When Love Dies: A Spy's Escape

When Love Dies: A Spy's Escape

Victory Hunter

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"You will be declared dead, Gregoria." That's what Agent Christian told me. My life as an FBI agent was about to end, replaced by a ghost. No contact with my past, not even my husband, Darwin. But then, a week before my staged death, I walked into our home office and saw it: Darwin's laptop, open, displaying a live video feed. My husband, shirtless, with his assistant, Elyssa Daniel. They were kissing. My world tilted. I watched, frozen, as he kissed her. The sounds they made were obscene. I recognized the unique lines of his body, the watch I gave him for our anniversary. I stumbled back, my hand shaking as I reached for my phone. I had to confront this nightmare. I hit the call button. On the screen, Darwin froze, then answered my call. "Hey, honey. What's up?" His voice, so normal, so full of lies, broke something inside me. The phone slipped from my grasp. My heart, my love, my entire world had been a lie. I spent the night on the office floor, replaying the video. The evidence of his betrayal was a digital tombstone for our marriage. Each time I watched, disgust and pain grew. I looked at my wedding ring, a mark of my foolishness, and threw it across the room. He thought I was weak, predictable. He thought I loved him so much I'd believe the sky was green. But the woman who loved Darwin Mcintosh died on that office floor. And in that moment, my mission, my fake death, felt like an escape.

Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Gloria, you don't have to do this. There are other agents."

Christian's voice was low and heavy, filling the small, windowless room. He sat across from her, his uniform crisp, his expression etched with a concern that went beyond his duty as her superior.

"It's the best plan, sir. And I'm the best agent for the job." Gloria's tone was flat, devoid of emotion. She stared at the sterile metal table between them, her hands resting calmly in her lap.

"This mission... faking your own death, disappearing completely... it's a one-way ticket. You know that. Once you're Echo, Gloria Ellis ceases to exist." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Think about your life. Think about Darwin."

Gloria's gaze didn't waver. She finally looked up, meeting his eyes.

"I have thought about it."

A small, bitter smile touched her lips.

"Besides, my marriage to Darwin is over anyway."

Christian froze, his attempt at persuasion cut short by her stark declaration. He saw the finality in her eyes, a chilling emptiness that hadn't been there a week ago. He knew then that no argument would change her mind.

Gloria pushed her chair back and stood. The conversation was over. She had made her choice, a sacrifice he didn't fully understand but was now forced to accept.

She walked out of the secure facility, the heavy steel door closing behind her with a definitive thud. The cool night air felt good on her skin. She took a deep breath, a small release of the tension coiled in her stomach.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A news alert.

She pulled it out, the screen glowing in the darkness.

"Billionaire Philanthropist Darwin Mcintosh Makes Touching Tribute to Wife Gloria Ellis at Charity Gala."

Below the headline was a picture of her husband on a stage, his handsome face filled with adoration as he spoke about her. The article was filled with quotes about how she was his rock, his inspiration, the love of his life.

The comments section was a flood of praise.

"They are the perfect couple! A true love story!"

"I wish I had a husband who looked at me like that. So much love in his eyes."

"Mr. Mcintosh is a national treasure. Such a devoted husband and a brilliant businessman."

Gloria stared at the phone, at the man the world saw. He was a brilliant businessman. He was a master of public perception. He could make anyone believe he was a saint.

She believed it herself, for seven years.

He was a good actor. A very, very good actor.

Her eyes stung, a familiar burn she had been fighting for days. She quickly blinked the moisture away, her gaze hardening.

The image on her phone dissolved, replaced by a memory from three nights ago. A memory that played on a loop in her mind, sharp and sickening.

She had been reviewing security protocols for their estate, a routine check before her final mission briefing. She idly clicked on the feed for the study, their private sanctuary, the place where he'd proposed.

The image that filled the screen made the air leave her lungs.

On the large oak desk, the one he'd inherited from his grandfather, her husband was moving on top of a woman. The sounds were muffled through the speaker, but the scene was unmistakable. His shirt was off, his back muscles tensing with each movement.

The woman beneath him moaned, her head thrown back. Gloria felt a wave of nausea. Who was she?

Then, the woman shifted, turning her back slightly toward the hidden camera. And Gloria saw it.

A small, distinct mole just above the woman's left hip.

A mole she had seen a hundred times. A mole belonging to Elyssa Daniel, Darwin's personal assistant.

Her world tilted. Her fingers, numb and clumsy, fumbled for her phone. She had to hear his voice. She had to know.

She dialed his number.

On the screen, Darwin's movements stopped abruptly. He reached for his phone on the corner of the desk, his breathing heavy.

"Gloria, honey," he answered, his voice a little breathless. "Is everything okay?"

The sound of his voice, trying to feign normalcy while he was still inside another woman, shattered the last piece of her heart.

She couldn't speak. A thick, heavy silence filled her throat. She hung up the phone.

She didn't confront him. She didn't scream or cry. She just sat there, in the cold, sterile monitoring room, watching the video feed.

She watched it over and over, until the movements and sounds were burned into her memory. Until the sight of his betrayal no longer made her want to vomit, but instead filled her with a cold, clear emptiness.

Later that night, she went to the fireplace in their living room. She took out the box of love letters he had written her, hundreds of them, filled with promises of forever. One by one, she dropped them into the flames, watching the elegant handwriting turn to black ash.

"You promised," she whispered to the fire. "Betrayal once is betrayal forever."

Now, returning to the house they shared, she felt nothing but a hollow echo of the life she once had.

He was in the kitchen when she walked in, wearing an apron over his expensive suit, humming a cheerful tune. He looked up and smiled, the same adoring smile from the news article.

"You're home, honey. I made you some pasta. Your favorite."

He set a plate on the island. The smell of garlic and tomatoes filled the air, mixed with the faint, cloying scent of a woman's perfume that wasn't hers. It turned her stomach.

He came closer, leaning in to kiss her. She subtly turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek.

"It's not my favorite," she said quietly. "It's yours. I'm allergic to tomatoes."

He froze, a flicker of confusion in his eyes before he quickly covered it with a laugh. "Oh, right. I'm so sorry, I completely forgot. I've had such a long day."

He gestured to his neck, where a small, almost imperceptible red mark bloomed just above his collar. A hickey.

"I was just so excited to cook for you."

Her gaze dropped to his ear. He was wearing a new earring, a small, silver stud. She had never seen it before.

She knew, with a certainty that was as cold as ice, that it was a gift.

"You're always so considerate," Darwin said, stroking her hair. The gesture that once brought her comfort now made her skin crawl.

"I'll love you forever, Gloria. You know that, right? Nothing will ever come between us."

She looked at him, at his handsome, lying face. She saw the new earring, a symbol of his secret life with Elyssa.

Just three more days, she thought. Three more days until Gloria Ellis is dead.

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