My Fiancée's Betrayal Killed a Whole Building

To help my student, Stanley Johnson, win the chemistry competition, my fiancee, Yelena Quincy, replaces my experimental materials with a hazardous substance. She leaves me a note. "Hank, you've already won plenty of awards and honors. Stanley's mother only has a few days left, and this is his last chance to fulfill her dying wish. Just let him have this one. "Besides, you're Stanley's advisor. Helping your own student win the championship makes you look good, too. "Once he wins, I'll say yes to your marriage proposal right away, okay?" But she doesn't know that I no longer have a chance to marry her. The hazardous substance causes a massive explosion, and I burn to death along with the three thousand students and faculty in the building! She faces relentless demands for justice from the families of all three thousand victims. Chapter 1 [Hank, I gave Stanley your experimental results. You've already won many awards and honors. His mother only has a few days left, and this is his last chance to fulfill her dying wish.] [Once he wins, I'll say yes to your marriage proposal right away, okay?] Just seconds before the explosion, I spotted the note my fiancee, Yelena Quincy, had left beneath the lab table. But it was too late. The chemical she had substituted reacted violently inside the test tube. It triggered an explosion that tore through the entire lab building, blowing me to pieces! When I opened my eyes again, I was in the auditorium for the chemistry competition awards ceremony. The place was packed, and everyone's attention was focused on the stage. Stanley Johnson and Yelena stood together holding the trophy. They basked in the spotlight as they gave a speech for the cameras. "I have to thank my senior, Yelena Quincy. She pushed me to improve and encouraged me every step of the way. I wouldn't be here without her," Stanley said. Yelena smiled modestly. "Stanley's success comes from his hard work and commitment to his research. He's spent years working day and night in the lab, studying all kinds of experiments." As she praised him, people in the crowd started chanting, "Kiss! Kiss him!" Stanley raised an eyebrow and jokingly put up his hands in surrender. "I wouldn't dare. Yelena would hit me for that." Yelena playfully punched him on the arm. The crowd erupted into a deafening chorus of cheers. But my heart clenched painfully. Even as nothing more than a lingering spirit, I could still barely breathe from the pain. Stanley's winning project was based on three months of experiments I had worked on late into the night. And Yelena was my fiancee, the woman I had loved for five years. But now, I had nothing left. I had even lost my life in that horrific explosion. And to think the person behind it all was Yelena, the woman I trusted most. I should have seen it coming. The night before, Yelena had asked a question out of nowhere. She asked if I'd be willing to give up the work I had done on my experiments for her. I found it strange. She had never asked me such a childish question. We had both worked our way up from the bottom of the chemical field. We knew that experimental results were about respecting science and pursuing the facts. I thought she was testing me again, so I firmly told her I wouldn't. But she suddenly grew anxious. "Even if I'm the one asking you to give up these results, you still wouldn't do it?" Completely confused, I asked her what was wrong. Yelena distractedly changed the subject instead. It wasn't until I died that I learned Yelena had replaced my research with an unknown chemical to help Stanley win the competition. Stanley was my student. He wasn't very gifted, but he was desperate for fame and always wanted to make a name for himself in the chemical industry. Yet he had never accomplished anything. That's why Yelena stole my experimental results and gave them to him. It allowed him to enter the competition and win. But Yelena clearly hated dishonesty in scientific experiments. When she competed in the past, she could've placed much higher, but she was eliminated after her opponent cheated. Chapter 2 Later, Yelena finally won the championship after a fair competition. But her opponent falsely accused her, and she was ultimately disqualified. She cared deeply about fairness in chemistry. She also expected other scientists to follow high standards in their work. But in the end, reality got the better of her. Later, when she was paired with Stanley for a project, Yelena kept complaining to me about how lazy he was. He couldn't even remember the steps of their experiments. That forced her to pull all-nighters to fix his mistakes. Once, one of his careless errors almost left her permanently disfigured. I feared Yelena would get hurt, so I risked being accused of favoritism and moved her to another group. As an academic advisor, I normally stayed out of student group assignments. But I couldn't stand the thought of Yelena being mistreated, so I made an exception. Yelena was thrilled to get a chance to switch groups. But then Stanley came to see her and said something to her. When she came back from their talk, she seemed distracted. She never mentioned switching groups again. After that, she started spending more and more time with Stanley. They were always gaming together. I slowly realized that Yelena and Stanley were crossing a line, so I warned them to keep their distance. But Yelena's expression hardened. "Hank, you're Stanley's advisor, and I'm his senior. If he comes to me to exchange ideas and improve his performance, that's good for your reputation too. "Am I doing something wrong just because I get along well with your student?" She kept using discussions about experiments as an excuse. But I later found out that she had turned down a more talented chemistry student as a partner because of Stanley. Even Yelena didn't realize that she had already started to favor Stanley. And now, she had thrown her principles aside again and tampered with my experimental work to help him. Just then, a reporter trying to stir up trouble asked, "Ms. Quincy, I've heard you're Professor Hank Yeoman's fiancee, while Mr. Johnson is his student. "In your opinion, which of the two has greater academic ability, Professor Yeoman or Mr. Johnson?" Yelena fell silent. She felt guilty. After all, Stanley had won the competition by cheating. Stanley stepped in front of her. "I'll answer that for her." Then he continued, "Professor Yeoman is my advisor. My work might have surpassed his previous achievements this time, but he's still my mentor. His expertise is far beyond mine. "I'm sure he'll work even harder from now on and once again become the example I strive to follow." I sneered at his shameless words. He added, "Still, he is one of the best in the field, yet I have managed to surpass him. I hope he'll spend less time on business and more time in the lab, teaching his students. "It wouldn't look good if he were surpassed again." Stanley's remarks clearly had an underlying meaning. The audience began whispering. "The famous Professor Yeoman claims to love chemistry, but it turns out he's just a greedy businessman!" "I was planning to study under him, but now I see how little he cares about his students." "Maybe some of Professor Yeoman's most famous experiments were actually his students' work, and he took credit for them!" Yelena showed no intention of defending me. "Hank has been busy with other matters lately, so he has neglected his research. "I'll talk to him when we get home and remind him to stay true to himself. He should return to the principles that drew him to scientific research in the first place." The crowd grew even louder. A smug smile flashed across Stanley's face as he prepared to say more. Suddenly, someone in the audience screamed, "Oh my God! There was a massive explosion at Harwood University! "The academic buildings have been destroyed. More than three thousand students and faculty members are dead!" A student who disliked me sneered, "Professor Yeoman has been giving public lectures at Harwood University lately. Maybe he was killed in the blast, too!" Chapter 3 When Yelena heard that, her face went pale. Explosions during chemistry experiments were rare, especially at universities. A blast at this scale was almost unheard of. The people in the auditorium erupted when they heard that more than three thousand students and faculty had died. Yelena was about to ask something when people in the audience started talking loudly. "Not necessarily. They're still counting the casualties. I heard online that Professor Yeoman's class is tomorrow, so he should be safe." Yelena let out a visible sigh of relief. Yelena had checked my schedule the night before. She knew I was supposed to teach the day after tomorrow. But she had no idea another chemistry professor's child had gotten sick that morning. He had asked me to switch classes with him and teach that day instead. It had happened so suddenly that I hadn't told Yelena about it. But the news had already updated the list of professors teaching that day. If she had paid any attention, she would've seen my name on it. The explosion at Harwood University was major news. The reporters finished their interviews and hurried away. Yelena and Stanley returned to the lounge. As soon as they walked in, Yelena pulled out her phone. She frowned, probably because she noticed that I still hadn't contacted her. Whenever I finished an experiment, I used to text Yelena to let her know. We had done this for years, even though she rarely told me what she was doing and hardly ever replied to my messages. Stanley clearly knew about our habits. Seeing her expression, he asked, "Yelena, Professor Yeoman still hasn't contacted you?" Yelena shook her head. "He usually finishes up around this time and calls me, but I still haven't heard from him." Stanley frowned. "Could he be angry because I won? That would make sense. He always thought I was too dumb to be his student, yet you still helped me." Then he pretended to think out loud. "But he's already won plenty of awards and made a name for himself. "You only switched the chemical once. He shouldn't be this angry. Besides, this was my fault. Why would he blame you? You're his fiancee, after all." Yelena grew increasingly irritated, clearly affected by what he was saying. Stanley took out his phone. "Yelena, maybe I should apologize to him." "What for?" Yelena snatched the phone from him and slammed it onto the table. "If he wants to be upset, let him! If that's how he feels, then maybe I just won't marry him." Then she said, "Didn't you say you would take me out to dinner if you won? Come on. Let's go eat." Yelena walked out, her expression dark, but I caught the satisfied smile in Stanley's eyes. I felt sick to my stomach and didn't want to watch anymore, but some unseen force kept me bound to Yelena's side. Stanley drove while Yelena sat in the passenger seat. She scrolled through some videos on her phone. The first footage that popped up was about the explosion at Harwood University. The scene was a horrific mess. The anguished cries of the victims' families were heartbreaking to hear. Someone exclaimed, "The person nearest to the blast was a chemistry professor! I think his last name was Yeoman. He died so horribly. Oh, God!" Yelena's expression fell a little. After a brief moment of hesitation, she asked, "Could Hank have been at Harwood University today?" Stanley glanced at the screen. "Yelena, the university has many chemistry professors. Hank isn't the only one with that last name. "Besides, that chemical could only cause an experiment to fail. It couldn't possibly cause an explosion." Yelena took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right." But she switched to WhatsApp without thinking. When she saw I still hadn't replied, her frown deepened. She went back to the video, where someone else shouted, "He looked like he was only in his early 30s. What a horrible way to die! "There's flesh and body parts all over the place. He died the instant the explosion hit. He's burned beyond recognition!" Chapter 4 The body parts scattered across the ground were burned beyond recognition, but the camera quickly cut away. When Yelena saw them, all the color drained from her face. She covered her mouth and gagged. Stanley handed her a tissue, looking concerned. Then he put her phone away. "You should stop watching. If you're that worried, we can go to Harwood University and see what happened." Yelena clearly struggled with the idea. Eventually, she said coldly, "No. After seeing that, I won't be able to eat." They soon arrived at a five-star hotel. As soon as they walked in, the manager greeted Stanley with a smile. It was clear they were familiar. "Mr. Johnson, you're back with your girlfriend. We're giving you our new signature dish tonight. I hope you both enjoy it." Yelena didn't correct him. She seemed to accept the idea of being Stanley's girlfriend. Stanley smiled. "Sure. Thanks. We'll have our usual dishes, and bring us two bottles of your best wine." "And the red wine your girlfriend likes, too?" the manager asked. "That's right," Stanley replied. He then led Yelena straight to a private dining room, as if he had been there countless times before. But when I had wanted to bring Yelena here, she had told me the door wasn't anything special. Was she nervous back then? Perhaps she was afraid that the manager would see us together and realize I was her fiance. Or was she afraid that having me sitting across from her would ruin the happy memories she had made here with Stanley? I didn't know the answer, and I probably never would. After dinner, Yelena drunkenly complained to Stanley about all the things she disliked about me. She complained that I had given her another scarf she didn't like, and that I had refused to give up my research results for her the night before. I had no idea she had been holding so much against me. Stanley listened patiently. Finally, he pretended to hesitate before saying, "Yelena, there's something I really shouldn't say, but I don't think Hank cares about you." Yelena looked at him, confused. Stanley continued, "I'm a man. I know what a man does when he truly loves a woman. He'd be willing to give up everything for her, even his life. "But Hank wouldn't even give up one little experimental result for you. Do you think he really loves you?" "If it had been me last night, I would have given up my research findings without a second thought if it made my girlfriend happy." Yelena looked uneasy. "It must be nice being your girlfriend." Stanley suddenly took her hand. "Yelena, just break up with Hank. Be my girlfriend." He added, "You've already betrayed him for me. Even if he doesn't say anything now, he'll hold it against you. If you marry him, who knows what he'll say to hurt you? But I'm different. "We've spent so much time together. You know what kind of man I am. I wouldn't be where I am today without you. I would give you everything and love you just as much as Hank does." Yelena quickly covered his mouth. "Don't say that." But the emotions in her eyes showed she was wavering. Stanley took her hand and kissed it. He grinned and said, "Come on. Say yes." Yelena was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. It was another one of my students, Lucy Gale. The moment Yelena answered, Lucy sounded like she was about to cry. "Yelena, something happened to Professor Yeoman! His name is on the list of people killed in the blast at Harwood University!" Yelena froze for a moment. Then something occurred to her, and she scoffed. "Well, that saves me the trouble of breaking up with him. "You're his favorite student, so you can handle his funeral arrangements. From now on, Hank has nothing to do with me!" Before Lucy could say anything else, Yelena hung up. Chapter 5 Stanley glanced at Yelena. "What happened?" Yelena looked as though she had figured everything out. "I was worried something had happened to Hank, but then Lucy called. "Now I'm sure Hank's pulling another stunt to make me feel bad for him again." Stanley raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Exactly. If something had really happened to him, the school would've contacted you first. Why would they call Lucy instead?" That only made Yelena more certain she was right. She angrily texted me, "Hank, stop working with Lucy to trick me. I know exactly what you're trying to do! "This is your last chance. Call me and apologize right now, or you'll never see me again! I could only laugh bitterly. Yelena had probably forgotten. When the school collected emergency contact information, she said Stanley had no friends here and gave them her number. She had told me to list someone else since nothing would ever happen. Later, I forgot to fill in that section. When Lucy submitted the information, she simply put down her own number. Yelena had never really cared about anything to do with me. Yet, she took every single word Stanley said to heart. Even at this point, nothing had changed. After they finished dinner, the police approached Yelena as soon as they stepped outside. They wanted her to come in for questioning. At that point, Yelena and Stanley still didn't know that news of my death was already spreading all over the internet. When the police said they were taking Yelena in for tampering with the chemicals, Stanley reacted first in shock. "Did Professor Yeoman report her?" he asked. The officer was about to explain when Yelena's face flushed with anger. "He called the police over this trivial matter? I already agreed to marry him!" she snapped. "First he pretends he's dead, then he lies to me, and now he's calling the cops? "What the hell is wrong with him? Where is he now? I want to see him!" The officer gave her a strange look. "You still don't know what happened to him?" Suddenly, Lucy came rushing over out of nowhere and shoved Yelena. "You killed Professor Yeoman! You murderer!" The police quickly restrained Lucy. By then, a large crowd of reporters and onlookers had gathered outside. Some of the victims' family members were covered in blood and dressed in black. They screamed furiously at Yelena. "You murderer! You tampered with Professor Yeoman's experiment. That caused it to fail and triggered the blast!" "Yelena, more than three thousand people died because of you. You're a monster!" "Give me my son and daughter back!" The crowd erupted in anger. The grieving families rushed over, sobbing as they shoved Yelena to the ground. If the police hadn't stepped in to keep the crowd under control, Yelena might have been trampled to death. Yelena hadn't even processed what she had just heard. Her face grew deathly pale. "Who did you say was dead?" Lucy tried to attack her again, but the police restrained her. Stanley suddenly stepped forward. He shouted toward the cameras, "Yelena was the one who switched Professor Yeoman's chemicals!" Hearing that, Yelena stared at him in disbelief. Everyone turned toward Yelena, their eyes filled with hatred. But the next moment, Stanley shouted again, "Yelena only did it for Hank's sake. He may look like a respected professor, but he's actually a mad scientist! "He used a banned substance and a risky method to get attention during the public lecture. He knew it could cause an explosion, but he did it anyway! "Yelena didn't want him to hurt himself or anyone else, so she switched out the chemicals to stop him. But Professor Yeoman found out anyway. "He tricked her. Then he secretly brought the dangerous substance into the classroom to carry out this risky experiment. He caused all these deaths for his own selfish gain!" Chapter 6 Everyone was stunned by Stanley's words. No one knew whether he was telling the truth. Lucy shouted, "That's impossible! The first thing Professor Yeoman taught us was to always put safety first in the lab! He would never do something like that." "Do you think you know him better than Yelena does?" Stanley sneered and looked at Yelena. Everyone turned to her as well. After all, she was my fiancee and knew me better than anyone else. Yelena looked lost. Stanley grabbed her hand and leaned close, speaking under his breath. "Yelena, I'm sorry, but Hank is already dead. I have to protect you. We can make it up to him by honoring his memory later." Yelena struggled with herself for a long moment. Finally, she said through gritted teeth, "What Stanley said is true." Her reaction made it look as though she had wanted to protect me, but had been forced to tell the truth. Stanley immediately seized on it. "Did everyone hear that? Hank was responsible for the disaster. Yelena had nothing to do with it! "That's why Yelena came with me to the awards ceremony today. She was fed up with what Hank was doing! "Also, Hank even switched his class with another professor so Yelena couldn't stop him. I'm sure the police already confirmed that, right?" The officer nodded. "We've confirmed that Professor Yeoman was originally scheduled to teach tomorrow but switched to today." For a moment, everyone was stunned. Even the victims' families were left sobbing. They had no idea where to direct their anger. But Lucy refused to believe it. She broke free from the officer restraining her. She rushed over to Yelena, grabbed her by the clothes, and shouted, "You're lying! Professor Yeoman wasn't like that! How could you be so cruel? He's dead, and you're still trying to smear his name. "Swear that you're telling the truth! Go ahead. Swear it, Yelena!" Stanley stepped in to protect Yelena. He slapped Lucy hard enough to knock her down. Lucy was tiny to begin with, and the blow sent her sprawling several feet away. Her face was swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. I desperately wanted to help her up, but my fingers passed right through her body. Lucy lay on the ground and cried out in anguish. "Professor Yeoman, you didn't deserve this! They're the ones who killed you, but I can't do anything to help you. I'm so sorry!" She sobbed until her voice was hoarse. Even the onlookers felt sorry for her. Seeing Lucy break down like that filled me with a deep sense of sorrow. My student believed in my innocence. Yet, as my fiancee and the woman I loved most, Yelena didn't hesitate to make me the scapegoat, despite knowing I was innocent. More and more people started gathering. Some started livestreaming, while others began taking bets as they argued over what had really happened. Seeing Lucy's despair, many people became convinced that Yelena was hiding something. Yelena saw how strongly Lucy and the others reacted. She gritted her teeth. Then, as if coming to a decision, she stepped forward. "I swear I have nothing to do with this explosion. If I'm lying, I'll burn myself alive in the school building with Hank's memorial portrait. "I'll pay with my life for Hank and the other three thousand people who died." After that, no one knew what else to say. Even Lucy could only clench her hands until her palms bled, unwilling to accept it. Stanley's triumphant smile grew wider. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Wait! They've recovered the security footage from Professor Yeoman's classroom!"