The Scumbag is Dead to Me

Liam and I were the classic story: from high school sweethearts to walking down the aisle.
But on the eve of our wedding, he died in a tragic accident.
I was sobbing, on the verge of collapsing, when strange lines of text began to drift across my vision.
【CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THE TRAGIC HEROINE THAT HE FAKED HIS DEATH?!】
【Liam’s little canary ran off after she heard he was getting married. He faked his own death overnight to chase her across the ocean. The heroine is crying at his grave while the canary is crying in his bed. I’M SO MAD.】
【It’s such a shame. When he comes back, the heroine won’t know a thing and will just happily marry him anyway…】
Half a month later.
News of my engagement to the crown prince of A-City’s high society became the talk of the town.
Liam’s best friend, who was in on the whole scheme, rushed to confront me, his voice full of indignation.
“It’s barely been a month since Liam died! Are you really that desperate to find a replacement?”
I just smiled. “He’s dead. I can’t be expected to stay a widow for him forever, can I?”

1
When the lines of text, like comments from some invisible audience, first appeared, I thought it was a hallucination brought on by grief.
But they didn’t stop.
【If the heroine goes up to the rooftop right now, she’ll find out the male lead isn’t dead at all.】
【She’s barely eaten in two days because of him. She can hardly walk. How is she supposed to get to the rooftop?】
My legs felt like they were filled with lead, but I dragged myself towards the stairs, towards the rooftop.
As I neared the top, I heard a voice I knew better than my own, laced with a familiar, playful teasing. “Is my funeral still going on?”
The voice was coming from the phone of Liam’s best friend, Leo.
“Not over yet, man,” Leo replied.
“What about Aurora? She hasn’t suspected anything, has she?”
“Not a chance,” Leo said with a chuckle. “She’s been running around, taking care of everything. She nearly passed out from grief yesterday. Probably still crying in her room right now.”
Liam’s tone was casual, unconcerned. “Just do me a favor and comfort her a little.”
Sam, another one of his close friends, chimed in. “But seriously, Liam, you must have really fallen for that little canary of yours. Faking your own death to chase her to England, and making all of us act in this drama with you.”
So, the comments were real.
My hand tightened on the railing, every cell in my body trembling.
Then I heard Liam’s voice again.
“Whether I’ve fallen for her or not is none of your business. Just help me keep it from Aurora.”
Leo asked the question that was echoing in my own shattered heart. “So, are you still getting married?”
“Of course,” Liam said without a moment’s hesitation. “When I get back, the wedding is on as planned. But a guy’s gotta have one last crazy run for love before he settles down, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Once you’re married, you’re tied down to one person. You don’t get chances like this again, haha.”
The three of them laughed, a conspiratorial sound that froze the blood in my veins. A shudder wracked my body.
I had prayed countless times for the slimmest possibility that Liam was still alive.
I never imagined it would be like this.

2
【OMG, my girl sees the truth! I hope she wakes up and smells the betrayal.】
【GET OUT THERE AND DESTROY THAT SCUMBAG!!!】
But I didn’t rush out to expose them.
I turned around and walked silently back down the stairs.
After a bout of dry-heaving over the toilet, I stared at the woman in the mirror.
Her eyes were bloodshot and raw from nights without sleep, her face a haggard mask of grief.
I splashed cold water on my face, then used a towel to wipe away the tear tracks.
【Of course. She knows the truth and she’s still going to silently accept it. I’m so pissed.】
【Well, yeah, she’s madly in love with him. She probably heard him say he’ll still marry her when he gets back and decided to just swallow her pride.】
【I don’t know… I think she’s not revealing her hand just yet. I think she’s planning something big.】
I walked out of the room.
Leo handed me a tissue, his face a perfect picture of concern. “Aurora, try not to be so devastated. Liam wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
I looked up at his handsome, lying face.
“You know,” I said softly, “what if Liam isn’t really dead?”

3
Panic flashed in Leo’s eyes for a split second before he composed himself.
“H-How could that be? Aurora, they pulled his jacket and shoes from the river. You saw them yourself.”
A week ago, Liam’s car had plunged off a bridge into the river late at night. The police theorized he’d escaped the car only to be swept away by the fierce current. I had waited by the riverbank all night, refusing to sleep. The rescue team searched for days, finding only his coat and one of his shoes. The news had shattered me.
Today was supposed to have been our wedding day.
I had spent the morning clutching our photos, crying until my head throbbed.
And now, I find out it was all a show.
My grief, my heartbreak—it was all just a joke to him.
【He could have learned anything, but he chose to learn how to keep a canary on the side. So disappointing.】
【I know, right? At first, I thought this was going to be a super sweet romance. I didn’t expect to be fed a spoonful of crap.】
【She’s a gorgeous, top-tier socialite. If he doesn’t want her, I’ll take her!】
The wave of nausea and sorrow that threatened to overwhelm me was soothed, just slightly, by the strange, supportive comments scrolling past.
Leo continued his performance. “Aurora, don’t let your imagination run wild. If Liam could see you now, his heart would break.”
His heart would break?
How ironic.
This morning, I was grateful to him for helping me with the funeral arrangements. Now I realized he was just another snake in the grass.

4
Following a tip from the bullet comments, I found the TikTok account of Liam’s canary.
I realized with a jolt that I’d seen her before, right under my nose.
She was a minor influencer signed to Liam’s own media company. Her name was Jenny.
Her account handle was “JennyLovesLiam.”
Her latest video was a street view of London. Two hands tightly clasped, followed by a dusty, travel-worn embrace. The small mole on the man’s hand, at the base of his thumb, was painfully familiar.
The caption read: “In a year of pure love, he abandoned his arranged marriage to a socialite and crossed the world for me. The winds of A-City have finally blown all the way to London to find me.”
The video had gone viral. The comments were filled with people gushing over their “epic romance.”
“CEO chasing after his runaway canary, this is literally a novel coming to life! Aaaaah!”
“I know this plot! It means the rich guy really loves YOU, girl! The fiancée is just a plot device to push him to chase after his true love~”
“Wow, rich guys really are the most romantic. Can I get a link to your sugar daddy, please? LMAO.”
The bullet comments in my vision had a different take:
【Are these commenters even real people? This isn’t some romantic novel, it’s a story about a homewrecker.】
【‘Arranged marriage,’ lol. They’re really trying to make the scumbag look good. The heroine’s original arranged marriage was with the book’s main villain!】

5
Liam and I weren’t an arranged marriage.
When I met him in high school, my parents had already selected a fiancé for me: Julian Thorne, the crown prince of the powerful Thorne family.
But I didn’t want to marry him.
My own parents’ marriage was a loveless transaction. Growing up, I watched them play the happy couple in public, only to bring different partners home behind closed doors. The rare moments they were together were filled with endless arguments and accusations.
I was sick of such a hypocritical, broken home.
So, I resisted the arranged marriage with everything I had.
In my junior year, Liam became the guy who sat behind me in class. When I was at my lowest, he was like a happy puppy, wagging his tail and inching closer. Saying yes when he asked me out felt like the most natural thing in the world.
We went from high school sweethearts to the altar. We were the couple everyone envied, the ones who had made their fairytale romance a reality. I basked in their admiration, believing I had found my true love.
I never imagined that the person I thought would never betray me had been keeping a canary all this time.
In her videos, Jenny called him “hubby” in a cloyingly sweet voice. She posted “A Day in the Life with my Sugar Daddy,” and her followers begged for more.
Liam would hold her, filming trendy hand-dance videos with her. His face was never fully in frame, but it was obvious he was enjoying himself.
His so-called “business trips” were all trips with her.
Countless nights I thought he was working late, he was actually in the arms of another woman.
Once, I told him not to work so hard.
He’d cupped my face and said, “I need to earn your parents’ respect. And I want to make more money to give you a wedding that everyone will envy.”
Five minutes before his “accident,” Liam had sent me a text: “No matter what happens, Liam will love you forever.”
I had read that message and cried every single time.
Now, all of it had shattered like a soap bubble.
【He even has his excuse ready for when he comes back. He’ll say he was washed downstream, rescued by a family, and had amnesia.】
【And the crazy part is, the heroine believes him! She marries him and begins a lifetime of misery, constantly forgiving his cheating until she dies of depression. Who even writes this kind of misogynistic, old-school garbage anymore?!】
【But wait, the plot has changed now! Our girl knows the truth ahead of time! I hope she doesn’t make the same mistakes!】

6
I went downstairs.
Liam’s mother was sitting on the living room sofa. When she saw me, her swollen, red-rimmed eyes shot daggers at me.
“If you hadn’t been rushing my son to come back, he wouldn’t have driven off that bridge! You’re the one who killed him!”
Liam had been on a “business trip.” The day after his “accident” was the day we were scheduled for our wedding dress fitting. He’d crashed on his way back to me.
When I first heard the news, I had swallowed my own grief to comfort his mother.
She had shoved me away. “You’re a curse! A jinx! You killed my son!”
【A blessed woman will not enter a cursed house. Heroine, get out while you still can!】
【She won’t. A few days ago, his mom called her a husband-killer and a bad omen, and she just blamed herself for everything. After being abused by this old hag, she gets abused by the ‘resurrected’ scumbag.】
Liam’s mother and I had never gotten along. He had promised me we wouldn’t live with her after we got married. But for the past few days, consumed by guilt, I had let her take all her anger out on me.
But now, watching her clutch a black-and-white portrait of Liam, she just looked like a pathetic clown.
A small, sharp laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it.
She exploded. “What are you laughing at?”
She shot up, ready to slap me.
Sam rushed to intercept her. “Auntie, please calm down. Aurora is just overwhelmed with grief, her mind isn't right. Don’t take it personally.”
Leo chimed in, “Aurora, just apologize to his mother.”
I walked slowly toward Liam’s mother.
She must have thought I was going to grovel again, because she turned her head away in disgust.
“I don’t care what you say, I’ll never forgive you. You and my son were only engaged, not married. Don’t even think about getting a cent of his inheritance.”
But I just leaned in close.
And whispered in her ear, “Your son got what he deserved. When are you planning on joining him, you old hag?”
She clutched her chest, gasping, and fell back onto the sofa.
【HAHAHA, the old witch is having a stroke! I’m waving the flag for our girl! Let’s see who dares to mess with her now!】
【So satisfying! She’s not taking any more crap!】
The relatives in the room descended into chaos, all rushing to her side.
She pointed a trembling finger at me. “She’s the one who killed my son! Leo! Sam! Call the police! Have her arrested!”
【Liam’s mom is genuinely unhinged. No wonder she raised such a scumbag son.】
【Our girl is finally fighting back! Aaaah, I’m so happy!】
【I just hope this is for real. I’m so worried she’ll fold the second he comes back…】
I let tears well up in my eyes. “Since you hate me so much, Auntie, I guess the only thing I can do is move out.”
“Aurora, don’t say things you don’t mean,” Leo pleaded.
“Don’t try to stop me,” I said firmly. “My being here only makes her feel worse. My decision is final.”
Leo and Sam exchanged a look. This was clearly not part of their plan.
Leo slipped into a corner to text Liam.

7
Liam’s reply came quickly: “My mom’s just like that. She had a hard time raising me. Tell Aurora to just let her have her way.”
“But… she won’t stop yelling at her. Aurora is dead set on moving out.”
“So let her move. When the time comes, I’ll just tell her to move back in, and she will.”
“Okay, fine. I won’t try to convince her then.”
I couldn’t hear their conversation, of course.
But the bullet comments kept me informed.
After I had packed up all my belongings from the bedroom, my best friend, Nina, arrived with the moving company she’d called for me.
“Aurora, are you sure you’re okay?” she asked cautiously. She had seen me at my most broken over the past few days.
“I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “Right now, I just want to find a place and move out as soon as possible.”
An idea suddenly struck her. “My brother has a penthouse he hasn’t used since he moved abroad. Why don’t you stay there for a while? You can move out once you find your own place.”
The bullet comments suddenly exploded.
【Our dark and broody villain is finally making his entrance! It’s a shame he doesn’t have a bigger role in the original story, but honestly, I love his character type.】
【He sent the heroine a message, and she still hasn’t replied. Blackening value +10000.】
Villain? Julian?
I didn’t even have his number. The last contact I had was an old, forgotten social media account from middle school. It seemed to have been hacked; every couple of months, it would send me a suspicious-looking link. I’d always been afraid it was a virus, so I’d never clicked on them and had muted the chat.
That’s why I had completely missed the message he’d sent me a week ago: “Do you need help?”
The news of the search for Liam’s body had been all over A-City that night. A video of me, crying during an interview, had gone viral on TikTok. Many people had offered their condolences, sympathizing with my loss.
Julian’s message had come on that day.
Since I hadn’t seen it, I hadn’t replied.
After a moment’s thought, I typed out a polite response: “No, but thank you.”
A reply came back instantly: “Okay.”
I remembered the day Liam asked me out.
He’d met me in the grove of trees next to the school building. The wind was blowing fiercely.
As I pushed a strand of hair from my face, I saw him. Julian.
He was standing at the end of a second-floor hallway, his hands resting casually on the railing, his dark, intense eyes fixed in my direction.
I looked at him.
Then I looked down.
And smiled at Liam. “Okay,” I said.
It wasn’t until Liam kissed my cheek that I looked up again.
The boy at the end of the hallway was gone.
Only the branches of the trees remained, swaying violently in the wind.

8
I shook off the memory.
The room was nearly empty of my things.
The framed photo of Liam and me on the nightstand had been knocked over.
I stepped on it with my high heel, and the glass shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
He wasn’t dead, but as of this moment, he was dead to me.
As I left the house, his mother was still screaming obscenities at my back.
“And don’t you dare come back! You’re not welcome to visit my son’s grave, ever!”
【This old hag is so afraid the heroine will fight her for the inheritance. As if Aurora, with her massive family fortune, would care about her scraps.】
【Is your son the emperor? Visiting his grave is a privilege now? Even a dog wouldn’t bother.】
“Auntie, that’s enough,” Sam said wearily.
He and Leo walked me to the door. “Aurora, if you need anything, just let us know.”
“I won’t. I just want to be alone.”
“You know, you might be right,” Leo added. “Maybe Liam is still alive. The police never found a body, right? If we just wait a little longer, maybe there will be good news.”
【Liam’s afraid she’ll do something drastic after moving out, so he’s having his minions give her a sliver of hope.】
【Little does he know, our girl already knows the truth. What a trio of clowns.】
I had my own properties, but they were all rented out. I couldn’t just evict my tenants, so I took Nina up on her offer and had my things moved to the Thornes’ empty penthouse.
When Nina handed me the key, I asked, “Your brother won’t be coming back suddenly, will he?”
“No way. I just asked him a little while ago. He said he has no plans to return anytime soon. And even if he did, he rarely stays at that place. He usually goes back to the main family estate. You’ll be fine there.”
I slept for two days straight, letting the swelling around my eyes go down.
That night, Nina invited me out to a bar for a quiet drink.
After a few glasses, I saw Leo and his crew.
I had no desire to speak to them, so I looked away, pretending I hadn’t noticed them.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him take out his phone, snap a picture of my profile, and send it to Liam.
“Hey man, ran into Aurora at a bar. Looks like she’s drowning her sorrows. Should I go over and say something?”
“Yeah… I know I didn’t handle this well. She’s been through a lot.”
Leo put his phone away and started walking towards me.
Halfway there, another message from Liam buzzed on his phone.
“Actually, never mind. Don’t bother. Let her feel the pain of losing me. When I ‘come back from the dead,’ she’ll cherish me even more, won’t she?”

9
“That’s true. You’re the expert on this stuff, man.”
“Just keep an eye on her for me. Bars can be sketchy. Make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble.”
The bullet comments scoffed:
【‘Make sure she doesn’t get into trouble,’ he says. LMAO. You can lie to your friends, buddy, but don’t lie to yourself.】
【Hey, rich boy, I dare you to make your fake death a real one. That would be a plot twist.】
Sam sighed wistfully. “Man, when am I going to find a girlfriend as beautiful, devoted, and rich as Aurora? I’d die for a girl like that.”
Leo shot him a look. “You could always try to steal her from Liam now.”
“No way. Liam would kill me when he gets back.”
Over the years I was with Liam, a few of his friends had tried to hit on me privately. When he found out, he cut them off without a second thought.
But that cheap possessiveness was not the same as loyalty.
Just then, a notification popped up on my phone.
JennyLovesLiam, whom you follow, has posted a new video.
“VLOG: 23 days until my sugar daddy has to go back home. Today he took me to see the Northern Lights!”
The comment section was filled with heartache. “Why does he have to go back?! Can’t he just stay with you forever?!”
Jenny replied: “I’m just in it for his money and his body, lol. He’s with me for a month, then he has to go back for his arranged marriage. Time for me to find my next target~”
Her followers wailed. “NOOOO, don’t be so tragic!”
“I hate fiancées who don’t know their place. Go away, go away, go away!”
The bullet comments in my vision were less sympathetic:
【This homewrecker acts so carefree, but she’s the one who chases him back to A-City a few weeks after he returns.】
【Yup. She pretends to be his cousin so she can move into his house and walk in and out of their marital home like she owns the place.】
【Big Rig Trucker Wang: Meet me on the interstate. We need to talk.】
I had spent the last two days binge-watching her videos.
The process was like taking a small knife and slowly, methodically carving Liam out of my heart.
It was painful, but effective. Grief was gradually being replaced by disgust.
Now, watching their sickeningly sweet displays of affection, what I felt most was a sense of relief, like a survivor of a near-fatal disaster.
You love having an audience for your happiness so much?
Fine. I’ll be happy to grant that wish.
I forwarded her account to a friend in the media. “I have a big story for you. Interested?”

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