My Husband Hated Me for a Lie

After burying his only child, who was just three years old, the first thing Tyler did was draw a blade hidden in his sleeve and plunge it deep into his wife, Alena. Alena's eyes snapped wide. In those eyes, which he had been obsessed with for a decade, there was a sudden flash of shock and agony, underscored by a faint, inexplicable trace of confusion. "Tyler... why… " Chaos erupted at the funeral. Everyone stood frozen, paralyzed by the sheer suddenness of the scene. As Alena was rushed to the hospital, her childhood friend, Luke, immediately called the police. Tyler was taken into custody shortly after. Yet, in less than twenty-four hours, Tyler was released. Standing outside the police station, Alena looked deathly pale, the wound in her abdomen still throbbing with a dull, persistent ache. Her voice was raspy and strained, yet it carried an undeniable trace of concern: "Tyler, I just woke up. Are you okay? You've been inside all night. You must be exhausted." "I'm sorry about Luke calling the police. He was just in shock." Tyler looked up at her, his expression cold and mechanical. "You're lucky. I really thought I'd killed you." At his merciless words, Alena's heart felt as though it were being crushed in a vice. A sharp, stinging pain radiated through her, leaving her throat too dry to form a coherent sentence. "I know you hate me, Tyler. I know you're angry. Noah is gone, and I'm breaking too… " "Alena, how do you even have the nerve to say that?" Tyler cut her off sharply, his eyes swirling with a sudden, violent rage. "At our son's funeral, you actually showed up in matching outfits with Luke! "Are you even mourning my son? Or are you just relieved that he is the one who's safe?" He took a step toward her, the aura surrounding him becoming suffocatingly cold. "I do hate you. I hate that it wasn't you who died." Without another glance at Alena's bloodless face, he raised his hand and hailed a passing taxi. The moment the taxi door slammed shut, scalding tears surged forth without warning. He hated Alena, but he hated himself even more. Tyler had loved her for ten years. For a decade, he had been like a shadow, never leaving her side, guarding her, and caring for her. He had carved her every preference into the very marrow of his bones and felt her every wound as if it were his own agony. Yet, this all-consuming love had ultimately cost him his son's life. Ten years ago, the three of them had met at the military academy. He had fallen for Alena at first sight, but because she and Luke were already in love, he buried his feelings deep within his heart. It wasn't until a mission went wrong that everything changed. Luke was shot and taken hostage by kidnappers. In a moment of desperation, he plunged into the deep sea. Alena had thrown herself in after him without a second thought. Though she survived, she was left with a permanent disability that forced her to leave the front lines. Without a moment's hesitation, Tyler applied for a transfer. He stayed by her side through every waking hour, tending to her daily needs and helping her endure the dark, desolate days of her recovery. Eventually, Mrs. Roberson resorted to a death threat to force the two of them into marriage. Watching her mother's unwavering resolve, Alena finally relented and reluctantly agreed to marry Tyler. Throughout their five years of marriage, he gave her his heart and soul, only to be met with her persistent indifference. It wasn't until their third year together, following a night of heavy drinking, that their relationship finally became physical. The birth of Noah was like a ray of light, finally breathing life into their cold, hollow home. On Noah's third birthday, Alena did something unexpected. She reached out, took his hand, and whispered a soft "thank you." In that fleeting moment, Tyler allowed himself to believe that his years of devotion had finally struck a chord. Then, Luke returned. He claimed that he had lost his memory after being rescued years ago and had only just remembered everything. He insisted he had no intention of disrupting their lives. Yet, he always seemed to lose his way on rainy nights, or "accidentally" sprain his wrist. In every quiet moment Tyler shared with his wife, Luke's hesitant, cryptic voice notes would inevitably arrive. And every single time, Alena would abandon her husband and child, running to Luke without a second thought. Countless nights, Tyler tossed and turned, the word "divorce" haunting his mind. But every time he remembered that soft "thank you," his resolve crumbled. He chose to endure, compromising his dignity time and time again. Until that day. While picking up Noah from school, Alena was targeted by a criminal gang she had previously helped take down. Faced with sudden danger, her instinct was to shield Luke behind her, leaving young Noah alone, staring down the barrel of a gun. The sight of his son lying in a pool of blood became Tyler's eternal nightmare. At the memory, Tyler wiped away his tears, his gaze turning cold and hollow once more. He had already submitted his divorce papers to his organization. Along with them, he filed a transfer request to the most remote border outpost, a place where he could finally escape Alena and a past that had drained him of his youth and every ounce of his heart.