Chapter1
1548 Words
The drive to the house felt strangely nostalgic.
The impatient blare of horns. The crowded streets packed with people who looked permanently angry at the world. Police cruisers stationed at nearly every intersection. The distant roar of Harley engines slicing through traffic like predators hunting prey.
This was the kind of neighborhood people described as “typically white.”
Clean sidewalks. American flags hanging from porches. Expensive dogs being walked by joggers who smiled too much.
Aceline shifted slightly in the backseat of the Uber, her muscles stiff from the long flight.
The driver kept glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
Not openly.
Just enough for her to notice.
She probably looked terrible.
Her military duffel sat beside her, her dark uniform wrinkled from hours of travel. Her shoulders looked tense enough to snap. Exhaustion sat beneath her eyes like bruises.
Her husband still wasn’t answering.
He was supposed to pick her up from the airport.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” the driver finally asked carefully, his eyes flickering toward her uniform again.
Aceline frowned faintly.
The silence that followed felt sharp enough to cut skin.
The driver cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered quickly.
Aceline exhaled slowly and leaned her head against the cold window.
“No… it’s fine,” she replied quietly. “I’m okay. Just drive.”
But she didn’t sound okay.
She sounded far away.
The rest of the ride passed in uncomfortable silence. Even the low hum of the engine seemed louder against the tension trapped inside the car.
When they finally pulled up, the house looked half abandoned beneath the gray evening sky.
The lawn was overgrown. Flowers wilted near the porch steps. The white paint around the windows had started peeling.
But someone was home.
Macan’s car sat beside the closed garage.
Another vehicle was parked behind it.
An SUV.
Aceline’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Here,” she said quietly, reaching for her wallet. “Thank you.”
The driver accepted the payment quickly, avoiding her gaze this time. Seconds later, the Uber disappeared down the street like he’d been desperate to leave.
Aceline stood still for a moment.
Rainwater soaked softly into the dirt beneath her boots while cold wind brushed against her face.
Then she dragged her suitcase forward.
Slowly.
Heavily.
Her eyes drifted toward the unfamiliar SUV.
She moved closer and peered through the tinted windows.
Nothing.
No movement.
No clues.
Maybe it belonged to a colleague.
Maybe a friend.
But Macan didn’t really have disciplined friends anymore.
Not since the drinking started.
Not since he began spiraling after the demotion.
He had grown too comfortable living off her salary.
Aceline never truly cared about the money.
Not really.
As long as he stayed loyal.
As long as he remained decent.
Macan had two children from his previous marriage. None with her. She had never been ready for motherhood. Her life in the SEALs barely left room for herself, let alone a child.
But things were supposed to change now.
She had resigned.
For him.
She wanted to surprise him.
She was finally ready to be present. To become the wife he kept claiming he needed. To build a family. To have a child of her own.
A normal life.
But something felt wrong.
He was home.
And he still hadn’t answered her calls.
Macan would never cheat on her.
Would he?
Her grip tightened slightly around the suitcase handle.
He had made her sign a prenup early in their marriage. At the time, she hadn’t questioned it. Love made people ignore inconvenient details.
Then came the drinking.
The bitterness.
The laziness.
The demotion that destroyed his pride.
After that, everything between them changed.
The accusations.
The cold nights.
The constant blame.
“You chose your job over me.”
Maybe he was right.
Maybe she had.
But she was here now.
Ready to fix it.
Then suddenly....
CRASH.
The sound of shattering glass ripped through the silence.
Aceline froze instantly.
Her body reacted before her brain could catch up.
Her hand moved to her waist, pulling her pistol free in one smooth motion.
Her heartbeat spiked.
Was he in danger?
Was that why he ignored her calls?
Had someone followed her home?
Her training snapped fully into place.
She rushed toward the front door.
Locked.
Her jaw tightened.
She moved quickly around the side of the house, boots slipping slightly against the wet grass.
Her breathing grew shallow.
Controlled.
Focused.
The back door stood open.
Aceline stopped cold.
Fear punched hard into her chest.
“Please…” she whispered under her breath. “Don’t let me be too late.”
She stepped inside cautiously.
The kitchen looked destroyed.
Broken plates littered the floor. Drawers hung open. Utensils scattered everywhere like someone had torn through the room in rage.
Then she heard it.
Music.
Loud.
Blasting from upstairs.
Her grip tightened around the pistol.
She moved silently toward the staircase, each step measured and controlled.
Even with the music drowning everything else out, she didn’t break form.
Old habits never died.
Their bedroom door stood partially open.
Empty.
Aceline frowned slightly and reached over to switch off the speakers.
Silence crashed down instantly.
Clothes were everywhere.
Across the floor.
Over the bed.
Hanging off chairs.
She exhaled sharply, irritation mixing with confusion.
“Seriously…” she muttered.
Maybe he stepped out.
Maybe he went for a run.
Then she heard it.
The shower.
Still running.
Her stomach dropped.
Slowly, she pushed the bathroom door open.
And the world stopped.
Macan.
Gloria.
Together in the bathtub.
For one endless second, nothing existed.
Not the room.
Not the water.
Not the sound of her own breathing.
Only them.
“Baby?” Macan blinked in shock. “You’re back… you didn’t call me to pick you up?”
His voice sounded so casual.
So normal.
Like she hadn’t just caught him destroying her life.
Gloria jerked away from him instantly, covering herself with trembling hands like modesty still mattered.
Aceline couldn’t speak.
Tears slid down her face before she even realized she was crying.
Her hand lifted slowly.
The gun pointed directly at Macan.
His expression changed immediately.
Panic flooded his face.
“No, no, no… listen to me,” he stammered quickly. “It wasn’t my fault. She seduced me.”
Aceline let out a weak, shattered laugh.
“I didn’t see a gun to your head, Macan,” she whispered.
Her voice trembled violently.
“You’re in your right senses.”
Tears kept falling.
“Everything I did…” her throat tightened painfully. “Everything I sacrificed was for us. For you.”
“Aceline, I just…” Gloria began shakily.
“Shut the f**k up.”
The gun shifted toward her instantly.
Gloria froze.
Completely still.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” Macan rushed out desperately. “We can fix this. Just let her leave. Then it’s just me and you.”
Aceline laughed again.
Broken.
Empty.
“No…” she whispered. “I’m not letting her go.”
Her voice cracked apart.
“Now walk. Both of you.”
“What are you doing?” Macan asked carefully. “Let’s talk about this....”
“It’s too late.”
Her fingers tightened around the gun.
“I’m walking both of you outside,” she said shakily. “Let everybody see what you really are.”
Her voice rose suddenly, raw with pain.
“Gloria…” she breathed. “I trusted you.”
Fresh tears streamed down her face.
“When you lost your child, I stayed with you. When your marriage collapsed, I was there. I chose you over myself over and over again.”
Her chest heaved violently.
“And this is how you repay me?”
Silence.. Heavy and Disgusting.
Then.... she continued.
“How long?”
Gloria looked away.
“…About a year.”
Aceline stopped breathing.
“A year?” she whispered weakly.
Her eyes snapped toward Macan.
“That was before my last deployment.”
Her voice broke completely.
“I was overseas getting shot at while you were here sleeping with my best friend.”
She shook her head slowly, like her mind refused to accept reality.
“I resigned for you,” she whispered. “I wanted to fix this.”
Her voice became hollow.
“You said I was the problem.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
“But it was you.”
Macan stepped forward carefully.
Slowly.
“Baby… I’m sorry.”
Closer.
Closer.
Too close.
Then suddenly....
He lunged.
His hand grabbed for the gun.
Aceline reacted instantly.
“f**k off!”
They crashed violently against the sink, struggling for control.
Hands twisting.
Bodies colliding.
The gun trapped between them.
“Run!” Macan shouted at Gloria.
Gloria stumbled out of the tub sobbing hysterically before scrambling away to a corner.
The struggle turned chaotic.
Desperate.
Ugly.
Seconds stretched endlessly.
Then....
BANG.
The gunshot exploded through the bathroom.
Everything froze.
Macan’s grip loosened.
Slowly… he stepped backward.
Blood spread across him.
“I…” His voice cracked weakly. “I’m sorry.”
Aceline stood frozen.
Her mouth parted slightly.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Behind her, Gloria collapsed into broken sobs.
And in that moment....
The world never felt the same again.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD