A Wife's Treachery, A Husband's Rebirth

The last thing I remembered was the cold, sterile air of the prison visiting room. Sarah' s face, twisted into a mask of contempt, spewed venomous words at me. "Ethan, that data-exfiltration device was clearly planted by you; you were just jealous of Alex and wanted him dead!" Her voice was sharp, cutting through the thick glass. "I truly regret leaving Alex for a simpleton like you; you deserve to rot in prison for what you did to him!" Then the guard pulled me away, the clang of the steel door sealing my fate: life in prison. For a crime I didn't commit, framed by my own wife. It all started with a ring, a smart ring Alex Thorne, her "mentor" and my rival, gave her. My FBI instincts screamed security risk, but Sarah, blinded by his charm, wore it anyway. That night, I found a sophisticated data-exfiltration device hidden inside, an espionage tool. I tried to protect her, to buy time, to frame it as a vulnerability in Thorne' s tech, sacrificing my career. But she betrayed me, leaking classified files, framing me with meticulous precision. The evidence was overwhelming, and I was arrested. The day in the visiting room, her final, venomous blow, shattered the last fragments of my soul. If I could do it all over again... Then, a wave of warmth, the scent of coffee, not prison food. I opened my eyes to sunlight in my living room. Sarah sat on the couch, her face lit with that same excited glow. In her hands, a small, sleek black box. "Ethan, look what Alex gave me!" she said, her smile bright and guileless. Time hadn't just rewound; it had given me a second chance. This time, I wouldn't be a fool. I wouldn't save her. I would save myself.