My Wife Killed Me For Her Protégé

My wife's young protg loved to brag about his sixth sense for bomb disposal.

He claimed he could feel the wires with his eyes closed.

But his intuition failed him, and he accidentally triggered the secondary detonation sequence.

I stepped in at the last second, using a high-risk cryogenic freezing technique to save the entire skyscraper.

Because of his lethal mistake, the kid, Mason, was stripped of his field duties and suspended.

My wife tried to argue for him, but I blocked her.

"If you speak up for him now, you won't just fail to save him. You'll be dragged down and suspended right alongside him!" I told her firmly.

Mason couldn't handle the pressure. He staged a "freak accident" and blew himself up.

He left a suicide note accusing my wife of choosing her own career over him when he needed her most.

My wife didn't say a word to me.

She just kept that letter locked away in her study like a holy relic.

Years later, my wife became a world-renowned bomb disposal expert.

During a terrorist attack, I was strapped with a timed explosive.

She arrived on the scene to save me, but right before my eyes, she purposefully recreated the exact same mistake Mason had made years ago.

She watched the timer tick down and smiled at me.

"See? He was just nervous back then. If I had encouraged him instead of letting you ruin him, he'd be a hero right now!"

The bomb went off, and I was blown to pieces.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the exact moment she was about to defend her protg.

She has no idea that inside that building sits the core server containing the nation's highest classified data.

The moment I realized I had been reborn, I stopped dead in my tracks.

I was supposed to be rushing to the scene, but I turned around and went straight back to the dorms.

I pulled out my encrypted communicator and shut it down.

In my past life, Mason's mistake had sent him into a panic. He sent me dozens of messages begging me to save him.

I had just finished a 72-hour black ops mission and hadn't slept for three days.

Yet, I risked my life to clean up his mess.

I endured severe cryogenic burns just to stabilize the core server in that building.

Because of me, the military didn't court-martial Mason.

They only suspended him pending an investigation.

As long as he didn't screw up again, he could have eventually returned to his post.

But he was fragile. A few snide remarks from colleagues were enough to break him.

He blew himself up to play the victim.

In the end, my wife used my life to "prove" his innocence.

I pulled the blanket over my head and slept until dawn.

The next day, I finally turned my phone back on.

The screen was instantly flooded with hundreds of missed calls and blood-red emergency alerts.

I took my time washing up and putting on my uniform.

I arrived at the scene with unhurried steps.

Outside the police tape, the air was so thick with tension it felt like it would shatter.

Despair was written on everyone's faces.

Mason was slumped on the ground in a pathetic heap, shaking like a leaf.

The colleagues surrounding him looked like they wanted to skin him alive.

"This is on you, Mason! You and your stupid 'blindfolded intuition' crap!"

"Now look what happened! The secondary detonator is live! We're all dead!"

"Just wait! Director Winston is going to have us all court-martialed for this!"

Mason's eyes scanned the crowd frantically. When he saw me, a spark of hope lit up his face.

But a second later, that hope turned into deep, ugly resentment.

He pointed a shaking finger at me and screamed with everything he had.

"It's him! It's Silas! I called him all night! He could have saved us!"

"He turned off his phone on purpose! He wanted us to die!"

Suddenly, every eye in the crowd turned toward me like a sharpened blade.

Mason saw his chance. He stumbled toward me, thrusting his phone in my face to show the call logs.

His eyes were bloodshot and his voice was shrill.

"Silas! You know better than anyone what's inside that building!"

"National security is on the line! Why did you go dark? What was your real motive?"

The area went silent.

Everyone was waiting for my explanation.

I looked at his disgusting face, and the rage from my past life boiled over.

I raised my hand.

SLAP!

The sound of my hand hitting his face was sharp and loud.

Mason was stunned. He clutched his cheek, looking at me in total disbelief.

I shook out my stinging wrist and spoke with a voice like ice.

"Are you out of your mind?"

I pulled up the mission roster and turned the screen toward the crowd.

The shift schedule and the signatures were clear for everyone to see.

"Mason, you were the lead technician on duty last night."

"I, Silas, was on mandatory leave after a 72-hour special op."

"My name isn't even on this sheet."

As soon as the words left my mouth, the crowd's suppressed anger found its target again.

"That's right! Silas just got back from the 'Red Scorpion' mission. He defused three linked mines and could barely stand when he got back!"

"Exactly! Mason, you always use Clara's protection to dump the dangerous jobs on Silas. Now you've caused a disaster and you're trying to take him down with you?"

"You messed up and now you want a scapegoat? You really are as pathetic as they say!"

The accusations hit Mason like stones.

The color drained from his face until he was as white as a sheet. He slumped back to the ground, his eyes empty.

Just then, a military SUV screeched to a halt at the perimeter.

The doors flew open. Director Winston and my wife, Clara Thorne, strode toward us. Both of them looked grim.

I looked at Clara. We used to be the golden couple of the agency. Everyone thought we were a match made in heaven.

But right now, her gaze brushed past me without stopping for even a second. She ran straight to Mason.

She took off her jacket and wrapped it around him, pulling him into her arms.

"Don't be scared, Mason. I'm here."

Her voice was softer than I had ever heard it.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

My heart turned to stone in that moment.

In my last life, she protected him just like this. She told me, "Silas, he was just nervous. He's a natural talent. You need to be more encouraging."

Now, she was flaunting her favoritism in front of the whole world.

The colleagues around us looked on with even more disgust and fury.

Director Winston's eyes darted between the three of us like a knife. He barked an order for me to follow him into the command vehicle.

The moment the door slammed shut, his mountain-like composure crumbled.

The battle-hardened Director looked panicked for the first time in his life.

"Silas! I don't give a damn about the regulations!"

He slammed his fist onto the map on the console, making the equipment rattle.

"You have to save that server!"

"If it's destroyed, every single person in this departmentDstarting with meDis going to be lined up against a wall and shot!"

I looked into his bloodshot eyes and spoke calmly.

"Director, I can try."

My voice was quiet, but it brought an instant silence to the van.

"But I have conditions."

I pulled a document from my pocket and handed it over.

It was the approval form Clara had signed, over everyone's objections, for "Mason's Specialized Intuitive Field Application."

The word "Intuitive" looked like a sick joke now.

"The risk was her call."

"I'm not the only one who should be cleaning up this mess."

"I want her to pay the price for this so-called 'innovation.'"

Director Winston's eyes narrowed as he snatched the paper.

When he finished reading, he slammed it back onto the desk with a deafening bang.

"That idiot!"

His roar almost shook the roof off.

"Don't you worry. That expert seat she's been gunning for? It's gone."

"Every promotion path she has is frozen as of today!"

A cold, sharp smile touched my lips.

I picked up a pen and signed the liability waiver and the mission orders.

Clara, I'm cutting off your career path with my own hands this time.

I threw on the heavy bomb suit and sprinted into the building.

I didn't have a blueprint or a plan.

But I had the memories of my previous life.

I bypassed the mess of wires Mason had incorrectly rigged. I ignored the red-blinking traps he had left behind.

I found the core server with surgical precision.

I injected the cryogenic coolant. White mist filled the room.

The piercing alarm suddenly cut to a halt.

The secondary detonation sequence was successfully frozen.

I pulled off my helmet. Sweat and mist blurred my vision.

I slumped against the wall, nearly fainting from the exhaustion.

When I walked out of the building, a roar of cheers went up from the crowd.

My colleagues rushed forward to support me, their voices thick with gratitude and relief.

"Silas! You're a freaking god!"

"I knew it! As long as Silas is here, nothing is impossible!"

Invitations for celebratory drinks poured in.

I turned them all down.

I just wanted to go home.

But as I reached for my car door, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck.

A hand clamped over my mouth, dragging me backward.

I was easily overpowered and shoved into a dark utility closet.

The door slammed shut and the bolt clicked into place.

I was tied to a cold metal chair, unable to move a muscle.

A single, flickering bulb hung from the ceiling.

In the shadows, a familiar silhouette came into focus.

It was Clara, my wife.

She knelt in front of me, her fingers gently brushing through my hair. Her tone was creepily soft.

"Silas, don't struggle. The ropes will only hurt you."

Her voice felt like a snake sliding over my skin. It made my stomach turn.

She stared at me with a look of pure madness.

"You ruined Mason. Do you realize that?"

Her voice was a whisper, but it hit me like a sledgehammer.

"The report names him as the primary offender. Silas, his life is over because of you."

I looked at her, feeling a deep chill in my marrow.

"He did this to himself!"

She shook her head and sighed, as if I were a difficult child.

"No, I can still save him."

She stood up and grabbed a heavy steel pipe from the corner.

"If you can't defuse bombs anymore, the agency will have no choice but to reinstate Mason."

"Silas, help him one last time."

"Don't be afraid. Once this is over, Mason and I will take very good care of you."

My blood turned to ice. A wave of terror washed over me as she stepped closer with that pipe.

"Clara! You're insane! What are you doing? My hands are for saving lives!"

"I am not sacrificing my hands to pave the way for your little pet!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes, but she didn't stop. She raised the pipe high.

"I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

That was the last thing I heard.

The pipe whistled through the air and came down hard.

CRACK.

I heard the sound of my own right wrist shattering.

Agony flooded my senses like a tidal wave. Everything went black, and I spiraled toward unconsciousness.

She dropped the pipe and knelt down again.

She used a random towel to gently wrap my ruined hand.

She handled it as if it were a priceless treasure.

She leaned in close to my ear, her warm breath hitting my neck as she whispered.

"I'm sorry you have to stay here for the night."

"As soon as the investigation is over, I'll take you away."

"Mason's reputation cannot have a single stain on it."

With that, she stood up and walked away without looking back.

The light flickered once and went out.

The room was swallowed by total darkness and silence.

I was woken up by someone shaking me violently.

The movement tugged at my wrist, and I let out a low groan. Cold sweat soaked my back instantly.

It was Clara.

She was gripping my shoulders, her eyes bloodshot like a rabid animal.

"Silas! The core cooling system failed!"

Her scream made my ears ring.

"The cryogenic liquid caused the metal to fracture! Why didn't you tell me that would happen?"

I stared at her.

Just hours ago, this woman had shattered my hand with her own strength.

Now, she was demanding to know why I hadn't predicted the side effects of her own sabotage.

I pulled my lips back into a bitter sneer.

"A precision machine suddenly frozen to sub-zero temperatures? Of course it failed."

My voice was weak, but it snapped her last nerve.

"Shut up!"

She grabbed my healthy left hand and started dragging me out of the room like a maniac.

"Move! You have to fix it! Mason is still being questioned! We can't let him take more blame!"

Mason... always Mason.

I stumbled after her, my right hand dangling uselessly. Every step sent a fresh jolt of pain through my body.

I summoned every bit of strength I had and ripped my hand away from her.

Then, I thrust my mangled, swollen right hand in her face.

"Clara!"

"My hand is broken!"

Her pupils shrank to tiny pinpricks.

The sight of the ruin she had created was a silent indictment of her crime.

A few seconds passed. The guilt in her eyes vanished, replaced by an even deeper madness.

"It doesn't matter..."

"It's fine... You can do it with one hand. You're the best, aren't you?"

She looked up at me with a gaze that was almost begging.

"Do it for Mason! Just try! Just this once!"

BANG!

The door to the command center was kicked open.

Director Winston burst in with a team of guards. The first thing he saw was my bloodied, distorted right hand held high in the air.

The rage on his face looked like it could burn the whole building down.

"Take her down!"

The guards lunged forward, pinning the screaming Clara to the floor.

I finally let out a breath of relief. My legs gave out, but someone caught me before I hit the ground.

I thought it was finally over.

But Clara, pinned to the floor, whipped her head around and pointed at me, screaming hysterically.

"It was him!"

"He was jealous of Mason's talent! He sabotaged the server on purpose!"

"He even broke his own hand just to frame me!"

I looked at this woman in utter disbelief.

This was the woman I had loved for ten years. The woman I shared a bed with.

She was shameless.

How could anyone be this heartless?

My mind went blank. I didn't even have the energy to argue.

Just then, Mason was led into the room.

He was sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing Clara pinned down made him cry even harder.

Clara reached out like he was her last lifeline. She screamed at Director Winston.

"Director! Mason can feel the energy flow! He can fix it! Let him try!"

"He's the only one who can save the server now!"

Mason's sobbing hitched. He looked at Clara, then at me, then at the Director.

Under the weight of everyone's gaze, he did it.

To save Clara, he wiped his tears and nodded solemnly.

In that moment, I felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs.

No.

I used the last of my strength to let out a raspy roar.

"Don't!"

"The core is overloaded! Direct contact will cause a chain reaction!"

"Everyone will die!"

No one listened.

In their eyes, I was just a man driven mad by jealousy.

Two technicians grabbed Mason and pushed him toward the humming, vibrating server.

I watched him reach out with trembling fingers.

Time slowed down.

I saw his fingertips inching closer to the machine.

It was over.

Everything was over.

I closed my eyes and waited for the explosion that would erase us all.