Blinded by Her, Saving Him

The medical report was sitting right inside my desk drawer. It stated clearly that yesterdays tactical drill had severely damaged my retinas, rendering me legally blind.

My twin brother, Neil, was the team leader of our elite EOD unit. Right now, he was being held hostage by an underground syndicate.

The cartel had strapped forty pounds of high-grade explosives to his chest and dumped him right outside our forward operating base. The timer was ticking down, and it could detonate at any given second.

As the top bomb technician in the unit, I held multiple patents for defusal tech. I had even invented the Micro-Optic Rig, a device capable of pinpointing the exact trigger wire in complex circuits. Theoretically, I was the only person on earth who could save him.

Yet, I was sitting in the barracks, my face completely expressionless. My fingers were dancing over a training simulator covered in obscure symbols. Ten seconds. That was all it took for me to clear the puzzle.

My wife, Darby, practically kicked the door off its hinges. She rushed in, screaming at me, demanding I get off my ass and go save Neil.

My father, Ziggy, who also served as the commanding officer of our division, was pacing frantically. He yelled that Neil was only on that mission because he took my shift. He demanded to know how I could just sit there and let my own flesh and blood die.

I didn't even flinch. I slowly lifted my head, my eyes out of focus, and told them the truth. I was blind. I couldn't defuse a damn thing.

"Blind?"

My father gasped. He reached out, waving a hand wildly in front of my face, and sucked in a sharp breath when my eyes didn't track the movement.

"How did this happen? Why didn't anyone report this to me?"

Darby froze. A flash of pure guilt crossed her face, and she quickly stared at the floor.

I let out a cold, hollow laugh.

"Yesterday, Darby demanded I hand over my spot on this high-profile mission to Neil. I refused. So, they rigged my visor during the live-fire drill. The flashbang cooked my eyes."

I leaned back in my chair. "I didn't call in sick today. They deliberately buried the incident report so Neil could steal my deployment."

When I first met Darby, she was just a civilian clerk at the precinct. We fell fast and hard, got married, and my parents pulled some strings to get her transferred into the tactical division to work alongside me.

But the moment she got her clearance, her attitude toward me turned ice-cold. Instead, she spent all her time fawning over Neil, the golden-boy team leader.

That was when I realized the sick truth. She had always been in love with my twin. Marrying me was just her stepping stone to get into the unit and get closer to him.

But I never imagined that just to hand him a medal, they would conspire to leave me permanently disabled.

Hearing my accusation, Darby panicked. Her voice spiked an octave as she fought back.

"You're lying! You're just jealous that Neil outranks you, so you're stalling for time to let him die!"

She stepped closer, peering at my face, her confidence suddenly returning. She puffed out her chest.

"Your acting is pathetic. If you're really blind, how are you playing with a defusal simulator?"

She turned to my father. "Captain, yesterday's drill was just a minor malfunction. That's why I didn't file a report. Since he's faking a disability to avoid duty, let me do it. If I use his Micro-Optic Rig, I know I can save Neil."

"Yes, exactly. We do what Darby says."

My father nodded rapidly. Seeing that I wasn't moving to help, his face darkened. He slammed his fist onto my desk, rattling my coffee mug.

"Liam! Did you hear her? Hand over the rig right now. That is a direct order!"

Ziggy had always favored Neil. I was the one who practically carried the squad, racking up commendations, but my father secretly crossed my name off the promotion lists and handed the leadership role to his golden boy instead.

I raised an eyebrow, my tone deadpan.

"I locked the rig behind a dynamic biometric firewall. You have to beat a randomized defusal sequence to unlock it. I can't see the screen. I can't open it."

"You are trying to murder your own brother!"

The blood drained from my father's face. He was breathing heavily, clutching his chest.

I ignored him, my thumbs resting on the simulator in my lap. I cleared the puzzle again.

This time, it took me exactly eight seconds.

Darby grinded her teeth in rage. She slapped the device out of my hands, grabbed me by the collar, and shook me violently. Her voice was pure hysteria.

"Bring the rig out! I'll read the visual patterns to you, and you can talk me through the sequence! Or is this just another excuse to run out the clock?"

My father's anxiety peaked. His eyes darted between my milky gaze and the device clattering on the floor. His expression hardened into something ugly.

"Liam," he growled, the threat heavy in his chest. "I don't give a damn if you're actually blind or not. If you don't cooperate, I will have you court-martialed for treason!"

I knew he wasn't bluffing.

I took a slow breath and offered a flat reply.

"Fine. I'll help. But you have to agree to one condition."

Before I even finished my sentence, my father scoffed with absolute disgust.

"The team leader position belongs to Neil. Don't even think about using this sick hostage situation to extort a promotion."

Extort? He called me sick? He conveniently forgot who abused his command authority to steal my career in the first place.

Just then, Darby's radio crackled. She answered it, her hands trembling so badly she nearly dropped it.

"Captain, the timer just engaged. We have less than five minutes. We have to move!"

The air in the room grew suffocating. My father couldn't afford to waste another second.

"I agree to your condition! Just as long as you don't touch Neil's rank."

"Deal."

I smirked internally. Compared to my eyesight, a pathetic squad leader title was dirt beneath my boots.

With my verbal guidance, Darby managed to crack the firewall on the Micro-Optic Rig.

I talked her through the mechanics over the comms. In under three minutes, she located the primary trigger wire and successfully pulled Neil back from the brink of death.

The moment he was safe, the entire unit packed up. They boarded the medevac chopper and flew back to the city for a hero's welcome, completely abandoning me at the forward camp.

Because my eyes were deeply infected and untreated, I spent the entire night crawling around the floor, blindly feeling for a landline to call for a civilian ambulance.

I was rushed to the ICU. That night, the doctors issued three separate critical condition notices. I tried calling my parents and Darby over and over. No one answered.

While I was lying in a hospital bed, Darby became a national sensation.

I became the dirt on the bottom of the city's shoe.

The news cycled constantly.

"Darby Garrison is a true patriot, utilizing unimaginable courage to save her commanding officer."

"She is a national hero. It's just a tragedy she's married to such a coward."

"Absolutely. Liam Garrison was too terrified to take the mission, forced his brother to step in, and then refused to help. He's less of a man than anyone in that unit. Darby needs to divorce that dead weight immediately."

"I heard he faked going blind out of pure jealousy. What a disgusting, narrow-minded traitor."

The hatred wasn't just online. Some civilians recognized me while I was waiting in line for an MRI.

When the orderly stepped away to grab my chart, a group of men grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and shoved me straight down a flight of concrete stairs. My collarbone and two ribs snapped on impact.

I woke up hours later to the hushed gossip of the nursing staff. To my absolute shock, the heavy fog in my vision had slightly cleared. I could see the blurry silhouettes of the room.

They were changing my IV, completely unaware that I was conscious.

"It's so sad. The guy actually lost his sight and nearly died on those stairs, but his wife and parents are next door throwing a party for his brother, who doesn't even have a scratch on him."

"Don't waste your pity. He brought it on himself. The guy is a jealous coward."

Lying there, the cold seeped into my bones, freezing my blood.

The next morning, the media dropped another bombshell.

"Congratulations to Darby Garrison for successfully patenting the Micro-Optic Rig! Insider sources say Captain Garrison personally fast-tracked the paperwork."

"Good for her. She needs to protect her intellectual property before some jealous coward tries to steal the credit."

That headline completely severed the last pathetic thread of hope I held for my family.

A month later, I was discharged and returned to the precinct.

My teammates looked at me like I was a rotting corpse.

"Why is this piece of garbage back? He shares a face with our Captain, but his soul is rotten to the core."

"Darby is a saint for putting up with him. Going blind was karma. He should have just died."

They hawked spit into my lunch tray. They poured sand in my coffee. They deliberately pushed office chairs into my path, erupting into cruel laughter whenever I tripped and hit the floor.

My father saw the whole thing happen one afternoon. He just gave me a blank look.

"Liam, my office. Now."

I clenched my fists, using my cane to navigate into his room.

"The public backlash is too severe right now," Ziggy said coldly. "Brass wants you suspended without pay until the heat dies down."

Hearing that, the last shred of respect I had for the man evaporated.

I lifted my chin, staring directly at the blurry outline of his face, and let out a harsh scoff.

"Is that Brass talking, or is that you?"

"Are you afraid I'll make a scene about the stolen patent, or are you terrified I'll press federal charges for your golden boy blinding me?"

A sharp crack echoed through the room.

Ziggy slapped me so hard I tasted copper.

"You ungrateful bastard! Is that how you speak to your commanding officer?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, keeping my face turned away, offering nothing but silence.

Meeting my dead, frosted eyes, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Stop being paranoid. The suspension is final. Go home and rest."

I let out a low, self-deprecating laugh, forcing my heart rate to slow.

Just as my hand touched the doorknob, he called out.

"Liam. Tomorrow night is Neil's official commendation banquet. You are required to attend."

"The press will be swarming the place. For the sake of this family, you will behave. Do not cause a scene, do not feed the rumors, and most importantly, you will show Neil the respect he deserves."

It was a total setup.

If I showed up, it would officially validate their narrative. It would cement me as the cowardly brother crawling back to beg for forgiveness.

I stopped in the doorway and looked over my shoulder.

"Captain. When I unlocked that rig for you, you promised me one condition. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

I had never addressed him so formally.

He froze for three full seconds before nodding cautiously.

"I remember. Name your price."

A dark, dangerous amusement flickered in my chest. I let out a soft chuckle.

"Captain, I want to make a bet."

The next evening, I walked into the private banquet hall.

Neil was sitting in the VIP chair that technically belonged to me, whispering intimately into Darby's ear. They looked exactly like a happily married couple.

The sickening part was that everyone in our unit was sitting at the tables, completely ignoring the blatant infidelity.

The moment I stepped inside, the press swarmed. Camera flashes fired like strobe lights, blinding my already damaged eyes.

"Liam! Are you here to publicly confess? Are you actually blind, or was it a tactical lie to let your brother die? Don't you feel any guilt?"

"Your wife just secured the patent for a revolutionary bomb disposal tool! Does this prove the unit has outgrown you and you're officially obsolete?"

The questions were vicious, designed to draw blood.

Not a single teammate stood up to intervene.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Ziggy grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the main table.

His tone was uncharacteristically gentle, playing for the cameras. "Liam, your public image is a disaster right now. I had to let Darby register the patent to protect the tech."

"Just hand the physical prototype over to her. The media requested a live demonstration, and I couldn't say no."

The entire hall fell dead silent. Everyone was waiting for me to surrender.

I had reached my absolute limit. I raised my voice, letting it echo off the walls.

"No. My wife is openly flirting with another man. You sabotaged my gear and blinded me. You stole my life's work. And now you expect me to smile and clean up your mess? Do I look like an idiot to you?"

They never expected me to fight back in public. The sheer force of my words left them paralyzed.

Ziggy's face turned a violent shade of purple, his lips trembling in pure rage.

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, the reporters shoved their microphones closer to our table.

Darby's face flushed with panic. She immediately forced tears into her eyes, playing the victim perfectly.

"Watch your mouth! Neil and I are strictly professionals. You only see dirt because your own mind is filthy!"

That was her signature move. Whenever she was backed into a corner, she played the bleeding heart.

Before I could even respond, she started sobbing loudly.

The entire room glared at me with absolute disgust, treating me like a monster abusing his saint of a wife.

Neil slammed his hands on the table and stood up, wrapping a protective arm around Darby's shoulders.

"I wanted to leave you some dignity, brother. But you have crossed the line."

Neil looked directly into the cameras. "The truth is, my location was compromised during my undercover op because Liam sold my tactical coordinates to the cartel the night before."

The room erupted.

Venomous glares pierced through me. If looks could kill, I would have been shredded to pieces.

Only Ziggy remained silent. He stared at Neil with a complicated, deeply conflicted expression.

Darby wiped her fake tears, her voice dripping with poison.

"I can't believe I married a traitor. I want a divorce!"

With her lighting the match, the room exploded into chaos.

"I thought it was just petty jealousy, but he's a literal terrorist sympathizer! Lock him up!"

"Arrest him! Call the MPs!"

I sat calmly in my chair, a dark smile playing on my lips.

"Darby. I was blinded in the training drill first thing that morning. I was put under heavy anesthesia and slept through the next forty-eight hours. You were supposed to be watching me. You know better than anyone that I couldn't have contacted the cartel."

Under the table, hidden from the cameras, her fingers were tightly intertwined with Neil's.

A second ago, she was the weeping victim. Now, her eyes were cold and utterly ruthless.

"You're a manipulator. I couldn't watch you twenty-four hours a day. I can't vouch for you."

With that single sentence, she hammered the final nail into my coffin.

Suddenly, a sharp ringtone pierced the screaming crowd.

Ziggy answered his phone. His face drained of all color. He stared at me in absolute, paralyzed horror.

Darby, too impatient to wait, urged him on.

"Captain! The crowd is going to riot. Give the order to arrest him!"

At the same time, the parents of a bomb tech who died in a previous operation rushed forward. They tackled me to the floor, raining heavy punches onto my face.

"Give me my son back! You traitorous scum!"

"You look like a soldier but you're worse than a dog! Rot in hell!"

A heavy boot caught my temple. Blood poured down the side of my face, staining the carpet.

Darby watched me bleed, her face completely void of emotion. She didn't even blink.

I started laughing. A loud, desperate, chilling laugh.

Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the banquet hall were kicked open.

A dozen Federal Agents in tactical gear stormed the room, flashing their badges.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation! We received a high-priority tip regarding an internal mole selling classified tactical data to domestic terrorists! Who made the call?"

Darby and Neil exchanged a smug, knowing look. They were practically glowing with victory, ready to hand me over on a silver platter.

Ziggy snapped out of his trance. He looked at Neil, then frantically shook his head at the agents.

"Officers, there's been a misunderstanding. There is no mole."

"I made the call."

I pushed myself off the bloody floor, completely ignoring my father's pleading eyes, and spoke with absolute clarity.