Abandoned Bride of the Warzone

From the back cover

The overseas evacuation in the Sahel region years ago left an indelible scar on my soul.

When the local government collapsed, everyone assumed Declan would give the final seat on the extraction chopper to me.

Instead, he fled into the night with another woman, leaving behind nothing but a few hollow excuses.

He claimed she was fragile. He said the sight of mutilated bodies in the combat zone would break her mind, that she needed safety more than I did.

He told me I was tough. He said I could definitely hold out until the next rescue convoy arrived.

He even promised that once he got her to a safe house, he would come back to bring me home so we could get married.

But the rebel militia overran the compound hours later. The slaughter was absolute.

I hid in a trench filled with the dead, the soil turning to muddy crimson beneath me. My wounds burned with a blinding agony. I waited until all hope bled out of me, but his shadow never appeared.

Years later, our paths finally crossed again. When Declan saw the diamond resting on my ring finger, his eyes instantly flushed red.

He demanded to know why. He asked how I dared to marry another man when I had promised to wait for him.