His Fake Death, My Billion-Dollar Inheritance

My husband said he was working late.

Lying in bed with nothing to do, I was scrolling through videos when I saw a post from a girl from my college, uploaded just ten minutes earlier.

My college crush wants to take me on a trip abroad, but he's worried his wife and family will get suspicious.

Anyone have any good ideas for us?

I opened the comments.

There were plenty of helpful people.

The top-voted comment suggested her "crush" fake a cancer diagnosis, ask for a divorce, and then use the excuse of seeking treatment abroad alone. After all, his wife would still be at home to look after his parents. Once he was done having his fun, he could just go back.

I gave a tired smile and swiped away.

At three in the morning, my husband came home, looking exhausted and utterly devastated. "Honey," he said, his voice hollow, "we had a company health screening today. I... they found liver cancer. It's terminal."

"I don't want to be a burden on you. Let's get a divorce."

...

I stared at Mark for a long, silent moment.

His words...

Why did they sound exactly like that "brilliant idea" from the comments on Zoe's video?

Could it be...

Was he the "college crush" she was talking about?

I immediately dismissed the thought. In all our years of marriage, Mark had been the perfect husbandhandsome, kind, and loyal.

He would never cheat on me.

I was just overthinking things.

I took a deep breath and stepped into his arms.

"Mark, we're husband and wife. We took vows. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, we promised to stand by each other, no matter what."

"I don't care what illness you have. I will never, ever leave you."

He shoved me away.

"Anna, can you please face reality?"

"I have cancer! Terminal cancer!"

"I don't have much time left."

"Just... think of it as my last wish."

"Please?"

Tears streamed down his face, and seeing him cry broke my heart.

In a situation like this, I knew I couldn't argue. I pulled him into a tight embrace again, my own voice choked with emotion. "Mark, just tell me. What do you want me to do?"

"Whatever you want, I'll do it. Without hesitation."

Mark wiped his tears away, cupped my face in his hands, and said softly, his eyes red-rimmed, "Honey, I wasn't really working late tonight."

"Then why are you back so late?"

"I went to see a friend's sister. She went to the same college as us, a few years younger. She told me about a new laser therapy abroad that can supposedly eliminate 99.99% of cancer cells in a patient's body."

"I didn't know if it was true, so I went to meet her in person to get the details."

Hearing him mention a younger girl from college...

It made it impossible not to suspect that the "college crush" in the video...

...was almost certainly him.

But I didn't expose him. I didn't question him.

I just played along. "And? What did you find out?"

"She told me the new therapy is real, but it's very expensive. So, I was thinking of using the money in our joint account for the treatment. Even if there's just a sliver of hope, I don't want to give up."

"Honey, you'll support me, won't you?"

"Yes, of course I'll support you!"

I nodded, then placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I can drop everything to go with you for the treatment."

"If it's about money, I'll sell everything we own. I'd even sell a kidney if I have to!"

At that, Mark took two quick steps back.

"You don't know your way around over there. Besides, the girl from college will be with me. You should stay here and look after my parents for me."

"This new therapy has its risks. I might not make it. So I need you to lie to my parents for me."

"Just tell them I died from cancer. If the treatment works and I get better, I'll come back and give them a huge surprise."

I frowned.

"Do you think they'll believe that?"

"Don't worry, my parents are easy to fool. If they insist on seeing my body, just tell them I was worried they'd be too sad, so I had you take me directly to be cremated. And that my final wish was to have my ashes scattered at sea."

"Wow. You've really thought of everything."

"We'll get the divorce tomorrow, and then I'll leave for my treatment."

"You're just going for treatment, it's not a final goodbye. Do we really have to get a divorce?"

"She said there's a new policy over there. Single men get a discount on this new therapy."

"Honey, I'm just trying to save you money. Can you understand? It's a fake divorce, not a real one. If I get better, we'll remarry the moment I come back."

"As long as it's what's best for you, I have no objections."

"Thank you, honey. I love you the most."

Seeing that I'd agreed, Mark's face broke into a happy smile. He cupped my face and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

The next morning, we went to the courthouse and filed for divorce.

He said he needed to go meet the girl from college to plan the trip.

And then he was gone.

Less than half an hour later, she posted a new video.

"Thanks for all the great suggestions, everyone! My crush successfully faked his illness and escaped his wife's clutches. We've booked our tickets and we're off to Hawaii for a vacation!"

"I've waited so long for this day. Once we're in Hawaii, I'll post daily updates of our life together."

"You can all witness our happiness!"

The video was accompanied by a few pictures.

There were no faces, but two hands were tightly clasped together.

I could clearly see the watch on the man's wrist. The same watch I had personally picked out and given to Mark for his birthday.

If yesterday was just a suspicion, now I was absolutely certain.

The "college crush" she was talking about was my husband, Mark.

In that moment, it felt like a giant boulder was crushing my chest.

I could barely breathe.

We had been married for years, and our love had always felt real.

I never imagined that one day he would betray me for another woman.

Mark didn't come home that night.

He sent me a text saying he was planning the trip with his "friend" and that they were flying out early the next morning.

I asked if he wanted me to see him off at the airport.

He said there was no need.

When I messaged him again, there was no reply.

I put down my phone and took a deep, shaky breath.

Right now, he was probably tangled in a passionate embrace with her.

If I kept bothering him, I would just look pathetic.

I tossed and turned all night.

The next day, Mark and his girl, Zoe, were at the airport.

They were all over each other, laughing and talking.

Sharing a single cookie between them.

They couldn't even walk without clinging to each other.

The way they were stuck together, you would think they were the married couple.

The worst part? They walked right past me.

Mark didn't even see me.

With a calm expression, I filmed every moment.

Only after they had boarded the plane did I go home.

Meanwhile, Zoe had already posted an update.

It was a picture of their hands, intertwined, as they boarded the plane.

"We're on our way, everyone!"

"Destination: Hawaii."

"I think I might be the happiest woman in the world right now."

The comments were filled with envy and well-wishes. Zoe replied to each one.

When someone asked, "What about your crush's wife?"

Zoe replied: "Who cares about her? She's just some washed-up, middle-aged woman who probably smells bad."

"My crush was miserable lying next to her every night."

"It's so much better now that they're divorced. From now on, he's all mine."

"He's finally free!"

Because Zoe's profile had videos of her face, everyone knew she was young and beautiful.

So no one called her out for destroying a marriage.

Instead, they all wished her and her "crush" a lifetime of happiness.

I was burning with rage. I created a burner account and left a comment: "Does it bother you that your 'crush' got another woman pregnant and then heartlessly abandoned her?"

Less than two minutes later, Zoe replied.

"Haha, that just proves how amazing he is. Women throw themselves at him because he's so desirable. She deserved it!"

"Aren't you worried he has kids?"

"I don't care. Whether he has kids or not doesn't change how I feel about him. Besides, his wife got pregnant once, but I had him convince her to get rid of it."

Reading that reply, a tidal wave of fury crashed over me.

So that was it. All those years ago when I was pregnant, Mark kept coming up with excuses for me to have an abortion, saying we could have kids later.

All this time, it was because someone was pulling the strings, telling him to force me to get rid of our child.

I never dreamed Mark could be that kind of person.

He hadn't just betrayed me. He had killed our child.

Fighting the urge to commit murder, I typed: "You told him to make his wife have an abortion. Aren't you afraid of karma?"

Zoe's reply came instantly: "Karma? Haha, don't make me laugh. There's no such thing."

"As long as I can have him all to myself, I'll take whatever comes."

"Even if I get struck by lightning, I'd have no regrets."

"Gotta go, my man and I are about to enjoy our private paradise in Hawaii. Bye, see you in the next video!"

After that, she stopped replying.

And in that moment, I made a decision that would change everything.