My Husband Hated Me for a Lie

Chapter 7

Early the next morning, Tyler handled his discharge papers alone and headed straight to his workplace.

As he handed over the divorce certificate, his superior looked at him and sighed softly. "Maybe Barmwich is for the best, Tyler. You've always been one for the quiet life. Maybe you'll finally find it there."

Tyler nodded slightly and offered a sincere thank you. He didn't linger, heading back to the house he had called home for the past five years.

When he pushed the door open, the house was silent. Neither Alena nor her mother was home. He felt a sense of relief. It spared him the melancholy of a formal goodbye with his mother-in-law.

He placed the divorce certificate and a letter addressed to the elderly woman in her room. Then, he took his pre-packed luggage and shipped everything to the frontier outpost in Barmwich.

After settling all the trivial matters, Tyler stepped out of the villa. He had only gone a few paces when several burly men suddenly rushed out from the alley, surrounding him. Before he could react, a heavy blow from a club struck the back of his head, and the world went black.

When he finally regained consciousness, Tyler found himself in an abandoned factory, slumped weakly in a chair. Not far away, Luke was also tied to a chair, still dressed in his hospital gown. However, his eyes showed no trace of panic or fear. Instead, they flickered with a hidden, sinister sense of anticipation.

Tyler's heart sank. He glared coldly at the man, but as he tried to speak, his throat tightened, not a single word would come out.

Seeing this, Luke's lips curled into a sneer, his eyes filled with naked resentment. "Tyler, I've given up everything for Alena, and she thinks she can just ship me back home so the two of you can live happily ever after? In your dreams!"

Suppressing his physical discomfort, Tyler scanned the factory, silently observing his surroundings for any chance to escape.

Just then, one of the kidnappers glanced at his phone and turned to Luke. "The lookout just sent word. Alena will be here in five minutes."

A ruthless glint flashed in Luke's eyes as he nodded. "Do it!"

The kidnapper immediately grabbed a gasoline canister and began dousing the walls and floor before flicking a lighter. Flames roared to life, spreading rapidly across the room. Without a second glance, the men vanished into the smoke, bolting for the exit.

Moments later, Alena rushed in, her face etched with panic.

"Alena! Save me!" Luke wailed, his voice sharp with accusation. "Tyler hates me because of what happened to the baby! He said I had to pay for it with my life. He hired these guys to kidnap me and burn me alive!"

Tyler's eyes turned bloodshot with desperation. He fought to defend himself, but his voice remained trapped in his throat. He could only stare at Alena, pleading with his eyes.

But Alena, blinded by Luke's lies, looked at Tyler with nothing but fury. "Tyler, I told you I was sending him away. Why do you have to be so damn ruthless?"

She paused, her tone growing sharper, each word stabbing into Tyler's heart. "You're the one who forced your way into my life, Tyler. Luke and I were always in love. It was just bad luck that kept us apart.

"I accepted that. I let go of the past and I chose you. What more do you want?!"

With that, she quickly untied the ropes around Luke and began leading him toward the exit. However, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Tyler still sitting in the chair. Something seemed wrong. Her footsteps faltered as she hesitated, tempted to go back and check on him.

Luke immediately gripped her collar with trembling hands. Choking back sobs, he poured out his fears, deliberately vying for Alena's attention.

At that moment, although the fire was spreading, it had not yet spiraled out of control, and the police were expected to arrive any minute. To Alena, it seemed as though Tyler was simply throwing another tantrum. Steeling her heart, she chose to ignore him.

"Tyler, this is the last time!"

Without a single backward glance, she carried Luke toward the exit, throwing a cold warning over her shoulder. "If you keep acting out like this, I'm actually going to divorce you!"

The flames grew more ferocious, sending waves of searing heat crashing against him. Thick, acrid smoke threatened to swallow Tyler whole. His body felt weak and limp, his skin stinging from the onset of burns.

Suddenly, the fire reached his chair. The wooden legs snapped instantly, sending him crashing heavily onto the cold floor. The violent impact jolted him into a state of semi-consciousness. Spying a sharp piece of iron nearby, he grabbed it without hesitation and slashed it deep into his own thigh.

A sharp, agonizing pain surged through his nerves, giving him just enough strength to move. Gritting his teeth, he began to crawl toward a side door on the other end of the factory, hidden behind a pile of debris.

The very moment he managed to drag himself out, a deafening explosion roared behind him. The entire abandoned factory collapsed into a heap of burning rubble.