My Younger Substitute

"So what about Oscar? Is he just supposed to go find a younger you?"

The voice of Beck Cadwell, Jane's right-hand man, drifted through the cracked door on the second floor.

After a brief pause, I heard my wife’s voice, Jane Fraiser, the fearsome mob boss of Alicante.

"He can if he wants. As long as he doesn't make a scene in front of me, that’s his right."

Standing at the corner of the stairs, a sharp pain shot through my chest.

She said, "He can."

This was the same woman who used to be so possessive she’d throw a fit and smash things if I even glanced at another woman. Now, she was just tossing out an answer like it was nothing.

Then came the childish voice of my five-year-old son, Lucas.

"Dad could never find anyone as good as Mommy! Besides, all he does is force me to eat gross vegetables and stop me from playing outside. I hate him!"

Because of my own weak body and the constant threat of rival gang attacks, I had kept him safe in a bubble, taking care of him like fragile glass. Yet in his eyes, it was nothing more than malicious bullying.

Inside the room, the rustle of clothes broke the silence.

Moments later, Beck gritted his teeth and spoke up. "Jane, no matter what, Oscar is the only one I'll recognize! Cheaters are trash!"

Right after he finished speaking, a soft chuckle sounded from inside. It belonged to my personal doctor, Theo James.

"How am I the cheater? In fact, I’m sacrificing myself for love. Jane set up that fake kidnapping to get him injured so I could take Mr. Oscar's place at next week's underworld gala."

Jane didn't deny it.

She just let out a playful laugh, burning down years of our life-and-death devotion in a single second.

"Theo, I’m giving you the role of my date, but you better know your place. Planning that kidnapping and getting Oscar hurt wasn't to make room for you. It was for his own safety.

"Our rivals are targeting that gala. The only way he's truly safe is if I clip his wings, hurt him, and keep him locked up at home. As for you? You’re just a body double taking the bullet for him."

Her late explanation sent a chill down my spine that was far worse than her laugh.

So that brutal kidnapping I suffered a while ago was planned by my own loving wife...

She broke my ribs and left me bedridden for weeks, all because a mob boss thought this was her twisted way of "protecting me"?

Over the years, I took knives and bullets for her. Getting targeted for assassination was basically part of my daily routine.

We had clawed our way up together from a dirt-cheap rental apartment to where we are now.

I remember the first time she ever touched the mob business. She clung to me, begging for affection over and over again, telling me she had betrayed the whole world and only had me left.

However, now she was controlling my life in the cruelest way possible, while reserving all her gentleness for my substitute.

"Who’s down there?!" Beck’s alert voice suddenly barked out.

He hurried down the stairs, his face turning deathly pale when our eyes met. "Oscar..."

I clenched my fists tight, forcing back the tears in my eyes.

"Don't jump to conclusions."

Beck’s voice was trembling as he stepped in front of the staircase, desperately trying to cover up. "I just came to get some medication for Jane! Look, Oscar, Jane isn't even here..."

He was talking so loudly that it alerted the people upstairs.

In the dead silence that followed, Jane’s voice carried down, echoing with a high-and-mighty coldness.

"Beck, have the driver take Oscar back to the villa first. I’ll be back later."

She didn't even care to come down and look at me.

Then I heard Lucas cheer, "Yeah! Make Dad leave! He’s just gonna boss me around!"

In the end, I couldn't hold back the tear that slid down the corner of my eye.

Beck looked horrified, muttering under his breath, "Man... why does the soundproofing suck so much today?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Theo walked down the stairs ‌leisurely.

His shirt was halfway unbuttoned, exposing faint red hickeys on his chest that rose and fell with his breathing.

He stopped right in front of me, ensuring I had a clear view before he slowly buttoned his shirt.

"Sorry about that, Oscar. My wife and kid came over, and well... you know how it is after being apart for a bit. Don't take it to heart."

He looked completely satisfied. Even without making eye contact, it was the ultimate act of provocation.

I stared at him in a daze, desperately wanting to go upstairs and ask Jane if she had no shame doing this while Lucas was right there.

Just then, Lucas’ voice drifted down from above. "Mommy, can Daddy Theo handle that meanie dad?"

Daddy Theo? Meanie dad?

A bitter taste filled my mouth, and I swallowed every single question back down.

All these years, dragging my broken body around to take care of this mother and son, it seemed I’ve truly had enough.