Chapter 2

The man standing before me was Xander, the strongest fighter in the base.

When I was small, a rival faction inside the base had kidnaped me.

To make them let me go, Xander stood in front of their leader and took three bullets without flinching — just to bring me back without a scratch.

After I was rescued, I cried looking at his wounds.

He just stroked my head and told me those cuts felt like nothing to him.

But watching me cry, he said, nearly killed him.

Among my four dads, Xander Dad loved me the most.

It was a shame that love vanished four years ago, the day Nathan Dad brought a wounded Jade back from a supply search.

I had always known my four dads had all loved the same woman once.

What I never knew was that she wasn't my mother. She was Jade's mother.

They say my four dads were the son of a legendary warrior named Marcus.

The former base commander, General Victor, had feared Marcus's growing influence and purged his entire faction on fabricated charges.

It was my young mother who hid them, smuggling each boy to a different base.

When they grew strong enough, she helped them rise up and take back the base.

Ethan Dad became the new Commander. Justice was finally done.

They say my mother and Ethan Dad were deeply in love.

But just before their wedding, a woman named Serena appeared.

One look at her, and all four men forgot themselves.

My mother kept trying to fight for what was hers. In the end, jealousy consumed her, and she took her own life.

After she died, Serena disappeared too.

Only when Jade came back did they learn the truth.

Serena left because she felt guilty for my mother's death.

Honestly, I never believed any of that.

My instincts told me my mother was not the villain. Serena was.

But my dads didn't trust my instincts.

They decided I was just like her. Jealous. Petty. Causing trouble.

So every time I clashed with Jade, they took her side.

It wasn't long before I went from their beloved little princess to a ghost in the base.

Xander picked up the blade and glanced at the wound on my throat.

Then his wrist turned. The blade came straight for me.

I stumbled back two steps on reflex.

The flash of steel passed. A new cut appeared on my neck.

Xander gave a cold laugh.

"If you want to die that badly, why did you dodge?"

"Lily. You're just like that mother of yours. Pathetic. Always hurting yourself to get someone's attention."

"She was smarter than you, at least. She always did it in front of all four of us. You pick this kind of miserable place. You've really lost your mind."