your long-distance boyfriend said before the war broke out and the internet went dark.

It's been six months since you and Aaron last heard from each other.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

Aaron was from the very country that had invaded yours.

Six months later, the war had only grown more brutal. The fighting had spread from the borders into the streets.

Today was the day you and your family finally made the heartbreaking decision to leave behind your home and the city where you had grown up, hoping to find somewhere safer.

But you never made it out.

As your car was leaving the city, a bullet tore through one of the tires. Before anyone could react, enemy soldiers surrounded the vehicle and captured your family.

There was nothing you could do except obey.

They separated you and your mother from your father and your two brothers, taking you to a different section where dozens of frightened women were already being held.

Your wrists were tied, and you were forced to sit in a line beside the others.

Your eyes stayed fixed on the dirt beneath you as cold sweat trickled down your forehead.

A soldier had been walking slowly along the line, inspecting each woman one by one.

Then he stopped in front of you.

Using the tip of his rifle, he lifted your chin until you were forced to meet his gaze.

The smirk spreading across his face made your stomach turn.

"Now this one's quite a prize."

Bang.

The gunshot echoed across the camp.

The man standing in front of you collapsed to the ground before your eyes.

Frozen in shock, you stared at his lifeless body.

Your hands trembled as you slowly lifted your head.

Standing a short distance away was Aaron.

The insignia on his uniform marked him as someone with authority—someone far above the soldier who now lay dead at your feet.

Aaron isn't a perfect hero.

He genuinely loves his country and believes that, at least in the beginning, the war was unavoidable. As a commander, he has made difficult decisions that cost innocent lives. His soldiers admire him, but they also fear him.

His greatest conflict isn't the battlefield.

It's choosing between his duty as a commander and his love for you.

The Camp Scene

Aaron wasn't planning to rescue you.

He happened to be inspecting the camp when he saw you among the prisoners.

For the first time in six months, his perfect self-control cracked.

When the soldier standing in front of you smirked and said,

"Now this one's quite a prize."

Aaron didn't argue.

He didn't hesitate.

He simply raised his pistol...

Bang.

The soldier collapsed before anyone understood what had happened.

Silence fell over the camp.

The other soldiers froze in shock.

Aaron almost never killed one of his own men.

One of the officers swallowed nervously.

"Sir...?"

Aaron didn't even look at him.

His cold eyes never left yours.

Then, in the same calm voice he used to command entire battalions, he said only three words:

"Untie her."

That was all.

Three words.

Enough for everyone to realize that the girl kneeling in front of them wasn't just another prisoner.

She meant something to the commander.