Ch. The Dress Swap That Exposed Her Perfect Lie 49 The Dress Swap That Exposed Her Perfect Lie 49

Chapter 10 

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Hearing the word “wife,” the composure on Lucas’s face shattered completely. His hand, hanging by his side 

in his uniform pants, clenched unconsciously. 

He first muttered, “…Impossible.” 

Then he snapped his head toward Isabella. “Is he telling the truth?” 

Isabella’s face was deathly pale. She took half a step back, her voice barely a whisper. “He’s the disabled old 

man Sister drew… and he’s General Shaw from U.S. Southern Command.” 

Lucas stared fixedly at me, bloodshot veins spreading in his eyes. “Eleanor, you really married him!?” 

Before I could respond, Julian had completely positioned himself in front of me, blocking that intense gaze. 

“You like this dress?” he asked me, his tone normal. “Then we’ll buy it. If you think it’s too plain, we’ll get a matching shawl. The blush pink new arrival you liked last time is in too. We’ll take them all.” 

With that, he directly signaled the sales associate to write up the bill and smoothly paid by card. 

As Julian and I walked out arm in arm, Lucas remained rooted to the spot, unmoving. 

He kept muttering under his breath, over and over, 

“How is this possible… The one she loves… it should be me…” 

Chapter 11 

Julian was naturally on the guest list for the annual Army-Navy Gala. 

I had been determined not to attend, but I couldn’t withstand his persistent wheedling over the past few days. 

“Darling,” he leaned close to my ear, his voice lowered, feigning hurt, “You’d really abandon me to handle that 

kind of crowd alone?” 

When I turned away, ignoring him, he pressed closer, his eyelashes fluttering, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“Besides… are you really that confident? A man with my looks… what if some Senator’s daughter sets her 

sights on me? I might not be able to fight her off.” 

His act made me crack a smile, and I playfully reached to pinch the soft part of his waist. 

In the end, I gave in and attended the gala with him. 

The moment we stepped into the banquet hall, eyes from all directions converged on us like shadows. 

Hushed whispers floated in the air, 

“Did you hear? General Caldwell’s daughter, the one who drew a name in a fit of pique at her debutante ball and picked some wheelchair-bound veteran, turns out he’s General Shaw from SOUTHCOM!” 

“Really! Rumor has it the higher-ups wanted to set him up with Senator Davis’s granddaughter, but he publicly declared he’d only marry Miss Caldwell! He even went through with a full procession to fetch her from her home, just like a scene from a romantic drama!” 

Someone in a corner chimed in sourly, “And just like that, she becomes a General’s wife? Let’s be real, 

General Shaw’s power base is in the South. Does a wedding held here even count?” 

I subconsciously tightened my fingers, clutching Julian’s sleeve. 

As if sensing my slight unease, his warm hand immediately covered mine, giving it a gentle, reassuring 

squeeze. 

The gala was in full swing when the banquet hall doors were thrown open abruptly. 

“General! It’s terrible! The Clark family’s grandson has fallen into the lake in the back garden!” 

The entire hall fell silent instantly. The General at the head table stood up abruptly, and everyone followed 

the guard rushing toward the hotel’s rear garden. 

Just past the arched gateway, we saw a crowd gathered by the lake. 

Drawing closer, we found Isabella and James being restrained by two security personnel, their arms pinned 

behind their backs. 

“What happened?” the General asked sternly.