In my last life, my wife, a SWAT officer, chose to save someone else when the kidnappers gave her an ultimatum. She did it to avoid the appearance of nepotism. But our one-year-old daughter wouldn’t stop crying for her daddy. And I, desperate, used that fact to force my wife’s hand, to make her choose me. The negotiation failed. The man she chose, the man she’d always loved, was executed by the kidnappers, tortured to death. My wife fell into a deep depression for three years. And for three years, she hated me. Then, on our daughter’s fourth birthday, she suddenly broke from her usual cold indifference. She came home with a cake. I thought she was finally ready to let go of the past. I never imagined the cake was laced with poison. As I coughed up blood, I stared at her in disbelief, asking her why. Her smile was a twisted, ugly thing. “It’s because of you. Because of you, Flynn died! If I could do it all over again, I would never have saved you…” In the end, she tortured me and our daughter to death. But then, the unthinkable happened. I was reborn. This time, I chose to let go. I chose to face death with open arms. But after I died, my wife… she regretted everything. 1 “Cassidy! Make the call! Who are you choosing?” The familiar voice roared in my ears. My eyes snapped open, and the horrifying reality hit me. I was back. I had truly been reborn. Here I was, on the edge of a skyscraper rooftop, tied up next to Flynn Pierce—the man my wife, Cassidy, had always loved. Eighteen stories of empty air yawned beneath us, and a single, fraying rope was all that kept each of us from the abyss. Down on the street, Cassidy hesitated, her face pale, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. The kidnapper’s voice crackled through a bullhorn, impatient. “You’re SWAT’s legendary Cassidy Holt, famous for your lightning-fast decisions! Quit stalling! We don’t have all day to play your little games!” My voice was a raw croak. “Cassidy, if they take me, they’ll kill me.” I knew how this ended. I knew the negotiations would fail, and I would die. But the image of my daughter, Sunny, not even two years old, flashed in my mind. I had to try. Beside me, Flynn was a sobbing wreck. “Cass, I’m scared!” he wailed. “I’m so damn scared! Please, save me! I don’t want to die!” Cassidy’s hand tightened into a fist. She raised her own bullhorn, her voice finally steady, stripped of all doubt. “Release Flynn Pierce! I’m choosing Flynn!” Even knowing it was coming, even in this second life, a sharp, brutal pain lanced through my chest, as if a hand had reached inside and squeezed my heart. But this time, I accepted it. After all, even if I had returned to her side, death was waiting for me anyway. Better to end it now than to repeat the gruesome tragedy of my last life. Cassidy’s voice came again, this time directed at me. “Cole, I’m sorry. But you’re a cop’s husband. They won’t really kill you! Flynn… he’s not strong like you. His heart is weak. He can’t take this. Just hang on. I promise I’ll come back for you!” I closed my eyes, a wave of despair washing over me. The kidnapper let out a booming laugh. “Well, well, Cassidy! Looks like you still love your old flame more! Fine, I’ll grant your wish!” With a single, swift motion, he sliced through the rope holding Flynn. Flynn dropped like a stone, landing squarely on the inflatable cushion the police had set up below. He tumbled right into Cassidy’s waiting arms and promptly passed out. And me? The kidnappers dragged me onto a helicopter, and we disappeared into the city skyline. They took me to an old, abandoned warehouse that reeked of mold and decay. When I came to, they were all gathered around me, their faces twisted into ugly sneers. The leader stepped forward. “Boys, that bitch Cassidy Holt has been a thorn in our side for years. Tonight, we finally get our revenge.” My blood ran cold. This wasn't how it happened last time. In my previous life, there was a second round of negotiations. Why was this happening now? “Don’t come near me,” I pleaded, my voice shaking. “Please, I’m begging you. My wife, she’ll come back for me. She’ll give you whatever you want. Money, anything. Please, don’t hurt me. I have a daughter… she’s waiting for me to come home…” My words only seemed to amuse them. Their smiles turned predatory. “Oh, listen to that! He’s a daddy!” “This is gonna be fun. I love it when they fight back, knowing they can’t escape.” They started tearing at my clothes. I tried to resist, but a vicious backhand sent me to the ground, my nose and mouth exploding with the coppery taste of blood. No matter how much I begged, there was no escape. They tied me to the floor, helpless, like a fish on a cutting board. Then they brought out their tools. Tears of humiliation streamed from my eyes as they beat me, over and over again. “I’m sorry, Sunny,” I whispered into the darkness. “Daddy’s not coming home… Daddy broke his promise…” Seeing my despair only seemed to fuel their cruelty. Finally, they grew tired. The leader draped a white cloth over my head. And with a single, final blow from a hammer, he ended my life. 2 The pain was gone. My soul felt weightless, drifting upwards. Then, as if pulled by an invisible string, I found myself floating beside Cassidy. She was at the hospital, sitting by Flynn’s bedside. After a while, he began to stir, waking with a startled gasp. He scrambled into her arms, whimpering like a frightened child. “No, please, don’t hit me anymore… I’ll be good…” Cassidy soothed him, her voice soft and gentle, until he finally calmed down. On the television in the room, a news channel was replaying the events from the rooftop. The public response was overwhelming. Comments flooded the screen: “I can’t believe Officer Holt was so professional! She didn’t give her own family special treatment!” “I heard they just got married and have a daughter. To risk her own family to save a civilian… she’s a true hero!” Watching the screen, Cassidy finally seemed to remember me. She stood up and poured Flynn a glass of water. “Flynn, I’m so glad you’re awake. I’m going to head back to the scene, see if I can find any more clues to get Cole back. You take care of yourself while I’m gone. Call me if you need anything.” She turned to leave, but Flynn immediately broke into a violent coughing fit. “Flynn? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asked, rushing back to his side. He looked up at her, his face pale and weak. “Cass, I’m sorry. I’m holding you back from your work. But my head… it’s killing me. The doctor said it’s a side effect of the trauma. I can’t be alone right now…” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “Can’t you… can’t you assign Cole’s case to one of your colleagues?” Cassidy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. I watched it all, a detached calm settling over me. It didn’t matter. I was already dead. I didn’t need justice. 3 That night, after Flynn had fallen asleep, Cassidy slipped out and drove back to the crime scene. She swept the area with her flashlight. After a thorough search, she found it: the silver locket I had deliberately left behind. She picked it up, her brow furrowed in thought. It was the clue I had left for her. As the kidnappers were dragging me onto the helicopter, I had managed to bite through the chain and drop it. The locket was from a small shop near the old chapel in the south district. That chapel had since been torn down, and the entire area was now a desolate, industrial wasteland. “Demolition… wasteland…” The words sparked something in her mind. She understood. She immediately pulled out her phone. “Captain Reyes, I need a team. I want to request a grid search of the abandoned industrial park in the south district. Focus on any old churches or warehouses where they could hide someone.” But just as she finished speaking, her phone rang again. It was a nurse from the hospital. “Officer Holt, Mr. Pierce is extremely agitated. As his emergency contact, you shouldn't have just left him here. You need to come back. Now.” She wanted to keep searching, to follow the lead, but in the end, she got back in her car and drove to the hospital. In her heart, Flynn’s safety had always come first. The moment she walked into his room, he threw himself into her arms, sobbing. “Cass, you have no idea… I had the most horrible nightmare. I reached for you, but you were gone. I was so scared. Please, promise you won’t leave me again.” Guilt washed over her face. “I’m sorry, Flynn,” she said softly. “I promise. I’ll stay with you.” She helped him back into bed. “Cass,” he asked, his voice hesitant. “Where did you go?” “I went back to the scene,” she admitted. “I was looking for clues. It’s been more than twelve hours since the kidnappers took Cole, and they haven’t made contact. I’m worried that…” “Oh, he’ll be fine,” Flynn interrupted. “Don’t worry so much about him, Cass. During the days we were held, Cole and the kidnappers… they got along surprisingly well.” Cassidy looked stunned. “Got along? What do you mean?” Flynn shifted uncomfortably. “Well… those guys were sickos, you know? Capable of anything. And Cole… to get them on his side, he… he offered himself to them. He even tried to convince me to do the same, but I refused. That’s why they kept beating me…” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I never imagined Flynn could be so monstrous. After we were taken, they gave us one bowl of watery porridge a day. I always gave half of mine to him, trying to protect the timid man I thought he was. And I had never, ever done what he claimed. But Cassidy believed him. Her hands clenched into fists. “Why would he do that?” she muttered, her voice tight with anger. “Cole… did you have so little faith in me? Did you really not believe I would get you out?” It was useless. I should have known. Cassidy had never trusted me. Not even once. The next morning, the police received a new message from the kidnappers. It was written as if it were from me. “Cassidy, wire the kidnappers ten million dollars. I’ve negotiated a deal with them. As soon as they get the money, they’ll let me go. Cass, I’m waiting for you to save me!” She was torn again. If she paid the ransom, it would set a dangerous precedent for future cases. But if she didn’t, my life was on the line. As she wrestled with the decision, a video call came in from Flynn. The moment she answered, his frantic sobs filled the air. “Cass, it’s horrible! My apartment… it’s been robbed!” “A break-in?” she asked immediately. “Did they force the door? Did security see anything? I thought your building was secure.” “No,” Flynn cried. “They knew my keypad code. It had to be Cole. Remember that time you came over for dinner and he showed up? He must have seen the code then. He must have given it to the kidnappers to save his own skin. My savings, my gold… it’s all gone!” That was the last straw. All of Cassidy’s hesitation vanished, replaced by cold fury. She replied to my message. “Cole, are you insane? Do you have any idea what being a hostage means? Your job is to wait for rescue, not to cut your own deals by sacrificing others! I am not sending that money! It would only make things worse!” Then she turned her attention back to Flynn. “Flynn, stay put. I’m on my way. Don’t go inside until I get there.” As she was speeding toward Flynn’s apartment, a call came in from her captain. “Cassidy,” Captain Reyes said, his voice urgent. “We found a male body in a warehouse in the south district. The face is… it’s unrecognizable. You need to get down here. We think it might be…” They had found me. Two days later, my body had started to decompose, swarming with flies. But Cassidy cut him off. “It’s not him. Just take the body back to the station for a DNA test. Flynn’s apartment was just robbed. I need to go check on him first.” I wanted to scream, to wrench the steering wheel from her hands. If she would just go, just look, she would see the distinctive birthmark on my thigh. She would know it was me. But I was just a ghost. She was already at Flynn’s building. The sight of him huddled by the door, sobbing, shattered her heart. She immediately took him back to our home. “Flynn, you can stay with me for a while,” she said. “Just until we’re sure you’re safe.” He clung to her tightly. “Thank you, Cass. Without you, I don’t know what I’d do.” That night, they slept in the same bed. Our bed. The irony was a bitter pill. Our marital home, now occupied by another man. As if he were the master of the house all along. Early the next morning, her phone rang. It was Captain Reyes. “Cassidy, the DNA results are in. It’s…”
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