When My Dead Wife Returned

I was scavenging for leftovers in a dumpster when my wife, who'd been dead for three years, appeared.

She stepped out of a Rolls-Royce and looked down at me.

Marcus Brown, you've passed my test after all.

I stared at her blankly, clutching a piece of moldy bread.

Turns out, three years ago at a class reunion, her ex-boyfriendthe one she'd dated before mehad proposed a test:

"I want to see if what you two have is true love.

"Fake your death right now. Cut off all his cards. Take back the house too.

"If he's still single for you three years later, you pass. Do you dare?"

She'd laughed then:

"Why wouldn't I dare?

"Marcus loves me to death. Forget three yearseven thirty years, he'd stay faithful to me."

Now, she turned back to smirk at her first love in the passenger seat:

"What did I tell you?"

The bread crumbled in my grip.

Vivian White looked at me. "Alright, I'm here to take you and my son Oliver home.

"Where's Oliver?"

"Dead."

I raised my eyes. "Three years ago, when none of the cards worked, there was no money for his surgery. He died."

Vivian froze.

She started looking around the dump.

Nothing but endless stench and me, clutching moldy bread.

She knew I loved our son to the bone.

I'd take Oliver everywhere, no matter what I was doing.

But now, Oliver wasn't by my side.

"You're joking."

There was a flash of panic when Vivian spoke. "I'm serious. I'm here to take you both home."

"Home?"

I looked up with red eyes. "Three years ago when you faked your death, they said you owed a huge debt and mortgaged our house.

"Oliver and I became homeless. We've been wandering for so long. What home is there?"

She hesitated for a long moment before speaking:

"That... that was just to test you. Don't worry, the house has always been in my hands. Come on~ Tell Oliver to stop playing hide and seek. Let him come out, I'll apologize to him."

"Then go!"

I threw the death certificate at her.

"Go down there and apologize to Oliver!"

When the certificate landed in her hands, her hand trembled.

"Oliver..."

She stared at the conclusion of "acute cardiac death," her eyes instantly reddening:

"I was only gone three years. How could Oliver be gone!

"You're lying to me, aren't you?"

Vivian grabbed my shoulders. "I know I was wrong. Don't put on this act to punish me. Bring Oliver out!"

I just looked at her.

Contempt curled at my lips.

The hand gripping me trembled.

Vivian looked at me, tears falling.

"Vivian, can't you see such an obvious scam?"

Ryan Hayes picked up the death certificate:

"Look, isn't this just like the fake one I made for you three years ago?"

He pointed to the stamp:

"It's not even as good as the one I forged for you.

"Here, hospitals don't stamp it this way."

He sneered at me. "Mr. Brown, we've both been through this once before. You think we'll believe you with something like this?"

Only then did Vivian snap back to reality.

Ryan continued pointing things out to her:

"Look, the signature sectioncan't you see how stiff it is? And this certificate, it's obviously been artificially aged.

"Don't you remember the process from three years ago? Mr. Brown is quite experienced, actually. He even predicted you'd come back for him today and waited for you in the garbage dump dressed all shabby."

"You're lying!"

My eyes reddened.

Vivian just frowned.

After examining the death certificate several times, she looked at me with contempt.

"I almost fell for it."

The death certificate hit my body as she said coldly:

"Looks like Ryan was right. You're much more calculating than you appear."

"You!"

"Get Oliver back home by the end of today. He's only six. He can't learn bad habits from a father like you."

She turned to leave.

I quickly stood up, trying to stop her.

But Ryan positioned himself between us.

"Mr. Brown..."

He spoke in a voice only we could hear, venomously:

"I know Oliver died a long time ago."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"Know why Vivian doesn't know?"

He chuckled softly. "Because I blocked all information about Oliver from reaching her."

My fists clenched tight.

"Speaking of which, Oliver was really pitiful.

"His mother had just died, and then he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

"There was a matching heart for him, but his father couldn't come up with a single penny. Working four jobs a day, going without sleepstill couldn't gather enough for the surgery.

"Made little Oliver miss his chance for a heart transplant."

My eyes instantly reddened.

"But don't worry."

Ryan adjusted his custom-tailored cuffs. "He didn't die in vain. His bone marrow, kidneys, corneas..."

My breathing hitched.

He laughed softly:

"Ah... such a pity you didn't see it. When the child was forced to sign the donor consent form, he kept crying for daddy.

"And you, his father, were still out there delivering food... Ahh!!"

"You goddamn bastard!!"

I gripped his throat tightly. "Give me back my son!!"

"Enough!"

A slap struck my face hard.

I hadn't eaten in three days. The blow sent me sprawling into the garbage heap.

Vivian shielded Ryan protectively behind her.

Ryan said pitifully:

"I just asked where Oliver was hiding. Mr. Brown, you can stand living in a dump, but the child can't bear this suffering!

"Just because I wanted to take Oliver away, you tried to kill me?!"

"You're lying! You clearly..."

"Enough!"

Vivian clenched her teeth. "If you have any conscience as a father, bring Oliver back yourself.

"Otherwise, we're getting divorced!"

She let Ryan into the passenger seat.

Divorce?

I laughed.

Fine. But before that, I had one more thing to do.

The next day, a whistleblower letter landed on Vivian's boss's desk.

At the same time, a banner appeared at the company entrance:

[Tech Rising Star Vivian White Caused Son's Death for Ex-Boyfriend] in large letters attracted many onlookers.

And I knelt at her company entrance, holding Oliver's photo.

Not saying a word.

I had printed what she and Ryan did into pamphlets and distributed them on site.

Some people actually teared up reading them:

"Is that a child in the photo? Still so small. How could Ms. White just abandon this father and son and fake her death for three years!"

"Faking death is one thing, but why go to such extremes! Not only cutting off all the money, but also pretending to mortgage the house. Was this really to test her husband, or did she want to drive him to death so her ex could take his place!"

"The company must give an explanation! If this is true, does such a person deserve that position!"

Soon, the company leadership personally came downstairs to bring me up.

Vivian stood at her office door, her expression unreadable as she watched me.

The door closed, and the leader personally poured me tea:

"Mr. Brown, please forgive Vivian and Ryan."

My hand gripping the cup stiffened. "They did this and you want me to forgive them?"

"Yes, I know Vivian went a bit too far, and Ryan was foolish.

"But Vivian is the company's pillar. So many projects only recognize her name.

"You should consider the company's position too, right?"

I couldn't speak.

The leader smiled at me. "How about thisI'll give Vivian and Ryan an official warning. And for you, I can provide compensation.

"I'm sorry about the child, but you and Vivian can have another one. You're husband and wife, after all.

"With Vivian's successful career, you'll only benefit more."

I laughed bitterly in anger. "Fine, protect her. But why do you need to protect Ryan Hayes too!"

The leader was silent for a moment:

"Don't you know? Ryan was recommended by her with a personal guarantee."

For a moment, I nearly dropped my cup.

This tech companyI'd submitted my resume three times.

But each time it sank without a trace for unknown reasons.

I'd begged Vivian to help me get an interview with the leadership.

Not to get me directly into the company, just an interview.

I knew that with her weight, she could give me this opportunity without even asking the leadership.

But she said she needed to avoid conflicts of interest.

Didn't want to make things difficult for herself.

So I needed to avoid conflicts of interest.

But Ryan could be directly recommended for a position.

My knuckles turned white gripping the cup as I stared at her:

"What if I don't accept?"

The leader smiled too. "I still advise Mr. Brown not to fight the company."

Not long after leaving the company, many discussions about me appeared online.

[Mentally Disturbed Husband Uses Son's Death to Extort Wife]

[Tech Rising Star Vivian White's Family Misfortune]

[Husband Suspects Wife of Affair with Male Colleague? Is Son's Death the Husband's Tool for Revenge Against Wife?]

In an instant, the public who had pitied me turned their guns around.

The comment sections were full of praise for Vivian and Ryan.

[Had the fortune to work with Ms. White. She's truly wonderful, her professional ability is impeccable, and she maintains appropriate boundaries with male colleagues]

[I don't know what there is to complain about being Ms. White's husband.]

[Did Marcus Brown himself have someone on the side?]

[I met Mr. Hayes offline once. He's really great, very respectful to women. Excellent people really do attract jealous haters]

With such high engagement, I knew Vivian was behind the manipulation.

I returned to the home I hadn't been to in three years.

Smiling bitterly as I stroked the photo on Oliver's urn.

"I'm sorry. Daddy failed to protect you."

A divorce agreement landed on the table.

Just as I was about to take Oliver and leave, the door was kicked open.

Vivian led Ryan, whose head was bandaged, striding in:

"Where's Oliver?"

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?"

Vivian sneered. "Ryan was injured, and you had Oliver do it, didn't you!"

"Vivian!"

I clenched my fists. "What are you talking about!"

Ryan gritted his teeth:

"Mr. Brown, why hide it? When that child hit me with a hammer, I saw clearly it was him.

"He even said he wanted revenge for you.

"If Vivian hadn't arrived in time, caught off guard like that, I might have really been killed by that child!"

I gritted my teeth.

Vivian looked at me coldly:

"I knew Oliver would learn to lie with a father like you!

"If I'd known it would be like this, I should have taken Oliver with me three years ago!

"Where is he! I'm taking him to raise myself! Ryan and I will teach this child together! Better than you ruining him for life!"

"Fine!"

I brought out the urn, looking at them with burning eyes:

"Then you'd better go down there and teach him properly!"

Looking at the portrait on the urn, Vivian stared at me in disbelief.

My hands trembled slightly as I clenched my fists.

A year ago, when Oliver died, I'd used all my savings to make this final little home for him.

But the next second, this little home was shattered.

I roared and lunged forward:

"Oliver!"

"Have you made enough of a scene!"

Vivian grabbed my collar.

"How many times are you going to play this trick?"

She grabbed the ashes. "Bamboo charcoal powder mixed with bone modelsyou really think I can't tell! I played this trick three years ago!

"Do you enjoy cursing Oliver this much?"

"Mmph!"

The ashes were forcibly shoved into my mouth. I retched violently.

"Eat it! Aren't these your own props? Why are you disgusted!"

Vivian's eyes were red as she firmly blocked my mouth.

Until my face flushed red and I pushed her away.

Kneeling on the ground, I coughed continuously.

My trembling hands gathered the ashes bit by bit from the floor. Tears mixed with the blood from my throat, soiling Oliver's remains.

I collapsed on the scattered ashes, crying breathlessly.

Vivian looked down from above. "Think about itwhen Oliver grows up and remembers you faked his death and his ashes just to compete for jealousy...

"What will he think?

"He'll hate you to death."

I was too wretched to speak.

She half-knelt down. "So, where's Oliver? If you have any conscience as a father, temporarily let me educate him."

My eyes reddened.

I smiled at her. "Alright, I'll take you to find him."

Ryan froze.

Vivian also paused slightly, reaching out to grip my hand. "I knew you'd come around."

The car drove to a cliff's edge.

Vivian saw the small figure on the cliff.

Her face lit up. "Oliver!"

Just as she got out of the car, Ryan's trembling voice came from behind:

"Vivian..."

She turned back.

My knife was already at Ryan's throat.

...

Police forces quickly gathered at the cliff's edge.

I held the knife to Ryan's throat, standing at the cliff's edge with Oliver.

Cold sweat dripped from Vivian's temples. "Marcus, I won't take Oliver anymore. I won't fight you for him.

"Let Ryan go. Do you want Oliver's father to become a murderer? Can you bear to let Oliver watch you kill someone!"

All the live stream cameras focused on me.

The police negotiator was also persuading me along with Vivian.

I felt Ryan trembling in my arm.

I looked down.

Glanced at Oliver wearing a hat.

He also looked up and met my eyes.

Ryan's body trembled even more violently.

I smiled:

"No, Oliver will become my best successor."

Then, ignoring Vivian's pale face, I gave the order directly:

"Oliver! Push this man down with Daddy!"

"Marcus Brown!!"

"Ma'am!"

The police cried out.

Vivian actually snatched the gun from the police.

Aimed it straight at me.

"Bang!"

The bullet exploded into a blood flower on my chest.

I swayed.

Released my grip on Ryan.

Before falling off the cliff, I turned back and showed Vivian a smile.

Then fell straight down.

Vivian stood frozen in place.

In front of the live cameras, Oliver removed the hat.

It was a girl.

"Congratulations, Ms. White. Now you've killed your husband with your own hands too."

The police frowned at Vivian:

"What this child saidwhat's going on?"