After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 320

Whoever got their hands on the gun first could have decided who lived and who died.

Catherine stood there, frozen. Her whole body was trembling when a deep, rough voice shouted at her, “Go! Don’t come over here, it’s dangerous!” He was speaking in Chinese.

She was terrified, desperate to run, but something inside her snapped into place. Even though she was shaking, she reached out and grabbed the gun. She pointed it at the foreign man, her hands barely steady. He took one look at her, then turned and bolted. When it was finally over, her legs just gave out. She dropped to the ground, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed until she could barely breathe.

She didn’t even notice when the bloodied man behind her slipped away. It was only after a long time, when the room had gone silent, that she realized he’d left.

She never imagined that man was Lawrence.

“What were you doing in Veridian? How did you get hurt so badly?” Catherine hugged him, clinging tightly, the fear from that night still haunting her. What if she hadn’t taken that shortcut? What if she’d just run away? What if the other man had grabbed the gun first? Would Lawrence have…

“It was for work. I ran into some bad people,” Lawrence said with a small, wry smile. The truth was, he hadn’t even retired from the military yet. He’d been chasing a transnational information trafficking group, and he’d walked right into their trap.

“So you recognized me back then? You remembered me all this time?” Catherine’s voice was soft, almost shy.

Lawrence nodded. “Of course I remembered. Even though you were scared and crying, hiding your face, I never forgot you.” He kissed the corner of her eye, his voice low and a little hoarse. “You made an impression I could never shake.”

Catherine’s tears came again, unstoppable. So they had met six years ago. Fate really had started weaving their story long before she’d ever realized.

He had been investigating Resonance AI and ended up on that cruise. He’d saved her when she fell into the sea, not thinking twice. Because of that, she’d seen Waldo for who he really was and turned away from him.

And Lawrence, the founder of the Zero System, her idol for so many years, had become the most important person in her world. Her husband.

“So, when I asked you to marry me out of the blue, that’s why you agreed without hesitating.” Catherine smiled through her tears.

“I’m the lucky one, getting to marry you,” Lawrence said softly.

“And I’m so lucky to have you,” Catherine replied, leaning in to kiss his chin.

She remembered how she’d staggered back to her room, soaked and miserable, that night. She’d only asked him to be her boyfriend to get under Waldo’s skin, but Lawrence had looked her in the eye and said he truly wanted to be with her.

Now she finally understood why.