[ WP ] You can see the darkest secret of everyone you meet . As you enter your house , expecting to see the usual abusive father story of your spouse , you stop ; it has changed .

Sarah was a nice woman. Troubled, but interesting. Very attractive. She was obsessed with me through out highschool. `` If you ever leave'' and stuff like that. 
 
 She had a terrible past, and I knew it. I saw her father. The terrifying thing was that his abuse of her, it was n't the worst thing he had done. 
 
 I had seen what he did to those people when he was angry. I knew all about his first wife and her `` mysterious disappearance''. The weakness of my gift is that you can only see the darkest in people. Not everything they've done. I'm sure he had done other stuff as bad as that, but I guess the `` gift'' is based on my morals and ethics. If I suddenly thought murder was OK, and shoplifting was the worst crime man could commit, I might not be able to keep my job. I'm a detective. I've worked at my job for 4 years. I think? I do n't know. Maybe its six. It all blurs together. 
 
 People think I'm an amazing detective. It makes me feel guilty almost. These other people put their soul into their work. Constantly trying to get better. And they will *never* be as good as me. 
 
 I'm wandering. I apologize, but I need to get this out. 
 
 Sarah is a mentally weak individual. She is easily manipulated, its the biggest scar of her abuse. This is how I justify planting evidence on her father. He may not have really robbed that store. But it fits, you know? 
 Desperate person. Needs money. Had a firearm with a caliber that matched the gun used to kill the cashier. That was n't me, that was just purely dumb luck. 
 
 I knew until he was out of Sarahs mind we could n't live happily. Neither could Sarahs mother, Liz. I knew Lizs darkest secret before, it was the first time I saw one `` change''. See, my gift does n't work like a movie. You do n't see this little text over someones head. What they did, how long ago, why they did it. It simply shows right before the event through the persons eyes. This is what makes my job hard. Knowing Joe Blow killed somebody? Check. Knowing where they hid the body? Why they did it? Who the person was? Nope. 
 
 Its what made looking into my father in laws eyes so much worse. I could see that poor girl who found out about what was in his past, I do n't know what it was, but nothing would shock me. I see her slap him. I see him loading his gun. I see her head just snap. I could n't live like that. 
 
 When my wifes father was on trial, Liz testified against him. That he confessed. This was her darkest secret, and I'll admit, re-living that moment of shock on that piece of shits face as his wife testified against him every time I see Liz? Its a great feeling. 
 
 But the thing is, thoughts do n't count. They may be their darkest secret, but they're off limits. I just see grey. Jane Doe is banging the bar tender while her husbands at home? I see it all too well. If she is thinking about it, and its the worst things she plans to do, its just not there. Thats what caught me off guard at the trial. Liz refused to testify until that day. 
 
 This is what has happened to my Sarah. I ca n't see what she is doing. Its grey. I think she is thinking about an affair. And I think I know who with too. This manipulative little prick at my work. He hates me, and I hate him too. He might be the next best detective in terms of arrests and convictions, because he does n't mind putting an innocent man behind bars. Or planting evidence. I know, I'm a hypocrite. 
 
 Like I said, Sarah is a very weak person who can be manipulated easily. The main reason I married her is because I knew if I did n't she would end up dead. 
 
 This guy, we'll call him `` Sam'', has it out for me. He is the typical has to be number one at everything guy. But he ca n't be. Because I'm better than him. 
 
 I know Sarah likes him. He is the spitting image of her father. And I know this dick would do anything to get me out of the way. I'm happy where I'm at career wise. Sam is n't. He has bigger, more political aspirations. And I think he knows about my gift. He has found ways to test me. He knows I can sink his campaign with what I've got on him. That `` Laara Hotel Rape of 1991''? Him and his buddies know more about that then they let on. But again, its not my place to punish everybody, and I ca n't get physical proof anyway. But he does n't know that. 
 
 Sarah has been in this `` grey'' area for 18 hours. I know I have to confront it. I intend to do so tonight. Maybe she will just level with me, and if I can get her to actually do something, maybe I can put this all together. 
 
 
 We talk. It goes terribly. She shuts me out. She screams. I sleep on the couch. 
 
 
 
 A flash goes by outside my house. Its Sams car. The lights stop. The door to my house opens. I hear someone enter. I hear someone coming down the steps. I hear a gun cock. I hear wrestling. I hear my wife scream. I'm frozen. It goes off. I feel a terrible pain in my chest. 
 
 
 I awaken some hours later. Surrounded by doctors. I see everything they've done and its terrible. I see the nurse forgetting to give a child the correct medicine, not the one he is allergic to. I see him screaming. And I see her crying. I see the doctor screwing up the heart operation surgery because he was out drinking the night before, or so I put together myself, I can see through the fog in my eyes that he is hungover. 
 
 But this. This is n't real. These are just bits and pieces of the last 24 hours. 
 
 Sam walks in. He is in tears. I fully expect to see myself or my wife getting shot. In the first person. I prepare mentally for the worst. I see what he thinks is his worst action. I see him fucking my wife. I hear him apologize to me, but i'm in no condition to respond. 
 
 `` My fault. All my fault. She did this because of what I did'' 
 
 What? 
 
 What shes done. 
 
 Security escorts Sam out. He screams he is innocent. That he tried to stop it. Stop what? 
 
 Sarah walks in. It comes together. I see Sam run through the front door. I see my wife loading the gun. I see Sam tackle her. I see her still managing to do it. I hear Sams pleading for her not to do it at gunpoint. I feel the pain in my chest all over again. 
 
 And then grey. I see the doctor talk to Sarah in the corner. I see him begin to tear up. I see her `` cry'' and nod. I hear the nurses come in. This is it. 
 
 The button is pressed. My breathing slows. My pulse slows ever so slightly. Second by second. I accept my fate. 
 
 She leans in to kiss me. And I relive the whole thing again. No gray this time. The clarity makes it a little easier to accept. 
 
 I see black. 
 
 
 
 WRITERS NOTE: I wrote this in a half hour at 4:30 AM. Not my best work, I'll be honest. I'll try to write a better story with a similar prompt tomorrow. All feedback is welcome.
