Seven Days to Live After the Fake Divorce

The System bound my fate to my wife a long time ago.

If we ever got a divorce, I would be entirely wiped from this world, never to see her again. She, of course, had absolutely no idea.

That morning, my wife's young personal assistant threw a tantrum online. He posted a cryptic story on Instagram, whining about how he could no longer stand being a secret, how he hated their vague relationship.

Winona, a woman who built her empire on being completely cold and calculating, panicked. I had never seen her look so desperate.

She rushed into our penthouse, her heels clicking frantically against the marble floor. She looked me dead in the eye and said, "Toby is making a massive scene this time. Let us just file for a fake divorce to calm him down. You can go stay at your parents' old cabin for a few days until this blows over."

She grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Ian, please trust me. This is just a temporary fix to keep him quiet. You are my only real husband, I promise."

Watching her sweat over another man's feelings, I just silently nodded.

After I agreed, Winona wasted no time. She drove us straight to City Hall.

I sat in the passenger seat, remembering a time when I asked her to grab a snack from the pantry for me, and she complained that I was wasting her time. Now, she was breaking speed limits for him.

Standing in the lobby of City Hall, she held my hands, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Ian, just give me seven days. I just need a week to coax him out of this mood, and then we will file the paperwork to remarry, okay?"

She forced a bright smile, pulling out a velvet box. "Once I smooth things over with him, I will buy you whatever you want. Anything."

I gave her a numb, mechanical nod. She lined up the expensive watches and designer cufflinks she bought me as a "divorce gift" on the waiting room table. I did not even glance at them.

These shiny little trinkets were just tools. Bribes to clear her conscience so she could go sleep with her assistant. I left them on the table and quietly walked out the glass doors.

Winona always had a string of young, pretty boys around her. Even after we got married, her "assistants" had a suspiciously high turnover rate. They were always gorgeous, fresh out of college, and desperate for her attention.

In the early years, I fought with her. I screamed, I begged, I threatened to leave. She would always cry, apologize, shower me with affection, and then go right back to her old habits.

Eventually, I just stopped caring. I accepted that this was her nature. As long as she still came home to me and called me her husband, I swallowed the pain.

But this new boy was different.

She had genuinely fallen for this kid. She blew hundreds of thousands of dollars just to make him smile. She left me alone on holidays to take him on secret trips to Europe. She ignored my emergency phone calls just because Toby got jealous when her phone rang.

And now, just to stroke his ego, she dragged me here to terminate our marriage. She was even planning to throw him a massive, multimillion-dollar fake wedding just to prove her devotion.

Her heart had packed its bags and left me a long time ago.

We walked out of the double doors together. Toby was already waiting by the curb, leaning against her sleek black Porsche.

The second he saw us, his eyes lit up. He jogged right past me and practically threw himself at Winona.

"Winona! You are finally done. I missed you so much, let us get out of here!"

He completely ignored the dark, warning look on Winona's face. He turned to me, plastering on a fake, overly sweet smile, and offered a dramatic little bow.

"Thank you so much, Ian. Your exit finally gave me a real chance. Do not worry about Winona, I am going to take amazing care of her!"

He opened his mouth to gloat some more, but Winona stepped forward and slapped him hard across the cheek. The crack echoed in the street.

"Shut your mouth!" she hissed. "Did I not tell you to stay hidden in the car? If you pull a stunt like this again, you are fired. Do you hear me?"

Toby clutched his red cheek, his eyes filling with dramatic, calculated tears. "But you guys are divorced now! Why are you still protecting him?"

Winona shoved him hard against the car door. "I warned you about crossing the line. Do not make me repeat myself."

Sensing that Winona was genuinely furious, Toby finally backed down. He ducked into the passenger seat, letting out a pathetic little whimper.

Winona watched him get in. Her hand twitched, reaching out as if she wanted to comfort him, but she forced herself to pull it back.

She turned to block my view of the car, playing the role of the fiercely protective wife.

Years ago, Winona swore to me that no matter how much she messed around, she would never let her dirt touch my shoes. She promised I would never have to face her mistakes.

That was why she was panicking now.

She looked at me, her face pale and frantic. "Ian, I am so sorry. I swear I did not know he was going to ambush us like this. I have been spoiling him too much lately, he forgot his place. I will deal with him."

I slowly shook my head. I signaled that it was fine.

I had seen her do much worse things behind closed doors. A little public gloating from her sugar baby did not even register on my radar anymore.

"Since he is already here, you should go be with him," I said, my voice completely flat. "I do not need your help. I will call an Uber, pack my bags, and disappear."

Winona froze, clearly thrown off by how calm I was. She swallowed hard.

"Ian, wherever you want to go, just send me the bills. Take a nice vacation. Spend whatever you want."

I nodded, saying nothing, and started walking down the block.

The moment I stepped off the curb, a cold, mechanical voice chimed inside my skull.

"Ian Pendelton. The System has confirmed your legal divorce and separation from Winona Croft. The companion mission is officially terminated."

"In exactly seven days, you will contract a terminal illness and pass away, permanently exiting this world."

Eight years ago, I fell asleep on my couch reading a fantasy novel and woke up in this universe.

I was bound to the Companionship System and dropped right into Winona's life. The System gave me a choice. I had to either stay by her side for eight full years, or help her achieve massive wealth and happiness to complete the game.

With my guidance, Winona's tiny startup exploded into a tech empire worth hundreds of millions. Her happiness meter maxed out years ago.

I could have left then. But I chose to stay.

Over those eight years, I made the fatal mistake of actually falling in love with her. I could not bear the thought of leaving. The System told me that if I simply stayed married to her until the eight-year mark, I would be granted permanent residency in this world.

I truly thought I was going to grow old with her.

But I was exactly seven days short of the finish line when she demanded this divorce. And because the mission failed, my punishment was death and a forced eviction from this reality.

With nowhere else to go, I booked a quiet hotel room downtown.

On the cab ride over, I stared out the window. Every digital billboard, every bus stop poster was plastered with leaked paparazzi photos of Winona and Toby. The media was going absolutely crazy over the billionaire CEO preparing a "secret fairy-tale wedding" for her young lover.

Seeing the photos of them trying on designer tuxedos and custom gowns, it finally clicked.

No wonder she was in such a frantic rush to sign the divorce papers. She needed the legal freedom to give her little pet the ultimate romantic surprise.

My mind drifted back to my very first day in this world.

The System had pointed me toward a struggling, exhausted Winona. The second her eyes met mine, she looked at me like I was the only light in a pitch-black room.

From that day forward, she swore I was the love of her life. She promised she would burn the world down just to keep me safe.

And for a long time, she actually proved it.

She remembered my coffee order, the exact temperature I liked my shower, the way I folded my shirts. I felt like the absolute center of her universe.

When her wealthy, old-money parents refused to let her marry a nobody like me, she stood in the freezing rain outside their estate for two whole days. She caught a terrible fever, practically starving herself until they finally caved.

At our modest little wedding, she held my hands, looked up at the sky, and screamed her vows.

"I, Winona, swear to love Ian Pendelton for the rest of my life! Forever and ever!"

She lied.

I walked into my hotel room and lay down on the crisp white sheets. Before I could even kick off my shoes, a violent tickle erupted in my chest.

I coughed, and a mouthful of dark crimson blood splattered all over the pillows.

I stared at the red stains, wiped my mouth, and hailed another cab to the hospital. It seemed the System was not going to let these final seven days be peaceful.

The doctors ran every scan in the building. They stared at the charts, completely baffled. Physically, my organs were just shutting down for absolutely no scientific reason. They handed me a bottle of heavy painkillers and sent me away.

Sitting in the hospital lobby, I chuckled bitterly. I wondered what kind of face Winona would make when she found out I was actually dead.

But before I expired, I had one last errand to run.

I needed to say goodbye to her parents. They were the only people in this foreign universe who treated me like actual family. Since my days were numbered, it was only right to give them a quiet warning.

I took a cab to their sprawling suburban estate. As I walked up the driveway, I heard shouting through the open living room window.

Winona was standing in the center of the room, shielding Toby behind her back.

"Mom, Dad, please! Ian is busy. I brought Toby here to drop off some gifts. There is no need to smash the crystal!"

Her father was red in the face, pointing a shaking finger at the door. "You ungrateful brat! Let me make this crystal clear. Ian is my only son-in-law!"

"Tell this little parasite to get the hell out of my house! Get out!"

Her mother was clutching her chest, looking pale and furious. "Listen to your father, Winona! Take him and leave! Ian has never done a single thing to hurt you. How can you be so cruel?"

Hearing them defend me, a tiny sliver of warmth cracked through the ice in my chest.

Back then, I spent years trying to win them over. I cooked for them every Sunday, drove them to their doctor appointments, and fixed up their garden. Eventually, they loved me like their own flesh and blood.

Winona gritted her teeth, her pride wounded. "I already talked to Ian. He signed the papers. He agreed to this."

"I am not asking you to adopt Toby. I just brought him to say hello. Do you really have to be this incredibly toxic and disrespectful? Come on, Toby. We are leaving."

Winona grabbed Toby's wrist, her face burning with anger, and stormed toward the front door.

It was a spitting image of the day she dragged me out of this exact house, screaming that she would choose me over her family.

Only this time, I was the one being replaced.

I quickly set my sealed medical report on the porch, intending to slip away into the garden.

But the front door swung open violently. Winona froze on the welcome mat, locking eyes with me.

"Ian?"

Pure, unfiltered panic flashed across her face. She clearly had not expected me to catch her playing playing house with her new boy.

I did not say a word. I just pointed to the envelope on the mat, turned around, and walked down the long driveway.

I was almost back to my hotel when my phone buzzed. A barrage of texts from Winona.

"Ian, I swear I only brought him there because he was throwing a fit. He was crying about wanting a real wedding, so I took him to meet my parents to shut him up."

"I promise you, the wedding is just a massive theatrical production. It is completely fake. You are my actual husband."

She typed incredibly fast. She had clearly rehearsed this exact lie in her head a million times.

I did not know how many months she had been secretly planning this extravagant wedding. I did not know how long I had been completely erased from her heart.

All I knew was that in exactly five days, I would never have to look at her face again.

I wandered aimlessly through the downtown streets. My feet carried me entirely on autopilot, stopping in front of the rustic little coffee shop where Winona and I had our first date.

The bells on the door jingled. The smell of roasted beans was painfully familiar.

But the two people sitting at our favorite corner booth were Winona and Toby.

Toby was holding a cocktail glass, wrapping his arm tightly around Winona's neck. They were both flushed, their eyes heavy with alcohol and pure lust.

"Come on, Winona," Toby purred, holding up his glass. "Let us link arms and take a shot. Like a real married couple."

A couple's toast.

My memory violently ripped me back to our wedding night. She looked angelic in her cheap, rented white dress, her eyes shining with tears as we linked our arms and drank champagne.

But for the last three years, she refused to drink with me. Every time I poured us a glass, she claimed she was too tired or had an early meeting.

Yet here she was, linking arms with Toby, throwing back shot after shot.

The shop owner, who knew me well, noticed me standing by the door. His eyes darted between me and the couple in the corner, his jaw dropping in pure shock.

To the outside world, Winona and I were the ultimate power couple. Only I knew the rotting, hollow reality of my marriage.

Following the owner's awkward stare, Toby turned around. The moment he saw me, his smug grin vanished into a deep frown.

He put his drink down and marched over to me, putting on his best puppy-dog victim face.

"Ian, seriously? I told you I just needed her for a few days. Do you have to stalk us?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I am not going to steal her from you forever. Please, just let us have this week. Just give me these last few days, and I swear I will never bother you guys again!"

Winona finally noticed me. The drunken, lustful flush drained from her face instantly, leaving her completely pale.

"Toby, back off," she snapped, her voice sharp. "Do not talk to Ian like that. Watch your mouth."

Toby flinched, biting his lip. He slowly backed away, sinking into a bar stool and staring at the floor.

Winona rushed over to me. She grabbed my arm, her grip painfully tight. Her brow was deeply furrowed.

"Ian! I told you, he is not a threat to you. You are my husband, and you always will be!"

She lowered her voice, her tone turning frantic. "Once this stupid fake wedding is over, we will sign the papers and go back to normal. But please, you cannot keep showing up like this. Do not ruin this for me. Just stay away until it is done, okay?"

By the end of her sentence, she was practically raising her voice, a harsh, desperate edge bleeding into her tone.

I did not scream. I did not beg. Just like the day she asked me for a divorce, I simply gave her a quiet, dead nod, pulled my arm free, and walked out the door.

Winona reached out to grab me again, her mouth opening to say something, but no words came out.

The greatest tragedy of a broken heart is dead silence. When you finally give up on someone, even the desire to be angry completely vanishes.

For the next few days, I did not leave the hotel room. The System's illness was ravaging my body, turning my muscles to jelly. I lay in bed, waiting for the clock to run out.

On the final morning, my phone lit up with a text from Toby.

"Hey Ian. Today is my wedding day with Winona. You coming?"

My legs were incredibly weak. I had to buy a heavy wooden cane from the hotel lobby just to keep myself upright.

I honestly could not explain why I wanted to go to their wedding. Maybe a dark, twisted part of me just thought it would be incredibly funny to drop dead right in the middle of their perfect fairy tale.

The venue was crawling with Winona's high-society friends and corporate partners. I was an alien in this world. I had no friends, no family, no one to talk to.

Winona was my entire universe.

The guests noticed me limping through the garden. They shot me looks of pity, mockery, and pure disgust. I had seen those exact looks a million times during her previous affairs. I was totally immune to it.

The internet was already blowing up with live streams of the event. Everyone was talking about the billionaire's ex-husband showing up to crash the party.

I hobbled over the manicured grass, taking in the scenery.

The stage was set up right against a stunning, crystal-blue lake. Fluffy white clouds reflected perfectly in the water. The aisles were lined with thousands of imported white roses, Toby's absolute favorite flower.

When Winona and I got married, we were dead broke. We signed a piece of paper at a dingy courthouse. She always told me her dream was to have a massive outdoor wedding by the water, drowning in white flowers.

I promised her I would give it to her. I promised that the second we made our first million, I would rent out a lake and give her the dress of her dreams.

But the moment we finally had the money, before I could even book the venue, she decided to wear the dress for another man.

Everything here was bought with the blood, sweat, and tears I poured into her company. And she used it to build a shrine for Toby.

The string quartet started playing. Winona walked down the aisle in a custom, diamond-encrusted gown. She looked at Toby with a smile so bright it actually hurt my eyes.

"Toby," she whispered, tears of pure joy spilling over her lashes. "You have no idea how many nights I dreamed of this exact moment."

She reached out, gently cupping his face. "Marrying you has been my ultimate fantasy. And today, I finally get to make it real. My true love."

Toby squeezed out a few tears of his own, but his eyes were gleaming with pure, unfiltered greed and victory.

"Winona, the very first day I walked into your office, I fell madly in love with you. Being yours forever is all I ever wanted."

They leaned in and shared a deep, passionate kiss.

The crowd erupted. Billionaires and socialites stood up, clapping, cheering, and whistling for the happy couple.

Eleven years ago, a much smaller crowd gave me that exact same applause.

Everyone was screaming, celebrating the triumph of true love. I just sat in a folding chair in the very back row, leaning heavily on my cane, watching the beautiful nightmare unfold as tears quietly slipped down my cheeks.

Toby pulled away from the kiss and immediately scanned the crowd. He spotted me in the back. A nasty, venomous smirk spread across his lips.

He tapped the microphone, signaling the crowd to quiet down. He looked directly at me.

"I really need to take a second to thank someone very special for making this marriage possible."

Every single head in the venue whipped around to stare at me. Everyone knew who I was. The tragic, discarded ex-husband. They were all holding their breath, waiting for me to cause a scene so they could laugh at me.

I looked past the crowd, locking eyes with my wife.

Winona looked utterly terrified. She ripped the microphone out of Toby's hand, leaning in to whisper furiously in his ear. But she forgot to mute it. Her frantic voice echoed over the massive speakers.

"What the hell are you doing? I told you not to provoke him today!"

She turned to look at me, her eyes practically begging.

After spending a decade with her, I knew exactly what that look meant. She was begging me to swallow my pride and stay quiet so I would not ruin her perfect aesthetic.

I let out a dry, rattling laugh.

I spent eight years giving her my actual soul, and she could not even grant me an ounce of human decency at the very end. She knew Toby was going to publicly execute my dignity, and she just wanted me to take it quietly.

I ignored the whispers. I ignored the mocking stares. I leaned on my cane and slowly, agonizingly, dragged myself down the aisle and up the steps onto the stage.

I took the microphone from Winona's trembling hand.

I did not care what she had to say anymore. Her heart belonged to Toby, and my time was up.

I looked at the two of them standing there in their expensive wedding clothes. I started laughing. The laughter bubbled up from my chest, mixing with thick, hot tears.

"System," I whispered into the cold air. "Let me leave."