1 Heart racing to share my pregnancy news, I stood outside the door—until David's voice stopped me cold. To his squadmate, he mocked me as "used goods" and a burden. His entire pursuit had been a calculated strategy: his true love, Ivy, had her sights set on my ex-husband Silas, and since I refused to sign the divorce, David married me to keep me in check. All his "protection" was just surveillance to prevent me from disrupting Ivy’s plans. The final blow was his forged paternity test, ready to brand my unborn child illegitimate so he could discard me guilt-free. Memories flooded back to five years ago, when I’d slept with David out of spite after catching Silas with Ivy. Their resulting brawl ended their friendship and pushed me into marrying David. For five years, he played the doting husband, shielding me from other men and convincing me I’d found happiness. But now, hearing him laugh, I realized it was all a meticulously crafted lie. I wasn't his wife; I was a pawn in his game to please Ivy. I couldn't listen to another word. When my senses finally returned, I was standing in the biting wind outside the military base. The ultrasound printout that was supposed to hold so much joy was now just a pathetic joke. My hands would not stop shaking. My phone screen lit up suddenly. A new text popped up. [Sweetheart, training ended early today. What do you want for dinner? I am cooking.] A laugh ripped from my throat, but the tears fell fast and heavy. My chest felt like it had been impaled by a combat knife. I squeezed my eyes shut. When I opened them again, the desperate hope in my eyes had died, leaving behind a cold, desolate wasteland. I opened my contacts and sent a message to Commander Brooks. [Commander, I heard the joint task force in Alaska needs a strategist. I am requesting a transfer.] Then I dialed the base medical center. "I need to schedule an abortion. As soon as possible." I lowered my eyes, a faint, bitter smile tugging at the corners of my lips. David would probably never know that the marriage certificate we framed was a complete fake. This time, I could walk away without a single trace. 2 I do not know how I made it back to our base housing. The moment I pushed the door open, David was sitting in the living room. Seeing me, he immediately stood up. His eyes carried that familiar, gentle warmth. "You are back? I made chicken soup. Have some while it is hot." I did not refuse. I sat down and forced two spoonfuls down my throat. His phone suddenly lit up on the table. I glanced at it instinctively, and my entire body froze. [David, that soup was way too salty. I do not want it. Give it to your wife like a good boy.] The timestamp was twenty minutes ago. The rich broth in my bowl instantly turned to ash in my mouth. I dropped the spoon, bolted into the bathroom, and hovered over the sink, dry heaving violently. David followed me in, gently rubbing my back. "What is wrong? Are you getting sick?" I slapped his hand away. "Do not touch me. We are sleeping in separate rooms tonight." By the time I woke up the next morning, David was already gone. I drove alone to the base medical center for the first surgery slot of the day. The doctor looked over my chart, her expression grave. "Nora, your uterine wall is incredibly thin. If we proceed with this termination, it is highly unlikely you will ever conceive again. You need to think this through." I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. "I am sure. Do it." The procedure was quick. I grabbed my prescription painkillers and headed for the exit. Right at the doors, someone crashed into me. The impact was not heavy. But my body was so weak from the surgery that my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the concrete. My forehead smashed against the edge of the steps. Black spots danced across my vision. I struggled to lift my head and finally saw the person standing over me. Ivy. She clutched her stomach and dropped to the ground, her face pale as a ghost. "Ivy!" Two figures sprinted over at the exact same time. Silas reached her first. He grabbed her shoulders, his voice frantic with worry. Right behind him was David. He was clutching a stack of medical charts in one hand and a bag of premium fruits in the other. All of Ivy's favorites. "Silas... my stomach hurts so bad..." Ivy leaned into Silas's chest, her eyes welling with tears. Without a second thought, Silas scooped her up in his arms and bolted toward the emergency room. David was half a step too slow. His extended hand hovered uselessly in the air. A sharp, pulling pain erupted in my lower abdomen. Cold sweat drenched my forehead. Just as I braced my hands against the ground to stand, a heavy canvas sack was thrown over my head from behind, trapping me in darkness. Before I could even scream, a heavy combat boot slammed into my stomach. The blinding agony choked the sound right out of my throat. I curled into a tight ball. Through the thick fabric, I could barely make out David's voice. It was cold, ruthless, and entirely devoid of mercy. "Drag this blind bitch out to the back lot. Teach her some manners. Not just anyone gets to bump into her." Several military police officers grabbed the sack and dragged me across the rough asphalt. I had just walked out of surgery. I was wearing a thick beanie and a surgical mask. He had no idea it was me. I thrashed and fought, but a heavy boot pinned me to the dirt. A tactical baton slammed mercilessly into my spine. The guards chatted casually as they rained blows down on me. "Commander David really goes all out for Ivy. Someone just bumps into her and he snaps. I bet his actual wife does not even get treated this well." "Obviously. Did you know about that brutal disciplinary hearing years ago? The one where Nora caught those ninety nine strikes from the baton? David was the one who personally requested that punishment from the top brass." "Yeah, he even ordered them to use the heavy steel batons. Said he wanted to punish her for dragging out the divorce and making Ivy unhappy." A bomb went off in my skull. That brutal punishment, the one that nearly left me paralyzed five years ago... David was the one who asked for it? And I, like an absolute fool, had viewed him as my savior. The last faint flicker of light in my eyes finally went out. 3 When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in an infirmary bed. Through the glass window on the door, I could vaguely see a row of guards kneeling in the hallway. "You useless trash! You could not even recognize my wife?" The door was pushed open gently. David walked in, the violent rage still lingering around his eyes. Seeing me awake, he crossed the room in three long strides, his voice dropping into a soft, soothing hum. "Nora, you are awake? I already dealt with those blind idiots. Are you still hurting?" He reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear, but I turned my face away. His fingers froze in the air. He let out a heavy sigh. "It is my fault. It was so chaotic out there, I did not recognize you with the mask on. I am so sorry you got hurt. Hey, didn't you always want to go to that private retreat in Florida? I told the operations desk to clear my schedule for the next few weeks. I will go with you, okay?" I just stared at him, my throat dry. "There is no need." "You care about Ivy so much, why don't you go keep her company?" David's expression stiffened. "I know you do not like her. But her father is the four star general at the Northern Command. Our joint military drills depend on this alliance. If something happens to her, the whole operation falls apart." "Besides... she is pregnant now. Whatever bad blood we had in the past should be buried. You cannot possibly still be obsessing over her and Silas. Have some perspective." A ball of pure fire twisted in my chest. Before I could speak, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. It was the logistics department. "Nora, your transfer request to the Alaskan border has been approved. You can report for duty early next month." David had exceptional hearing. The moment the word request came through the speaker, his brows knitted together. "What request?" "Nothing." I murmured a quick thank you into the receiver before looking back at him. "Just a colleague's shift change." A few days later, I was discharged. I had spent the entire night perfecting my speech for the Joint Forces Defense Tech Summit. The auditorium was packed with military contractors and brass. Cameras were set up in the front row. I took a deep breath and prepared to walk up to the podium. Suddenly, the heavy double doors at the back of the hall were kicked open. David marched down the aisle, his boots echoing loudly. He stepped onto the stage, grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip, and glared at me with a terrifying, icy fury I had never seen before. "Nora, did I not say the past was swept clean? You married me. Why the hell are you still begging Silas to take you back?" "Let go of me!" I winced at the pain. "Begging who? I have no idea what you are talking about." Before I could finish, a sharp slap struck across my face. Ivy appeared on the stage out of nowhere. Her beautiful face was twisted with disgust and absolute triumph. "Still playing dumb? Fine! Someone put it on the screen so everyone can see what a desperate slut she really is behind closed doors!" A few guards stepped up to the control panel. With a few clicks, my presentation slides vanished, replaced by a series of text message screenshots. [Silas, I truly love you. I do not care about David at all. Please, let us get back together.] [What is so great about that bitch Ivy? She is just a homewrecker. When you get tired of her, you will realize I am the better choice!] The words were vulgar and sickening. Scattered between the texts were several provocative, half naked mirror selfies. The face was cropped out, but the body shape was almost identical to mine. A collective gasp echoed through the auditorium. I violently tore my wrist out of David's grip. "I did not send those! I am calling military police right now!" I pulled out my phone to dial, but Ivy suddenly clutched her stomach. Her face drained of color, and she stumbled backward. David moved like lightning, catching her in his arms. Leaning against his chest, Ivy took a few weak breaths. Then she pointed a shaking finger at the massive screen. "Wait. The woman in these photos has a crescent moon scar right above her breast. Nora, you claim this is not you?" "Then take off your shirt and let us check." Two heavy set guards stepped forward and forced me to my knees. I looked up, my eyes burning red as I stared right at David. "Do I have a scar there? You know my body. Tell them." David frowned and shook his head. "Nora, Ivy is pregnant. Her blood pressure cannot take this stress. Just let her check, and it will be over. Besides, if rumors spread that you are harassing your ex husband, your career is over anyway. Clearing it up right here is the fairest thing for everyone." He gave the guards a slight nod. They lunged forward and brutally ripped my uniform blouse open. I fought with everything I had, but my body, still recovering from the surgery, betrayed me. I was completely exposed from the waist up. The entire auditorium stared in dead silence. My chest was perfectly clear. There was no crescent moon scar. Camera shutters clicked frantically. The harsh flashes blinded me. Those stares cut into my bare skin like rusted blades. What was supposed to be the proudest presentation of my career had been twisted into a public execution. Ivy went entirely limp and fainted on the spot. David abandoned all logic. He scooped her into his arms, threw down a cold order to take his wife home, and sprinted out of the hall without looking back. 4 They escorted me back to the empty house. The disciplinary notice was already in my inbox. Suspended pending investigation. Overnight, my reputation was slaughtered. I had absolutely nothing left. I dragged myself up, opened the nightstand drawer, and found the sleeping pills the military doctor had prescribed. I poured a massive handful into my palm and raised my hand to my mouth. The bedroom door slammed open. David charged in and smacked the bottle out of my hand. "Are you insane? Do you want to die taking that many?" I let out a soft laugh, though tears were streaming down my face. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" During my darkest years with Silas, I suffered from severe insomnia. I survived purely on those pills. It was David who had slowly pulled me out of that swamp, staying up with me night after night until I was finally clean. Now, he was the one shoving me back into the abyss, and the fall was much farther this time. David locked his jaw. "Enough. The misunderstanding was cleared up, wasn't it? You used to pull this pathetic sympathy act on Silas, but it will not work on me. Stop being dramatic." I could not hold it back anymore. I swung my arm and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. The sharp crack echoed in the bedroom. He turned his head slowly. A bright red handprint blossomed on his cheek. A flash of pure rage ignited in his eyes, but when he saw my red, hollow eyes, he held his tongue. Right then, his phone rang. He answered it, listened for a few seconds, and all the color drained from his face. "Guards! Get in here and hold her down!" Two military police officers rushed into the room, grabbing my arms and pinning me forcefully onto the sofa. A freezing chill crawled up my spine. David's face was grim. "Ivy passed out again. Her pulse is dropping, and she is hemorrhaging. Silas brought in that holistic guru his family trusts." "The guru said your dark energy is too heavy. It is poisoning the baby. We need to bleed the bad energy out of you to break the curse." "No!" I thrashed violently against the cushions, but the men pressing me down were built like tanks. I could not move an inch. A combat medic stepped forward, holding a sterile tactical blade. The first slice cut deep into my forearm. Dark red blood welled up immediately. The sharp, searing pain made the room spin. The second cut went into my right hand. The third on my calf. The fourth. My struggling grew weaker and weaker. My face turned the color of ash. Blood dripped steadily from my limbs, turning the olive green sofa a sickening shade of black. Nineteen cuts. They finally let me go. I slumped against the cushions, drenched in my own blood, my breathing so shallow it was almost entirely gone. David looked down at my ruined, pathetic state from his high ground. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh. "Nora, Ivy is carrying a child. You need to be more forgiving. I arranged a spot at the Florida retreat for you. You can stay there until she gives birth, then I will bring you back. You always wanted a kid, right? When this is over, we can have one of our own." "Rest up. I need to get back to the hospital." He did not look at me again. He ordered the medic to bandage me up and hurried out the door. The moment the heavy front door clicked shut, the very last spark of life inside me vanished forever. I sat there like a broken marionette, letting the medic wipe the blood and wrap the gauze tightly around my fresh wounds. Suddenly, my phone screen lit up. A text from Commander Brooks. [Nora, I heard what happened today. Do not worry. I have your back.] [Now, come with me.] A tear dropped onto the glass screen, blurring the words. With trembling, bloodstained fingers, I typed a single word. [Okay.] An hour later, covered in bandages and smelling of iodine, I stood in the terminal of the international airport. David's assistant called. "Ma'am, your flight to Florida is booked. Do you need a driver to pick you up?" "No need." I stared out the massive windows at the grey, weeping sky. My voice was eerily calm. "Do me a favor. Take that metal box I left on the kitchen counter and give it to David. And... do not call me Ma'am anymore." I hung up and walked through the security gates. It was over. David, your lies end here. And I am walking into my new life.
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