His Betrayal Killed Me Once , Never Again

My sister was the village doctor, specializing in fertility treatments.

She always said she worried I'd end up married to some lousy man and spend my life lonely.

So every time I started seeing someone, she'd cling to him like a parasite.

After she'd slept with them, she'd show up at my door still wearing the evidence.

"I tested him out for you. No consideration at all. I told him to stop and he wouldn't let me go. You definitely don't want a man like that."

I broke down every single time.

Eventually I cut her off completely and moved away.

Then I met Ezra Mason, the youngest captain at the military outpost. Steady, sharp, handsome.

On our wedding day, the outpost cafeteria hosted a banquet.

But there in the crowd, I spotted my sister.

She'd reinvented herself as Ezra's personal medic, attending my wedding as part of his detail.

"Sweet little sister, you have to let me test him for you first. I wouldn't feel right letting you marry a man I haven't checked."

She drugged me unconscious and slipped into the bridal suite in the dark.

I woke up, brought people, and burst through the door. The commotion shook the entire village and the outpost.

She was hauled away on the spot as a criminal who'd tried to wreck a marriage, sentenced right then and there.

On our son's first birthday, Ezra said he had a surprise for me. Instead, he led me into an abandoned minefield.

The moment the ordnance detonated underfoot, I dropped to my knees, sobbing, begging him to at least get our child out.

Ezra just watched me, his face empty of anything human:

"Denise only wanted to give herself to me before the wedding. Something to remember her by."

"But you turned her into a criminal. She was sentenced to death. When she died, she was carrying my child."

"You and this bastard deserve to die for what you did to her and our baby."

That was the moment I understood.

He had been in love with my sister all along.

My son and I were blown apart. There wasn't enough left of us to piece together.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my sister appeared at my wedding.

A slap cracked across my face. I pressed my hand to my cheek and stood there, stunned, before it finally registered: I had been reborn on my wedding day.

A tearing pain ripped across my scalp.

Mrs. Abbott's contorted face filled my vision, and just behind her stood Denise Galloway, wearing that coy half-smile that never quite reached her eyes.

This was exactly how it had happened before. Denise had waved a forged medical report in front of my mother-in-law and wound her up like a toy.

She'd nearly destroyed my reputation and my wedding.

Mrs. Abbott spat at my feet.

"Shameless little tramp! You almost set foot in my family! I'll beat you dead first!"

Denise put on her concerned act, voice dripping with false sympathy:

"I know the report looks bad, but what if Miss Galloway caught those infections by accident? A dirty towel at a public bath, maybe..."

Mrs. Abbott's voice pitched higher, furious:

"Stop defending her! That medical report says she's had over a dozen abortions! You think THAT was an accident?!"

The aunts and neighbors who'd come to help with my bridal preparations heard every word.

Their gazes slid toward me, thick with disgust and contempt:

"Good lord! The outpost requires a physical before marriage, and it turns out the Galloway girl is THAT kind of woman!"

"Thank God his medic got here in time, or poor Ezra would've actually married that filthy thing."

In my previous life, despair had swallowed me whole. I'd thrown myself at Denise, clawing at her clothes, screaming:

"Why are you doing this to me?! Why do you have to destroy everything I have?!"

Our fight drew Ezra and his commanding officers.

Denise crumpled into Ezra's arms, the picture of wounded innocence:

"Captain Mason, I was just delivering the premarital exam results. She seemed so nervous, I made a little joke to lighten the mood. I never imagined your wife would get angry enough to hit me!"

I begged Ezra through my tears, trying to explain how she'd slandered me, fabricated diseases out of thin air.

All of it to tear us apart and ruin the only happiness I'd ever managed to find.

Denise just blinked those wide eyes of hers, her voice dripping with hurt:

"I never said that! I said you had a little cold. You must have misheard me. It's all just a misunderstanding."

"Besides, I don't even know you. Why would I want to ruin your happiness? If anything, I hope Ezra finds all the happiness in the world!"

I tried to pull Mrs. Abbott and the other older relatives over to back me up.

But Ezra cut me off, his tone measured and dismissive:

"Shelagh, enough. It was a joke. Denise is our unit's medic. If you keep making a scene, you're embarrassing all of us."

My eyes burned as I looked at his commanding officer's stony face and Ezra's exasperated expression.

In the end, for the sake of his reputation and his career,

I swallowed every last drop of humiliation.

But not this time. Never again.

I shoved Mrs. Abbott aside,

wound my arm back, and slapped Denise across the face with everything I had.

She stumbled and fell to the ground, staring up at me in open-mouthed shock.

Her shriek turned every head in the room.

Just like in my previous life, Ezra came striding over with his commanding officer close behind.

Denise's eyes reddened instantly. She scrambled to her feet and lunged toward Ezra's arms.

But I moved first. I ripped the veil from my head and hurled it to the ground.

"Ezra Mason, if your wedding gift to me is letting your medic spread lies that I'm diseased, then this wedding is off!"

Ezra stared at me, stunned:

"Shelagh, what are you talking about? What lies?"

He turned to Denise with a furrowed brow, though his voice stayed gentle:

"What happened? Walk us through it. How did this misunderstanding start?"

"If you did something wrong, just apologize properly. And if Shelagh's the one who made a mistake, I'll have her apologize to you. Don't worry."

Denise's dewy eyes shimmered, and she parted her lips to speak.

I cut her off with a cold laugh and turned directly to the commanding officer:

"Sir, I don't know how your medical staff are trained, but apparently they're free to mock people at will and tell them they're sick."

"If this was sanctioned by you or by Ezra, then please cancel our marriage application. I refuse to marry a man who doesn't respect me."

I unpinned the corsage from my chest, the one that marked me as the bride, dropped it on the floor, and turned to leave.

"Shelagh!"

Ezra closed the distance in two strides and grabbed my arm. His eyes were tight with panic:

"I had no idea she'd joke around with you like that. She's just... she's a little too friendly, doesn't know where the line is. I'll apologize on her behalf!"

"But you can't just throw around words like 'calling off the wedding.' Do you understand what that means? Both units sent their leadership here today to celebrate with us. If you throw a fit right now, it'll..."

A bitter laugh echoed inside my chest.

Ezra was the youngest captain at the outpost. If everything went smoothly, he was on track for a promotion this year.

A happy marriage and a devoted spouse were points in his favor.

No matter how much he loved Denise, he would never let her destroy his image in front of his superiors.

In my last life, I loved him. I couldn't bear to see him caught in the middle, so I backed down.

But in this life, all that love had curdled into hate.

And hate gave me the freedom to squeeze every pressure point he had, to collect on the debt from my previous life.

I turned back to him, my voice ice:

"Fine. I'll go through with the wedding. But I need to see some sincerity first."

My gaze locked onto Denise, and I let a tremor of wounded pride creep into my tone:

"A wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion. Instead, she told everyone I was sick on the happiest day of my life. That's not a joke. That's a curse. Even an enemy wouldn't stoop that low."

"What Denise Galloway did was absolutely out of line!"

I touched the handprint on my cheek where Mrs. Abbott had slapped me, and let the tears fall.

"Look, she misled my own mother-in-law into turning on me. She nearly destroyed my wedding. Don't I deserve an explanation?"

The older women in the crowd rallied to my side immediately.

Mrs. Abbott noticed the red mark on my face, and guilt crept into her voice as she spoke up for me.

"She's right! It was all Denise Galloway running her mouth, making me turn on my own daughter-in-law!"

"She owes us an explanation!"

Only then did Ezra notice the handprint on my cheek. Something flickered in his eyes. Concern, maybe.

But the moment I mentioned making Denise pay, that concern dissolved into hesitation.

I looked past him and turned directly to the commanding officers.

They responded without delay:

"Denise Galloway is demoted. One month of community labor."

The corner of my mouth curled.

"And she needs to apologize to me. Right here. In front of everyone."

Denise stood before me with tears brimming in her eyes, bent at the waist, and apologized.

Then, under a chorus of scorn from the crowd, she turned and ran off crying.

Ezra's gaze followed her retreating figure. His throat bobbed. He turned and said:

"She doesn't know her way around here. I'll go check on her, make sure nothing happens."

I let out a cold laugh and didn't stop him.

I waited. Ate my fill, drank my fill, and counted the minutes until roughly the same time they'd ended up in bed together in my previous life.

Then I stood up and put on a show of surprise.

"Where did Ezra go? Did he have too much to drink? Everyone, help me find him!"

I made sure the commanding officers came with me as I headed toward the bridal suite.

My dear sister's favorite pastime had always been making me watch with my own eyes as she and my fianc

tangled together on the wedding quilt I'd sewn with my own hands, right there in our bridal suite.

So right now, they had to be in there.

This time around, I was going to humiliate them both in front of everyone.

Let the whole world see them for what they were. Let them be charged with adultery and rot in prison together, since they loved each other so much.

Breathless sounds drifted through the door. I strode forward and kicked it open.

But the only person inside was Ezra, leaning against the headboard, watching us with a perfectly blank expression.

The glass of drugged water that should have been in his system had been splashed across the floor.

And Denise, who should have been in this room, was nowhere to be seen.

My mind went blank for a split second.

"Well, if everything's fine, we'll leave you two to it."

The officers read the room, turned around, closed the door behind them, and left.

Ezra's gaze settled on me. It was the same look of disgust I'd known so well in my previous life.

"Shelagh. I can't believe that even after being sent back, you still haven't learned your lesson. You actually tried to get your own sister thrown in prison."

"But this time, you won't get your way. I told you. As long as I'm here, no one touches Denise or the baby she's carrying."

"So. You came back too."

Shock jolted through me, but I steadied myself almost instantly.

There was no point in pretending with him anymore.

I let every trace of warmth drain from my face.

"Then let's get a divorce."

But my words earned no agreement. Ezra's brow furrowed hard, and he cut me off.

"No."

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. A bitter laugh escaped me.

"Are you out of your mind, Ezra? You're so terrified I'll bully her. You keep saying you want to make it up to her and the baby. If we divorce, you can marry Denise. You can treat her as well as you want, out in the open. Problem solved."

"Unless..."

A possibility crossed my mind, and I smiled. It wasn't a kind smile.

"Afraid a divorce would look bad? Hurt your chances at a promotion?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

He frowned at me, his tone matter-of-fact:

"Didn't I already explain this to you? There's nothing between Denise and me. She just wanted to offer herself to me, to fulfill some fantasy of hers."

"I agreed to marry you. You're the only one I'll ever marry, and I'm not going to divorce you."

The absurdity of it hit me like a wall. My voice came out cold as ice:

"I don't need any of that, Ezra. What makes you think that after you killed me and our child, I'd be willing to spend the rest of my life playing house with you?"

Ezra looked at me, something unreadable crossing his face.

"Shelagh, the last life is over. This time around... I'll treat you well."

Before I could respond, he yanked the door open, stepped out, and locked me inside.

Dread flooded my chest. I threw myself at the door and pounded on it with both fists:

"Ezra! What are you doing? Open this door!"

His voice came through muffled, thick with something I couldn't name:

"You know Denise is pregnant. She's still young. If she keeps the baby on her own, her reputation will be ruined for good. I already promised her that once she gives birth, we'll take the child in and raise it as ours..."

"I know you resent Denise. And to make sure you won't mistreat the baby in the future... I can only make it so you can't have children of your own. Without a child of your own, you'll pour everything into that one."

The cold spread through me like poison. I screamed until my throat burned:

"You've lost your mind, Ezra! You want to make it up to her? Fine! Divorce me and do whatever you want! But what gives you the right to destroy me? What gives you the right to ruin my body just to prop up your love story with her?!"

His voice dropped low, almost gentle:

"You owe Denise this... You've always owed her. You owe her and the baby a life..."

"Shelagh, I promise, after this, I'll cut ties with Denise completely. I'll be good to you for the rest of our lives..."

I screamed and cursed at him, but none of it slowed his retreating footsteps.

The door was kicked open. Several men walked in, their faces twisted with ugly intent.

My pupils blew wide the instant I saw them.

These men were the violent offenders Ezra had personally apprehended just weeks ago.

Convicted of assaulting and killing dozens of people.

I understood Ezra's plan in an instant.

My heart had gone cold long ago, but in that moment it tore apart as though pierced by a thousand blades.

Denise stood a short distance away, dangling the key to the lock between her fingers, smiling at me.

Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them. I screamed at her:

"Denise! Why won't you leave me alone? Why are you doing this to me? I'm your sister!"

Rage twisted her features:

"You have the nerve to ask me why? Our whole lives, Mom and Dad favored you over everything!"

"You think I don't know? They sold every acre of land the family had! All that money went straight to your dowry so you could marry well!"

"Why do you get to have everything while I get nothing?"

"They were so desperate to marry you off to someone good! So I'll make sure you end up abandoned! I'll make you lose everything, just like me! I'll make you suffer for the rest of your life!"

Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water.

I couldn't stop shaking. Despair carved itself across my face:

"Denise! What makes you think they favored me? Ask yourself where your college tuition came from! When you were living it up in the city, where do you think all that money for your expenses came from?"

"Do you have any idea that to put you through school, Mom and Dad tore up my college acceptance letter with their own hands? Because this family could only afford to send one of us!"

"Do you have any idea why I was married off so young? It was because they promised to pay your tuition! That's the only reason they gave me away!"

My words didn't provoke the slightest reaction from Denise. She just let out a cold laugh.

"So what? If they'd never had you, I would've gotten even more."

"Shelagh, when it comes down to it, you're the one who should never have been born. But that's fine. Now that you're dead, everything you had is mine."

She threw her head back and laughed.

"I should really thank you for landing such a wonderful man. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known where to find a good father for my baby."

"Don't worry. He and I are going to be very happy together."

Her face twisted into something grotesque as she turned to the convicts.

"When you're done with her, strip her naked and dump her on the road. I want everyone to know the bride couldn't keep her legs closed on her wedding night. That she slept around like a whore!"

"No!!"

I screamed as several pairs of hands pinned me to the ground. The fabric of my clothes tore under their grip.

Denise locked the door behind her with a satisfied smile, then slipped back to the banquet.

She was about to sidle up to Ezra and act like nothing had happened.

Then came the explosion.

A ball of fire erupted from the bridal suite in the distance.

Everyone shot to their feet.

"Oh God! The bridal suite is on fire! The bride is still in there! Someone go help her!"

Ezra felt his eyelid twitch, once, twice, three times.

Panic clawed through his chest.

He staggered up and bolted toward the bridal suite, knocking a table over in his wake.

"Shelagh! Shelagh is still in there!"

Staring at the sudden blaze,

Denise felt a flicker of unease. She forced a smile and reached for Ezra, trying to calm him, but he shoved her aside.

By the time everyone reached the bridal suite, they saw me crawling out of the fire, covered in wounds.

Every face around me was frozen in horror.

I hauled myself to my feet, wrenched open my smoke-scorched throat, and screamed:

"Officers! I am making a formal accusation! My husband, Ezra Mason, is having an affair with his personal medic! They released convicted rapists into my bridal suite to assault and kill me!"

"Shelagh! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Ezra roared, pulling Denise behind him. She swayed on her feet, her face a portrait of wounded innocence.

"Your petty jealousy on a normal day is one thing! But how dare you spread lies about my medic! Denise has treated my injuries and helped me more times than I can count! Instead of being grateful, you turn around and do something this vile!"

He turned to face the officers, whose expressions had gone stone-cold.

"Sirs, I'll be honest with you. My wife has mental health issues. She's always been convinced I'm cheating on her..."

His voice took on a note of bitter resignation.

"I'm deeply sorry for the harm this has caused Dr. Galloway. I will make it right."

"And I refuse to cover for her just because she's my wife! I will personally draft a formal reprimand to be circulated across the entire district! I will hold a public meeting to criticize her conduct! She will apologize to Denise in front of everyone!"

Denise's eyes rimmed red.

"Ezra... hearing you say that is all I need..."

The officers and colleagues gathered around turned their gazes on me, contempt plain on their faces.

"Never would've guessed she was that kind of person."

"Shelagh, this is supposed to be a happy occasion! Did you have to ruin it like this? Ezra really drew the short straw marrying you."

I looked at every single one of them and laughed. A cold, hollow sound.

"Ezra Mason! You're so damn sure I'm lying? Then let your medic get a physical exam! Better yet, let every woman here who's ever had a child take a look at her belly! She should be about four months along by now!"

The moment those words left her mouth, every pair of eyes locked onto Denise's loose-fitting clothes.

Panic flashed across her face. She burst into tears.

"You're smearing my name just because you know I'm too decent to fight back! Demanding I bare my stomach in front of all these people! You're trying to destroy my reputation!"

"Fine then, I'll just die! If that's what it takes to prove my innocence!"

She bolted toward the cliff's edge.

"Denise!"

Ezra shouted and lunged forward, catching her before she could reach it.

Her face had gone white as paper, and she collapsed limp in his arms. He turned on me, his voice cutting through the air like a blade:

"Shelagh! You forced my hand!"

He wheeled toward the officers, anguish twisting his features:

"Sir! I'm formally requesting that my wife be sent to the psychiatric facility for treatment!"

"I've heard electroshock therapy can correct certain mental disorders. I'm requesting she undergo the procedure!"

I whipped my head toward the officers:

"Sir! Everything I said is true! If you don't believe me, go check! The convicts you brought in a few days ago are already gone!"

"The only person with the authority to release them is Ezra Mason!"

I could see it. The officers' expressions had turned grave. One of them was already reaching for his pager, about to contact headquarters.

Ezra's voice cracked through the room like a whip.

"Shelagh! That's enough!"

He squared his shoulders and addressed the officers, every word measured and absolute:

"I stake my entire career as my guarantee. Everything she's said is the raving of a sick mind. There is nothing between Denise and me. And we certainly did not release any convicts to harm her."

"If any of it turns out to be true, I will surrender everything willingly. I'll accept whatever punishment comes."

The officers exchanged a long look, then turned to me:

"Comrade Galloway, it would be best if you cooperated and went to the facility for treatment. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll recover."

"No!"

I screamed and thrashed, but Ezra's subordinates pinned me to the ground and dragged me into the transport vehicle.

Through the window, I saw Denise still nestled in Ezra's arms. She lifted her face just enough for me to catch it. A smile. Triumphant. Gloating.

Hatred surged from the pit of my stomach, wave after wave, relentless.

Ezra Mason. If you knew that the woman you just staked your entire future on sees you as nothing more than a stepping stone...

Would you still throw everything away for her so willingly?

After Ezra brought Denise to the hospital, the unease in his chest refused to settle.

He paced. He sat. He stood again. Finally, he decided to call the psychiatric facility.

He had heard things about electroshock therapy. That the pain was excruciating. That patients lost control of their bladders, their bowels. That some were left on the floor afterward, unable to move.

Even the most hardened criminals broke after a few sessions, sobbing through their confessions.

Shelagh was so thin. So slight. If she was strapped into that chair, something could go terribly wrong.

He pulled out his pager and was about to dial when the door burst open.

A communications officer stumbled in, ashen-faced, and shouted at everyone in the room:

"We have a situation! Headquarters just confirmed that twelve high-security convicts are missing!"

"Someone on the inside let them out!"