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I find myself sitting in the cold, lonely jail cell, surrounded by darkness but for a small beam of light filtering in from the narrow window above. With a heavy heart, I gaze at the photograph of my beloved family, the image a stark reminder of what I've sacrificed in the name of love.
It all began when my wife took on a new job and faced harassment from a coworker named Travis. Seeing her misery, I wanted nothing more than to see her happy. Despite my urge to confront the man responsible, I ultimately respected my wife's wishes and chose not to act on my anger.
I was so mad seeing my wife, Kylie, all upset from some dude bothering her at work. It hurt me to see her like that. I just wanted her to come home happy. She'd tell me how this guy would hit on her all day.
I wanted to go over there and give him a piece of my mind, but Kylie said not to do anything. She just wanted to vent, so I kept my cool and listened.
Then she told me he started getting handsy with her. I was ready to go over there and handle it, but she didn't want any drama at work. I respected her wishes, even though it was difficult.
Kylie was bawling her eyes out in my arms, and it broke my heart to hear her so upset. I pulled her in closer, trying to make her feel safe and loved. "Hey, what's wrong, sweetheart?" I whispered gently. After a while, she was able to tell me what had gone down.
Kylie totally cut me off before I could even get my point across, and I could feel myself getting more and more ticked off. But instead of blowing up, I bit my tongue and kept quiet. "I only got away because of the self defense lessons you gave me."
"He said he was coming after you and Stormi while I was fleeing. I-I don't want anything to happen to Stormi or you, in particular ". When she told me what he almost did, I was so angry that I wanted to kill him in the most gruesome way possible.
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and tried to console my wife.
"Calm down, baby; what he doesn't know is that I served in the navy for over 5 years, and I can protect us, as can you. We'll be able to get through this together ".. Kylie smiles and says, "Together." We said with our foreheads against each other's.
Travis kept his word and snuck into our place that night. Kylie and I decided it was best for Stormi to crash at Kendall's crib for a bit.
We were knocked out asleep when I suddenly woke up to the sound of a gun being readied. The person spoke, saying, "Well, well, look who we have here. Kylie, you've really outdone yourself." We were scared but knew we had to stay calm and figure out a way to protect ourselves.
I remember waking up to a scary sight - a gun pointed right at my head, with Kylie crying next to me. It was like something out of a movie, except this was real life.
I was lying on my stomach, facing Kylie, and I could feel the gun against my head, sending shivers down my spine. Kylie was begging the person holding the gun to spare us. She was pleading for our lives.
"Please, don't do this. We didn't do anything to you. Just leave us alone." I didn't say a word. I kept my eyes shut tight, coming up with a plan to stay safe without giving myself away. It was a terrifying moment that I'll never forget.
I've been in a similar situation back in my navy days, waking up to intruders in our post. But this time, I could tell something was different. The guy seemed to be swayed by Kylie's pleas to spare me.
When I opened my eyes and saw the fear in Kylie's eyes, my heart sank. I could feel her pain, and it was gut-wrenching to see.
I tried to reassure her, telling her everything would be okay and reaching out my hand for her to hold onto.
But deep down, I knew that guy wasn't getting out of there alive. With me and Kylie holding hands, we were ready for whatever was coming.
And then, it all went down.
When I went to grab the gun I had stashed under my pillow, it was nowhere to be found. I let out a frustrated mutter, but before I could even process what was happening, a gunshot echoed through the room.
I braced myself for the worst, thinking it was all over for me. But then I heard a thud as a body hit the ground. Suddenly, I felt two gentle hands on my face and heard sniffles beside me.
"Hey, look at me. I took care of him. Nothing will ever come between us. I don't know what I'd do without you, I love you so much," Kylie said as she leaned in and kissed me passionately, as if she thought she had lost me.
The sound of sirens in the distance made it clear that someone had called the cops. I knew I had to make a decision.
"Oh no, I can't go to prison. I can't bear the thought of not seeing Stormi or you, especially you. You're everything to me, and I can't imagine life without you." Kylie was freaking out, her hands were shaking like crazy.
I grabbed her hands, trying to calm her down. I knew she was scared, but there was no way I was going to let my wife go to jail over this.
"Hey, I'm not going to let you get locked up for this, so just give me the gun." Kylie looked at me like I was crazy, wondering why I wanted the gun.
She handed it over, and I quickly wiped off her fingerprints with the bedsheets. I made sure to get some blood on the gun too, to make it look more convincing.
"No way! You can't leave me and Stormi alone, I won't let you! Please, don't go, Y/N." Tears were streaming down both our faces. I held Kylie close one last time.
"It's either you or me, babe, and I'm not going to let you go to jail. Just know I love you, and I'd do anything for you, always and forever." Kylie gave me a sad smile and repeated our wedding vows, "Always and forever."
I knew I was screwed. Travis's family had the judge in their pocket, even though we had proof to clear my name.
I ended up with a ten-year sentence. It didn't matter that Kylie was almost attacked or that she got threatening letters. I was the one who got locked up.
Ten years without my wife and kid, missing out on seeing my daughter grow up. My case made headlines, but it didn't make a difference. The judge was bought and paid for.
But as long as Kylie was free, that's all that mattered to me. I'll be okay as long as my family is safe.
So here I am, looking at a picture of the three of us, smiling. I may be in prison, but I'm happy knowing nothing can tear us apart.
