The Colonel's Widowmaker

On our wedding anniversary, my husband, Colonel Ethan Cole, told me he had an emergency deployment.

I smiled as I watched him leave, then turned and opened the GPS tracker on his car.

The location wasn't The Base. It was St. Jude's Women's Center, the best fertility and obstetrics hospital in the city.

I logged into the hospitals security camera system.

On the screen, he was carefully guiding a fragile-looking woman, his eyes filled with a tenderness I had never once seen directed at me.

The woman touched her stomach, asking sweetly, "Ethan, have you picked a name for the baby yet?"

Ethan said, "How about Haven? To memorialize our love."

A glacier formed in my chest, solid and unmoving.

Just then, my phone rang. It was the command center calling, asking about Ethans location.

I looked at the couple on the monitor, so deeply engrossed in their lie, and pressed the speaker button. My voice was eerily calm as I replied:

Report, Commander. I suspect my husband, Colonel Ethan Cole of Special Operations, may have compromised classified information and potentially gone AWOL.

1

The words caused both the officer on the phone and Ethan on the screen to freeze simultaneously.

Over the phone, the voice of Commander Davies, Ethans direct superior, instantly hardened.

Audrey Stone, repeat that statement.

On the monitoring screen, Ethan's phone rang.

He saw the caller ID, his face draining of color, and quickly hung up. Then, without a moment's thought, he called my private line.

I didn't answer.

I just spoke into the phone, every syllable precise and distinct.

Report, Commander. Ethan left this morning citing an emergency deployment but appeared at St. Jude's Womens Center. His movements are suspicious, he is refusing to answer the secure military line, and I suspect he may be a flight risk.

My voice was quiet, yet it felt like a detonated charge. Commander Davies was silent for a full five seconds.

Audrey Stone, stay exactly where you are. Do not move. Secure your location. We are mobilizing immediately.

The order was swift and absolute.

I hung up and watched the monitor.

Ethan was in full-blown panic.

He abandoned the woman, Willow Price, frantically calling my number while sprinting toward the hospital entrance.

Willow cried out pitifully behind him, "Ethan, where are you going? Our baby..."

He didnt look back.

The warmth and patience in his eyes were entirely gone, replaced only by a desperate terror and raw aggression.

But it was too late.

In less than ten minutes, several olive-drab military SUVs roared to a stop, sealing off every hospital exit.

Heavily armed soldiers leaped out, their movements swift and their presence intimidating.

They stormed into the lobby and located their target instantly.

"Colonel Cole, you'll need to come with us!"

The muzzles of their rifles were pointed directly at him.

Ethan raised his hands, his face pale as paper.

He was pinned against a wall, his hands cuffed behind his back by two soldiers.

As they marched him through the lobby doors, he saw me.

I was standing just outside the glass entrance, watching him with cold indifference.

His eyes dilated. It was as if hed seen a ghost, or the most unbelievable nightmare.

Audrey!

He roared, his face contorted in a snarl.

Are you insane! What the hell are you doing! Im being framed!

I simply gave a desolate laugh.

Yes, I knew he wasnt being framed for treason.

He hadnt compromised national security.

He was just, on our anniversary, while I was preparing a surprise, helping his mistress name their bastard child.

He was just an adulterer.

But why should I explain for him?

When he lied to me, and to his command, while wearing that uniform, did he ever consider that this day might come?

The soldiers didn't give him another chance to shout. They roughly shoved him into one of the vehicles.

The woman, Willow Price, was also taken away, ostensibly for protective custody.

She was shaking with fear. When she passed me, she suddenly lunged forward like a madwoman.

You! You did this to Ethan! You poisoned bitch!

Two female soldiers quickly restrained her.

I looked at her tear-stained face and her slightly rounded stomach.

Haven.

I breathed the name softly.

Willows face went instantly white.

To memorialize your love, right?

I smiled, a smile so broken my eyes were stinging with unshed tears.

It really is a lovely name.

The commotion around me faded into irrelevance. The world had turned into a monochrome blur.

Ethan Cole, the game has begun.

You destroyed my love. I will destroy everything you are proud of.

2

I was taken back to The Base, not as a spouse, but as a "key witness."

I was met by Commander Davies, a man in his late forties whose quiet demeanor nonetheless commanded authority.

He personally poured me a cup of hot water.

Audrey, don't be nervous. Please detail the situation you discovered today.

I held the mug steady.

Today is my and Ethans three-year anniversary. This morning, he claimed he had an emergency deployment and rushed out. I knew something was wrong immediately.

How so? Commander Davies pressed.

He wasn't in uniform, and he took his personal SUV. When he left, I saw a crumpled piece of paper fall out of his pocketit was a registration slip from St. Judes Womens Center.

I pulled a wrinkled paper from my pocket.

Of course, he hadn't dropped it. Id recovered it from the trash can in his home office. He thought hed cleaned up all his tracks.

He didn't know that ever since I became pregnant, my sense of smell had become abnormally acuteand that I'd caught the scent of a perfume that wasn't mine.

From that day on, I stopped being a wife and became a hunter.

Commander Davies took the slip, his expression increasingly grim.

Why did you suspect him of something as serious as compromising his post?

This was the critical question.

I lowered my eyes, introducing a carefully modulated tremor of distress and injury into my voice.

He's been acting very strangely lately. He frequently takes encrypted calls late at night, and he's been using a second computer secretly in his office. When I asked, he always dismissed it as classified material.

As a military spouse, I respect the rules; I don't ask what I shouldn't. But today he lied about an emergency mission just to take another woman to an OB-GYN appointment. Commander, if he's willing to deceive his own unit and his wife, what else is he capable of?

My words were a skillful blend of truth and lies.

He did have a second computer, but he used it to play online games with his mistress.

He did take calls late at night, but it was Willow calling to complain about morning sickness and to seek comfort.

I had seen all of this through the hidden cameras Id installed in our home.

But I couldnt say that.

I needed to muddy the waters.

Commander Davies' brows furrowed into a tight knot.

Do you know the woman he was with?

No, I shook my head, but I gained access to the hospital system and found her name: Willow Price.

You have hacking skills? Davies looked surprised.

My degree is in cybersecurity, I answered calmly.

This was my trump card.

I hadnt just hacked the hospital; I could also recover all the deleted files and chat logs from his game computer.

Commander Davies fell silent.

A Special Forces Colonel, acting secretly, deceiving his command, and intimately involved with a woman of unverified background.

And his wife, a cybersecurity expert, had reported him.

Each element was a shocking headline in itself.

Audrey Stone, the information you've provided is critical. We will begin an immediate, full-scale investigation. In the meantime, for your own security, you'll need to stay at the Base Annex.

I understand. I have only one request.

Go on.

I want a divorce.

My tone was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

Regardless of the investigations outcome, this marriage is over.

Commander Davies looked at me, his eyes clouded with complicated emotion.

Understood. The organization will support your reasonable petition.

As I walked out of the office, the sun was shining brightly outside.

But I felt only coldness.

My phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number.

Audrey, you bitch! You destroy Ethan, and my mother will make you pay!

It was Ethans sister, Sienna Cole.

I deleted the text without emotion and blocked the number.

This was just the start.

Immediately, my phone rang again. It was my mother-in-law, Evelyn Cole.

The moment I answered, the line was filled with a torrent of curses.

Audrey! What kind of sick, twisted monster are you! What did Ethan ever do to deserve this! You are a curse, a jinx! I should never have allowed you to marry my son!

I listened quietly. When she finally ran out of breath, I spoke softly.

Mom, before you scream at me, maybe you should worry about your unborn grandchild.

The other end of the line went instantly silent.

You what do you mean?

Ethan was at the hospital for his mistresss prenatal checkup. Shes three months pregnant. Oh, and they already picked out a name: Haven.

To memorialize their love.

With every word, I could imagine the blood draining from my proud mother-in-laws face.

Youre lying! Thats impossible! My son would never do such a thing! she shrieked.

Youll find out soon enough.

I hung up, letting out a long, slow breath. The knot of tension in my chest eased, if only fractionally.

Ethan Cole, you thought your family was your fortress?

Soon, they will become another pillar collapsing on top of you.

3

I settled into the Base Annex.

While it was technically a guest quarter, the security was top-notch, with soldiers on guard twenty-four hours a day.

I understood it was both protection and surveillance. Until Ethans name was cleared, I, the first informer, couldnt move freely either.

It suited me perfectly. I needed an absolutely safe and quiet environment to plan my next move.

The investigation team came for me the next day.

This time, in addition to Commander Davies, there were two sharp-eyed, serious men in plain clothes. They were from Internal Affairs, specializing in security clearances and internal probes.

Audrey Stone, weve reviewed the hospital footage and conducted initial interviews with Colonel Cole and Willow Price. Colonel Cole insists this is merely a moral lapse, a personal failing, which is why he panicked.

One of the men spoke, his pace measured, his gaze like a hawk.

Willow Price also claims their relationship is purely romantic, and she knows nothing of his work.

Is that so? I raised a subtle brow. Purely romantic?

I took a USB drive from my purse and placed it on the table.

Inside is all the data I recovered from Ethans game computer.

It includes the chat logs from the moment they met, a record of every transaction he made to her, and even documents showing his attempted unauthorized use of his rank to apply for Temporary Dependents Housing for her.

The faces of the three men at the table changed instantly.

Commander Davies expression was one of shocked fury.

The Internal Affairs men were openly grave.

A moral lapse is entirely different from using one's position for personal gain for a mistress. The former is a character flaw; the latter is a severe disciplinary violationa disgrace to the uniform!

In the chat logs, Willow frequently complained to Ethan about feeling unsafe living alone, saying she envied me living in The Base Annex.

I narrated calmly, as if discussing someone elses tragedy.

To appease her, Ethan lied, telling her he had successfully applied for temporary housing under the Special Talent Dependent program and that she would move into a community not far from the Base soon.

That community, as far as I know, is reserved for military families who have made significant contributions and for high-value contracted personnel, correct?

My gaze rested on Commander Davies.

The Commanders lips were tightly pressed, but the vein pulsing in his forehead betrayed his rage.

The Internal Affairs agent immediately snatched the USB drive.

We will verify this immediately.

After they left, only Commander Davies and I remained.

Audrey He sighed, his voice heavy with exhaustion. You youve been wronged.

I shook my head. Compared to my personal pain, I care more about the honor of that uniform he wears.

I meant that, sincerely. I married Ethan not just for love, but out of profound respect. I respected him as an honorable soldier, a protector of our nation.

Now, he had personally shattered all my reverence.

The organization will not protect any failure, and we will not wrongly condemn any good man, Commander Davies assured me.

I nodded and rose to leave.

Just as I reached the door, I paused, turning back as if a thought had just occurred to me.

My expression was tentative and uncertain.

Commander, there is something I dont know if I should mention it.

Tell me.

That woman, Willow Pricewhen I looked up her details, I found she has a brother named Asher Price.

This Asher I don't think he's an American citizen. He has an overseas background. And in the chat logs, Willow mentioned several times that her brother was extremely curious about Ethans work, always probing for details about Special Forces training, equipment, and tactics.

I chose my words carefully, making myself look like an ordinary spouse who had stumbled upon a loose thread but was terrified of misinterpreting it.

I thought it was just family curiosity at the time, nothing serious. But thinking about it now, it feels wrong.

I worry I worry Ethan might have been set up by this woman

My voice trailed off, ending in a slight, controlled sob.

The tears were half acting, half real. Real for the death of my love. Real for the husband I was personally pushing into the abyss.

Commander Davies shot up from his chair.

The last flicker of sympathy vanished from his eyes, replaced by an unparalleled sharpness and alertness.

What is her brothers name? Which country is he associated with?!

The nature of the situation had, in that instant, fundamentally changed.

It had spiraled from a simple moral lapse, to severe abuse of power, and now to a major suspicion of jeopardizing national security.

Ethan Cole, I had just played the final card in your checkmate.

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