The Gears of War franchise takes great strides towards establishing the wholesome relationship between Dom and his wife. It isn’t the main plot by any means, but we do see depictions of Dom’s grief over the loss of his children. Worse, his wife was eventually taken away to a locust prison camp, where she was lobotomized and made to mindlessly serve them.

Their paths eventually cross and the image is too much for Dom to take. He decides to do the merciful thing; he kills his wife to spare her from her fate. His heartfelt apology and regret preceding this action is perhaps the reason this scene really tugs at the heartstrings. You can see a man breaking.