My Last Wish: May Her Affair Last

The day I find out my wife, Astrid Miller, has cheated on me while pregnant with my child, I begin to suffer from depression. The 99th time I take the pill, hoping to end my life, my baby daughter, Naomi Sage, wails in her stroller. My buddy, Ethan Wilde, digs the pill out from my throat. When Astrid sends me to the ER, she makes me a promise out of sheer guilt. "Charlie, I want you to write down a wish for every single day you remain alive. When you finally get better, I'll grant all your wishes." The day I write down my 1000th wish, the psychiatric hospital releases me. Elated, I go home early to surprise my family, only to find my wedding photo has been replaced with a wall of unfamiliar pictures. Ethan, Astrid, and Naomi smile and pose like a happy family of three in those travel photographs. Beneath an empty frame, a caption reads, "Wonderland". I log into my burner account to browse Ethan's TikTok. The latest video is taken in Wonderland. "This is the last time I'll spend time with you and Naomi. I hope we can be a proper family in our next lives." The comments are filled with lament. There are mutual friends of ours, a colleague of mine… At the bottom is Astrid. "Ethan, thank you for providing me a safe space to breathe in these last three years. If we meet again in our next lives, I hope you'll be my husband." My fingers are trembling as I tap into Ethan's main profile. Thousands of other videos alike fill the screen. For more than three years, he has never once been absent from Astrid and Naomi's lives. I quietly take out my wish list. I erase the last entry, "Being with you forever," and replace it with "I hope you get what you want." Astrid doesn't need to wait for this life to end. Ethan can easily replace me and step up as the better husband and father now. The only catch is that I'll be the first to leave. Chapter 1 Charlie's POV Three years ago, I hid the pills away. Now, I dug them out and swallowed them at once. They burned fiercely in my stomach, but my fingers kept scrolling through the comments anyway. "Poor Astrid. She's going back to that psycho again. If we'd known this would happen, we should've just let him die back then," wrote the student I sponsored. The day I was diagnosed with depression, she cried and begged me to live a long life. "It's such a shame you two met too late. If you and Ethan had met sooner, you would've been the ones who got married instead," wrote my coworker. She had caught the bouquet at our wedding and smiled as she praised how perfect a match Astrid and I were. "It's fine. You two work at the same company anyway. Worst case, we can all cover for you," wrote my college roommate. The night Astrid confessed her feelings for me, he warned her that if she ever betrayed me, he would never forgive her. My eyes stung until everything blurred. So, everyone knew. Somehow, they had all agreed to keep it from me. I was the one who stood in the way of their happiness. I was the one who deserved to die. Never mind. Soon, they would all get what they wanted. A beep came from the keypad lock outside. Three figures walked in, dragging their suitcases, laughing and chatting. The moment our eyes met, Astrid Miller's brow furrowed. Her voice turned reproachful. "Charlie, didn't we agree I'd come pick you up? What if something happened to you on the way home?" I opened my mouth, but tears started falling before I could say a word. Panicking, Astrid hurried over and gently wiped them away. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean to snap at you. Please don't cry." Behind her, Ethan Wilde walked in holding Naomi Sage's hand, grinning as he teased me. "Charlie, it's been three years, and you're still such a crybaby." Naomi peeked out from behind him and looked at me curiously. My heart jolted. Three years ago, she was just a tiny bundle curled up in a stroller. Now, she could carry her own backpack. I swallowed the tremor in my voice, crouched down, and opened my arms. "Naomi, come here. Let Daddy hold you." She shrank back and nervously clutched Ethan's shirt. "Daddy, who's this man?" I froze. Astrid gently explained, "Charlie, don't overthink it. Ethan's been the one taking care of her all these years, so she just got used to calling him that. Besides, Ethan is her godfather. We never corrected her because of that." Only then did I notice the three of them were wearing matching family outfits. Ethan gave me an awkward shrug. "It was a kindergarten assignment. We're supposed to wear matching outfits as a family and take a thousand pictures together. "Since you weren't here, I had to fill in for you. If it bothers you, I can go change." He said it so casually and openly. If I hadn't seen those comments with my own eyes, I might've believed him too. I suppressed the bitterness rising in my chest and didn't call him out. "It's fine. It looks good on you. Keep it on." Seeing that I didn't lose my temper like I used to, Astrid softened her expression and ruffled my hair. "You've finally gotten better. Looks like three years of treatment really helped. Now, let me see what's on your wish list." She picked up my wish list and was ready to open it. Chapter 2 Charlie's POV I quickly stopped Astrid. "Can you look at it tonight? I want to surprise you." She didn't notice anything strange and simply smiled as she slipped the wish list into her pocket. "Okay. Whatever you say. Are you hungry? The doctor said you haven't eaten. I'll make you some pasta to tide you over. Later, we can take Naomi out to celebrate her birthday." Ethan quickly followed her. "Then I'll make the sauce. Charlie can finally try my cooking." Naomi happily skipped into the kitchen after them. "I'll help peel the garlic!" The three of them disappeared into the kitchen, smiling and talking. I was left standing there, watching their happy backs. They looked like a picture-perfect family. I let out a bitter laugh. Fine. Once I spent one last birthday with Naomi, they would finally become a real family. The pain in my stomach twisted sharper. I went into the bedroom and started sorting through my belongings. Ever since I caught Astrid cheating on me, I had become paranoid about everything. She had been wearing a blue dress the day she cheated, so I burned every blue thing in our home. If even an inch of something in the bedroom had been moved, I would break down and demand to know if she had brought someone home. Now, the white walls of the bedroom were covered in blue wallpaper. The men's pajamas hanging on the shelf had been replaced with Ethan's size. Everything that once belonged to me had turned into everything he wanted. From somewhere down the hall, I heard Ethan's voice. "Charlie, my lease ran out a couple of days ago, so Astrid let me stay in your room for a while. Your things are in the top cabinet. Just look up there." I didn't answer him. My eyes fell instead on the cat toothbrushes by the sink—the matching set Astrid and I used as a couple. Ethan was lying. If he were only staying here temporarily, the bristles wouldn't be worn and bent outward. He certainly wouldn't have placed it in the same cup beside hers, at the same angle. I couldn't help but remember the day I was admitted to the hospital. Ethan had stood there with red-rimmed eyes and made a promise to me. "Focus on getting better, Charlie. I'll stay by Astrid and Naomi's side and take good care of them for you." He really did. For more than a thousand days and nights, he never once stayed away. He took care of my wife and daughter for me, filling their lives in my place. I pushed down the bitterness in my ribs and pulled open the cabinet to sort through what little I had left. At the side, the laptop kept chiming. I was about to reach over and shut it off when the words on the screen made me freeze. "Ms. Miller, I've finished writing today's love letter with AI and sent it to Mr. Sage's inbox." The day I was admitted, I couldn't stand being locked away in that cold, sterile room. I cried and begged to go home. To calm me down, Astrid promised she would write me a letter every day. Every page was filled with her guilt, her tenderness, and all the love she claimed to have for me. Through countless unbearable nights, I read those letters over and over. Slowly, they became the medicine that sped up my recovery. There were more than a thousand love letters, which meant I had cried more than a thousand times over them. Now, I realized it was all just a cruel joke at my expense. My stomach burned with a searing pain. That familiar sense of suffocation crashed over me, something invisible closing up my throat. Without thinking, I grabbed the fruit knife from the table and slashed my wrist again and again. Blood wound its way down my arm. The sharp pain somehow dulled the suffocation a little. Through the haze, I heard Naomi crying beside me. Someone snatched the knife from my hand, while Astrid pinned me down on the bed and expertly wrapped my wound in bandage after bandage. Only then did I return to my senses. Astrid grabbed me by the chin, forcing the back of my head against the mattress. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears slid down her cheeks and onto mine. "I've spent three years revolving my entire life around your illness, Charlie! Isn't it enough? Do you hate me so much that you don't even want to stay alive and face me?" I stared at her for a moment, then instinctively raised a hand to wipe the tears from my face. My knuckles brushed against her chest, where I felt a scar. It was from the worst time I ever hurt myself. She had been crying as she drove a knife into her own chest. "Charlie, I'm sorry. I was the one who hurt you. If you die, I'll follow you into the grave." Something stirred in my long-dead heart for the first time in ages. My voice softened without me realizing it. "Astrid, earlier, I—" A scream erupted outside. "Shit, Astrid! Naomi passed out from seeing the blood!" Chapter 3 Charlie's POV Astrid shoved me aside. I struggled to get to my feet and make my way outside, but she had already scooped Naomi into her arms while Ethan fumbled for the car keys. I instinctively reached out to help, but Astrid pushed me away. Her angry voice exploded beside my ear. "Charlie, please just stay put! Stop making things harder, okay?" I stumbled back a couple of steps and crashed into the table, knocking over the plate of pasta. The front door slammed shut. I lowered my head. Pasta sauce stained my clothes from top to bottom. I looked as pathetic as this five-year marriage had made me feel. Astrid was right. All I ever did was make things harder. I was the one who needed to be taken care of. I was neither a good husband nor a good father. I should step aside and let someone better suited to take over my roles. I changed my clothes and gathered up what little I had left. When my fingers brushed against the braided bracelet in my pocket, I realized I hadn't given Naomi her birthday present. Last month, Ethan had casually mentioned it during a phone call. He said Naomi was jealous because her deskmate had a dad who made her a braided bracelet. I quietly committed it to memory. I stayed up for several nights making one myself, working until two blisters formed on my fingers. In the end, I finally finished it. Thinking about the look of surprise and delight on Naomi's face, I felt a warmth brewing in my chest. I tucked the bracelet into my pocket and hurried to the hospital. The nurse told me Naomi's room was on the top floor. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I heard Ethan's tearful voice from around the corner. "Astrid, you can't keep the baby. If Charlie finds out, he'll lose his mind." I stopped in my tracks. He continued, "If our hotel hookup text hadn't been sent to his phone back then, he never would've been pushed into depression…" Astrid tore the abortion consent form to pieces and pinned him against the wall. "We've spent three years making it up to him! I've had enough! I love you, Ethan. I'm keeping this baby, no matter what." My mind exploded. The day I received that text about Astrid booking a hotel room with someone, I completely lost it. I rushed to the hotel and tore the place apart, but I couldn't find the man anywhere. After that, I became increasingly paranoid. It was Ethan who came rushing over. He forced Astrid to kneel before me for three days and nights. He stayed by my side, helping me through one sleepless night after another. I cried and told him how lucky I was to have a best friend like him, but there had been something in his eyes that I could never quite understand. Now, I know what it was—guilt, remorse, and worse, pity. My whole body trembled. I started toward them, desperate to demand an explanation, but someone grabbed me hard from behind. I stumbled and crashed to the floor. Naomi's little hands clamped over my mouth. Her voice was soft but urgent. "I'm sorry, mister, but Daddy said his only wish is for me to have a little brother. I can't let you ruin Daddy's wish!" The pain coursing through my body left me completely drained. All I could do was lie there and watch as Astrid pressed her lips to Ethan's in a deep, passionate kiss. My vision blurred behind a veil of tears. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed. Chapter 4 Charlie's POV Astrid sat beside my hospital bed, though I found no trace of concern in her eyes, only disappointment. "Charlie, your tests came back normal. What kind of show are you putting on exactly? "All I did was snap at you a little. It's Naomi's birthday today. Did you really have to run over here and fake passing out just to scare her? If I'd known you'd turn into this, I never would've thought to marry you!" She threw the medical report at my face. The paper stung against my skin. The results were so obviously doctored they could hardly be any more obvious. When I looked up and met the disgust in Astrid's eyes, the words I wanted to say died in my throat. Whatever. Maybe this was for the best. No guilt, no pity for me. "Congratulations, Astrid," I thought. "You're finally going to get exactly what you wanted." Realizing she had gone too far, Astrid deliberately softened her tone. "You know what? Just take some time to calm down. I'm going to cut the cake with Naomi. I'll come over and take you home later." With that, she left my room without looking back. Feeling the bracelet still in my pocket, I hurried after her. She walked into the room next door and slammed the door shut behind her. I instinctively reached for the handle, only to find that it was locked from the inside. Through the window, I watched Ethan put a birthday hat on Naomi. Astrid set off the party popper. Naomi closed her eyes and made three wishes as colorful confetti rained down around her. "Firstly, I hope everything works out at Mommy's job, and she'll stay healthy forever. Secondly, I hope Daddy has good luck with everything and is happy every day. Thirdly, I hope the baby in Mommy's tummy grows up healthy, and our family stays together forever!" The candles went out. With them, the last bit of light inside my heart went dark too. My phone chimed softly. It was a text message from Ethan. "I know you're outside the door, and I know you heard everything. I'll be honest with you. I was the one who sent that text three years ago. I changed your medical report this time too. "Charlie, you can't force someone to love you. You and Astrid have been married for five years, and we've been together for four. The truth is, I won." Indeed, he did. He won Astrid's heart and Naomi's love. Meanwhile, I was left with nothing. The pain in my chest and stomach burned so fiercely that it felt like my insides were on fire. With trembling hands, I tore the braided bracelet apart and threw it into the trash. If that were what they wanted, I would gladly use my life to make all three of their wishes come true. … Third-Person POV There was only one slice of cake left. Astrid packed it up and headed to Charlie Sage's hospital room. But when she got there, the room was empty. She frowned and reached for her phone to call him, but the wish list fell out with it. She picked it up and unfolded it, her eyes landing on the final line, which had been clearly corrected. "Astrid, I hope you get what you want." Astrid's fingers trembled. A sudden panic gripped her. With trembling hands, she called Charlie nine times in a row, but he didn't pick up. She was about to make the tenth call when her phone rang. It was him calling back. She answered, ready to lash out at him, but before she could say a word, an unfamiliar woman's voice came from the other end. "Is this Mrs. Sage? Your husband has just passed away. Please come to the crematorium as soon as possible to sign the paperwork…"