Ch. The Dress Swap That Exposed Her Perfect Lie 40 The Dress Swap That Exposed Her Perfect Lie 40

Chapter 1 

I was the only daughter of the commander of the Capitol Hill military circles, the true heiress the Caldwell 

family had searched for twenty years to find. 

I wasn’t brought home until I was five years old. But the adopted daughter, Isabella, felt I had stolen the 

affection that was rightfully hers and subjected me to endless harassment. 

My brother, James, always said she had been spoiled since childhood, used to getting her way, and that I 

should be the bigger person. 

Seeing she was an orphan with no one else to rely on, I bit my tongue and endured it. 

That all changed on the day of my debutante ball. My father had his subordinates select outstanding officers 

from several major commands for me to choose a fiancé from by lottery. 

But James deliberately switched the lottery urn, forcing me to publicly draw the worst possible match. 

The worst match corresponded to an old officer stationed at the border, who had already been crippled and disfigured during a mission. 

A wave of shocked murmurs swept the hall, quickly cresting into open derision. Mocking whispers and stifled laughter rose around me like a tide, each wave washing another piece of my composure away.I stood frozen in place, my eyes burning with unshed tears. 

James, however, tried to comfort me with a patronizing tone. 

“Hey, don’t blame me. Anyway, Bella had her heart set on that Wrangler, and you took it. Long story short, I 

owed her one.” 

“Our precious Bella was heartbroken. Someone had to take the fall to cheer her up, and you drew the short 

straw.” 

“Relax, ‘as the commander’s only daughter. We wouldn’t actually make you marry some old cripple.” 

I looked into his eyes, saw the blatant favoritism he held for Isabella, and felt my heart shatter. 

So, in his eyes, the dignity of his own blood sister was worth less than a single complaint from that 

impostor. 

The moment James finished speaking, I turned to stone, my blood running cold. 

The guests below whispered amongst themselves, a dense murmur of gossip. 

James cleared his throat loudly, then raised his voice, trying to salvage the situation. 

“My sister’s hand slipped just now! The draw doesn’t count. We’ll do it again.” 

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“I drew the lot. It’s fate. I accept this engagement.” 

James whirled around to stare at me, his voice sharp and frantic. 

“Eleanor, have you lost your mind?” 

“You’re the General’s daughter! You can’t actually marry that old cripple!” 

I turned my head to look at him, my eyes already rimmed with red. 

There was a time when he was the brother who would shield me from every storm. 

But now, all because of Isabella’s offhand comment about a stupid Jeep, he had personally pushed me into 

the abyss at the most important celebration of my life. 

The corner of my mouth twitched into a faint, cold smile. 

“James, isn’t this exactly what you wanted?” 

“Now that I’m marrying some old man, your precious Isabella should be happy, right?” 

James stared blankly for a second, his brow furrowing tightly. 

“You’re still blaming Isabella? You were the one who messed up first! The way she acted today was just…” 

I stopped listening to the rest of his excuses. I just turned, lifted the hem of my gown, and descended the 

stairs, one deliberate step at a time. 

The guests stepped back, parting a path for me. 

Their gazes, curious, pitying, scornful-landed on me like countless tiny needles, pricking my skin. 

As I passed Lucas, he suddenly spoke my name, stopping me. 

His tone held a note of presumptuous advice. 

“Eleanor, don’t throw your life away just to spite me. Don’t actually marry someone like that.” 

He took half a step closer, his voice softening as if he genuinely cared. 

“We grew up together. I’ve always seen you as my little sister… I’ll help you find a suitable match from a 

proper family later.” 

I looked back at him, a sarcastic smile twisting my lips. 

“Your little sister?” 

Lucas faltered, a flash of guilt in his eyes. 

My gaze sharpened like a blade, locking directly onto his. 

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“Lucas, if you had the guts to admit you’ve changed, I might still respect you for having some backbone!” 

My words struck a nerve. The blood drained from his face, and his lips parted as if to speak, but no sound 

came out. He looked away, unable to meet my scorching gaze, the silence between us more damning than 

any reply.I didn’t linger. I walked straight past Lucas, the fabric of my gown lightly brushing against his polished combat boots, heading toward the figure in the wheelchair seated in the corner of the ballroom. 

The buzz of conversation in the room vanished instantly. The air itself seemed to freeze. 

James leaned over the second-floor railing, almost hanging halfway over it, shouting urgently, “Eleanor 

Caldwell! Get a grip! Stop this childish nonsense!” 

Lucas remained rooted to the spot, his jaw tight, his expression filled with icy fury. 

In that moment, every eye was fixed on me. 

I bent down slightly, meeting the gaze of the man whose face was half-covered by a silver-gray mask. 

His hands resting on the wheelchair’s armrests were covered in scars. A thin wool blanket lay over his legs. 

“Will you… marry me?” 

The man in the wheelchair’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. The single eye not concealed by the mask 

suddenly blazed with an intense light. 

He spoke, his voice clear and steady. “You won’t regret it?” 

“I won’t regret it.” 

“Good. Then I’ll marry you.” 

James charged down the stairs but was stopped on the last few steps by Lucas’s outstretched arm. 

“Going over there now is exactly what she wants.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Lucas gave a cold laugh, his eyes fixed intently on my retreating back. “She’s just throwing a tantrum. There’s 

no way she’d actually marry a cripple…” 

I heard their hushed, tense argument behind me but didn’t look back. I simply extended my hand to the man. 

in the wheelchair. 

His palm was rough but warm, and it firmly enveloped my fingertips. 

C 

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