My Wife and Her First Love Schemed to Kill Me—Then She Went Mad When She Learned the Truth...

“Alex, it’s just a trophy. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?” “When we got married, you clearly said that what was yours was mine. Whatever I wanted, you said you’d give it to me as long as you had it.” “We’ve only been married for two years, and now you’re planning to break your vows?” I never expected that, even as I was dying, my wife would still twist the meaning of the vows I had once made to her and use them to send me to my death. Almost the instant she hung up, a gush of blood erupted from my body. With both my hands tied, I could only watch helplessly as my blood poured out like water. I witnessed my own death with my own eyes. When I opened my eyes again, I stared in disbelief. I was floating in the air! The applause below thundered in my ears, and I followed the sound to see Ethan standing onstage, delivering his acceptance speech. My wife, Claire, sat below the stage with tears shining in her eyes. “Actually, the person I most want to thank for allowing me to stand here today is a friend of mine named Claire. Without her, this book would never have existed.” “She gave me inspiration and confidence. She helped me stay true to my original dream and persevere for these past five years.” The broadcast camera quickly shifted to Claire. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and a host handed her the microphone. Claire stood there in stunned silence for several seconds. “Ms. Claire, why don’t you say a few words too?” She looked a little embarrassed but still accepted the microphone. “Ethan’s success today wouldn’t have been possible without the years he spent studying diligently every day. Literature requires years of accumulated effort. He has that kind of determination, so I always encouraged him not to give up. I stayed by his side for five years.” As soon as Claire finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted below the stage. Someone even exclaimed, “They stayed together through the lowest point and met again at the top. What a perfect match!” I listened to the whispers spreading through the crowd and clenched my fingertips. She was already married, yet she allowed the rumors to spread without offering any explanation. In fact, she seemed happy to let them grow. The person who should have been standing on that stage was me! Instead, I could only float helplessly in the air and watch as the person I loved most caused all of this. I should have realized it much earlier. After my new book became a bestseller, countless reporters wanted to interview me, but my wife turned them all away. She even rejected the book signing suggested by my editor. She claimed it was because I was a newcomer and needed to keep a low profile. When the organizers of the highest literary award contacted me, my wife’s first reaction wasn’t happiness. She asked if I could give up the opportunity. I was confused. Why would she want me to give up such an incredible opportunity? I had spent two years writing that book and polishing every detail before earning that achievement. “Claire, that’s not something you can joke about. Aren’t you happy that I won?” She let out a few awkward laughs, her expression complicated. “Alex, if I asked you to give up the chance to accept the award, would you listen to me?” I fell silent. I couldn’t understand why she was so determined to make me give up the award. Only now did I finally wake up to the truth. Claire wanted me to give up the opportunity so she could hand it to Ethan. Ethan was her longtime crush. He had never achieved much in writing over the past few years. Now even a newcomer like me had trampled him underfoot, leaving him deeply frustrated. Claire wanted to use this opportunity to restore his confidence. That was why, on the eve of the ceremony, she tied me to a chair in the study and switched our identities. But Claire was an editor, and she hated plagiarism and impersonation more than anything. Once, an author under her supervision plagiarized another writer’s work and then falsely claimed that the editor had told him to do it. Claire was dragged into the scandal as well. After that, she despised everyone who did such things. She devoted herself to keeping the literary world clean. Yet after she met Ethan, all her principles seemed to disappear in front of him. She discussed writing with him late into the night every day. Several times, when I asked her about it, she only brushed me off. “Do I not even have the right to make friends? Alex, even if we’re married, we should still have our own space.” “As an editor, giving an author inspiration is part of my job!” I could understand that. But anyone would have had doubts if their spouse stayed in an intense work mode all 365 days of the year. The truth was that Claire’s heart had already left me by then. After Claire finished speaking, she returned to her seat, and everyone’s attention shifted back to Ethan. After the awards ceremony ended, Claire checked her phone. A flood of messages suddenly appeared in the apartment complex’s residents’ group chat. She opened it and glanced through the messages, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.Many residents had posted videos saying that Building Eleven was on fire. The blaze was so fierce that even after the firefighters arrived, it took more than three hours to bring it under control. Claire’s hand trembled as she slowly scrolled through the messages. Only after she saw one resident say that the fire had started in the equipment room beside Building Eleven did the knot in her chest finally loosen. I gave a bitter laugh. Claire probably still didn’t know that, in order to destroy the evidence, the criminals had carried my body into the equipment room. The room was packed with miscellaneous items, so setting it on fire would make my body difficult to identify. “How come? You don’t look so good.” Claire shook her head and said she was fine. She refreshed her Snapchat page several times, and her face grew uglier with every passing second. The connection between Claire and me had almost never been broken. She must have been wondering why I could call her but hadn’t sent her even a single message now. “Are you waiting for Alex to contact you?” “Did you two fight because of me?” Ethan looked somewhat aggrieved. “The trophy and certificate in my hands should technically belong to him. I can understand Alex being angry. Why don’t I go apologize to him?” “Apologize for what? None of this matters to him anymore. You don’t need to feel guilty. I know Alex better than anyone. He’ll come begging me within three days.” Ethan opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace, whispering a thank-you into her ear. The sight pierced my eyes. A faint smile lifted Claire’s lips. “You don’t have to thank me. By the way, to celebrate your award tonight, I prepared a surprise for you.” During all the years I had been with Claire, I had prepared something for her every anniversary and birthday. She never bothered with any of it. She wouldn’t even buy me a cake. I had always thought she was forgetful, that she simply didn’t remember, or that she was too busy to find the time. I made excuses for her again and again. Now I understood. She simply didn’t care about me. She had never thought I was worth spending time on. Claire took Ethan to an empty field and covered his eyes. The instant she removed the blindfold, fireworks exploded across the sky. Ethan was so moved that his eyes turned red. He turned around and pulled Claire tightly into his arms. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” “Honestly, I don’t even know how to express my gratitude!” Claire held his face in both hands and gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. “You idiot. I’ll prepare many, many more surprises for you in the future.” They stared into each other’s eyes. Ethan lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers in a light kiss. “Claire, divorce Alex and be with me.” “You’ve done so much for me. Alex may love you, but he must resent you now. I don’t want you to suffer with him.” “I love you. I care about you. I can give you everything I have. In Alex’s eyes, you’ll never be as important as his career, but I’m different. Claire, will you give me a chance?” Ethan stared at her without moving, his eyes burning with passion. I knew his confession had shaken her. At that moment, I was like a joke, watching my wife show affection to another man. It felt as though something had been ripped out of my chest. All the beautiful memories Claire and I had shared collapsed inside me in an instant. Before Claire could answer, her phone suddenly rang. It was my mother calling. Claire frowned. She clearly didn’t want to answer, but out of respect for her elder, she had no choice but to pick up. When she put the phone to her ear, her voice was filled with impatience. “Mom, what is it? I’m working overtime. I’m busy.” She lied without the slightest hesitation, and she still had one arm wrapped around Ethan. “Claire, the police just called me and said there was a fire in your apartment complex!” “I know,” Claire replied indifferently. “If that’s all, I’m hanging up.” My mother immediately began crying in panic. “They said they found a body at the scene. It looks like Alex!”