My Deceptive Wife: The Bumpkin With Endless Mysteries

The rainforest lay eerily still until two burly men suddenly charged through the thick vegetation, sending birds flapping into the air and insects fleeing in every direction.

"Where the hell did he go? He was just here!"

"Spread out. The boss wants him dead, so don't let him get away!"

Thunder rumbled across the sky. A flash of lightning pierced the darkness, briefly revealing the beautiful face of a young woman concealed among the trees. There was nothing gentle about the cold, merciless look in her eyes.

Madelynn Foster had no idea how these men had managed to track her down. Since they were already here, however, she had no intention of allowing either of them to leave unscathed.

Keeping her footsteps light, she slipped between the trees and thick vines. When she got close enough to one of the men, she emerged from behind the foliage and struck the back of his neck with the side of her hand. His eyes rolled back, and he dropped heavily to the ground.

The second man remained focused on his search. "This guy is unbelievable. He's bleeding badly, yet he still managed to disappear without a trace. The boss rarely orders someone killed personally. If we bring him back, we'll be handsomely rewarded!"

When his companion failed to respond, he turned around to check on him. Instead of finding the man, he came face-to-face with a young woman who looked almost innocent. She stood several steps away, staring at him as though she couldn't understand why he was there.

"Well, what is a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" His eyes traveled over her, and a crude grin spread across his face. "Looks like we've stumbled onto something interesting."

Madelynn's brows drew together. "Aren't you looking for me?"

"You?" The man stared at her for a moment before his grin became even more vulgar. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take my time with you after I finish what I came here for."

He never got the chance. Madelynn closed the distance between them in an instant. Her foot drove hard into his abdomen, and before he could recover, her fist connected with his temple. The man staggered once before collapsing face-first onto the wet ground.

She looked down at him, her expression full of disdain. "I might have misunderstood who you were searching for, but after the way you spoke to me, you deserved that."

Lightning flashed again, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Heavy clouds had gathered above the canopy, and rain would soon sweep through the rainforest.

Whatever answers she had hoped to uncover today would have to wait. There was nothing more she could do here for now.

Madelynn turned toward the edge of the forest. She had barely gone a short distance when something dark caught her attention between the trees. Having spent enough time in this area to know the terrain, she immediately understood what she was looking at. She had found the man those two men had been hunting.

If their intention was to kill him, Madelynn had no reason to help them succeed.

She moved closer and discovered a man sprawled across the ground, his clothes soaked in blood. The amount he had lost was alarming, and his condition was critical. Only the barely noticeable movement of his chest confirmed that he was still alive.

Madelynn crouched beside him and quickly worked on several pressure points, restricting the blood flow from his wounds. She was just about to assess the extent of his injuries when his eyes suddenly opened.

His gaze remained fixed on the treetops, but there was no focus behind it. The damage he had suffered had clearly affected his eyesight. After struggling to make out the person beside him, he finally whispered hoarsely, "You..."

Madelynn's lips curved into a warm smile. "Yes. It's me..."

She had just begun to explain that it was her who had saved him when his expression abruptly changed. Without warning, he swung his fist toward her.

Madelynn had not expected the attack. She caught his fist before it could land, then struck the side of his neck with a sharp blow. His body immediately went slack, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Ungrateful bastard!" she cursed, glaring at him. "You're no different from those two idiots."

She stood and took a few steps away, fully intending to leave him behind. But after a moment, she stopped. Her conscience refused to let her walk away.

If she abandoned him, he would either succumb to his injuries or be discovered by the people searching for him. Neither outcome would end well for him.

Madelynn let out a resigned breath. Having a conscience was troublesome enough. Having a soft heart to go with it was even worse. She couldn't simply stand by and watch someone die when she could save them.

She bent down, lifted the injured man onto her back, and began carrying him toward the rainforest's edge.

As she neared the outskirts, she noticed several heavily armed mercenaries moving through the area in a coordinated search. They were clearly a separate group from the two men she had dealt with earlier. Madelynn decided she could trust them enough to take the risk.

She lowered the wounded man onto the ground in a place where the search party was certain to notice him, then disappeared back into the cover of the trees.

Her plan worked. The instant one of the mercenaries spotted the injured man, he raised his radio. "We found him. Mr. Phillips is in critical condition. Get the medical team here now. He needs immediate surgery."

The other mercenaries rushed toward the location. While they were occupied with their injured employer, Madelynn quietly withdrew, leaving without revealing that she was the one who had saved him.

Not long afterward, rain came crashing down from the sky. Water swept through the rainforest, erasing footprints and washing away every sign of the struggle that had taken place there.

Madelynn fought her way through the heavy rain until she reached an old house. The moment she stepped through the door, a young man approached her with a towel. "Madelynn, did you find anything?"

She rubbed the towel over her drenched hair and shook her head. "Something happened while I was there. I'll return after the rain passes."

The young man seemed hesitant to speak, but eventually said, "We received news from home. Your family has arranged a flight for you to go back to Aldenridge the day after tomorrow."

Madelynn looked at him in surprise. "Why so suddenly?"

"The Phillips family is insisting on moving forward with the marriage. They want the wedding held as soon as possible. Martha can no longer keep you out of sight, so she's being forced to bring you back."

Madelynn almost laughed at the irony.

Ten years ago, her father, Rodger Foster, and her stepmother, Martha Foster, had sent her to stay with her maternal grandmother in an isolated region of her home country. They had claimed it was for her recovery.

For ten whole years, neither of them had shown the slightest concern for whether she was alive or dead. In fact, they had already intended to have Lana Foster, given birth by Martha, take Madelynn's place and marry into the Phillips family.

But Eleanor Phillips, the matriarch of the Phillips family, had never accepted anyone else as a suitable bride. She had always demanded Madelynn. Recently, she had increased the pressure on the Fosters, insisting that they arrange Madelynn's marriage to her grandson, Ethan Phillips, without further delay. Martha would never have agreed to bring Madelynn back if Eleanor had not forced her hand.

Madelynn gave a quiet sigh. "Fine. At least the marriage gives me a legitimate reason to stay in Aldenridge."

She had originally entered Aldenridge without her family's permission and assumed a false identity to conduct her investigation. It had been the only way to uncover the truth surrounding her mother's death without alerting her family to what she was doing.

Operating without legal status had made everything far more difficult.

The Fosters remained completely unaware that Madelynn had been in Aldenridge all this time. As far as they knew, she was still an ignorant country girl living somewhere far away in her home country.

If she wanted to preserve that illusion, she would have to cross the border secretly that day and then take the scheduled flight to Aldenridge two days later.

"I'll leave today," Madelynn said. "After the rain stops, send a few people into the rainforest to continue searching for clues. If you run into trouble, don't do anything until I get back. Whatever happens, wait for me."

The young man gave a firm nod. "Understood."

Meanwhile, at the Phillips Estate, Jackson Williams, a young man with gold-rimmed glasses, stepped into a private residence. The moment he saw Ethan lying injured in bed, his face changed. "Ethan, are you okay?"

Ethan dismissed his concern with a wave. "I'm fine. Did you find out who attacked me?"

Emergency treatment had pulled Ethan out of immediate danger, but his injuries remained extensive and serious.

His attacker had clearly intended to take his life. Until the person responsible was identified, Ethan could not consider himself safe.

Jackson's expression became uncomfortable, and he quietly looked away.

Ethan immediately understood. He had not expected a different answer. "Before I passed out, I caught a glimpse of a woman who seemed to be attacking me. I couldn't see her face clearly, but I remember the necklace around her neck. There was something distinctive about it. Start your investigation there."

Jackson nodded. "I will. There's one more thing. The Foster family has agreed to send Madelynn here for the wedding."

Displeasure immediately darkened Ethan's expression. "I'll find a way to send her back."