My Husband Wished Me Dead, So I Complied

The day I was crushed to death by a semi-truck, my husband was busy walking his childhood sweetheart to her new job.

He wouldn't even pick up my emergency calls!

At the crash site, he wrapped his arm around her, looked at my mangled, bloody body, and said, I wish it was Chloe who died. Then she'd finally stop annoying me.

Later, my best friend crashed his engagement party to find me, but he turned around and reported my dead body to the police!

*Bang!*

I felt my soul rip out of my body. Suddenly, a crowd of bystanders swarmed the street.

I turned around. Sure enough, there was another "me" lying on the cold asphalt.

I desperately tried to throw myself back into my body, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't merge with it.

Then the police arrived. They pronounced me dead on the spot.

"Chief, I found a phone next to the victim!"

"Call her family! Tell them to come and claim the body!"

Before I could watch any longer, a strange force suddenly dragged me away.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing right next to Ethan. He was gently helping his childhood sweetheart, Vivian, out of his car.

So, while I was being crushed to death, he was with Vivian the entire time.

Why could he be so incredibly gentle to her, yet tell me to go die over the phone?

"Ethan, you got what you wanted. The moment you hung up on me, I actually died."

Suddenly, Ethans phone lit up. But the moment he saw my contact name, he swiped decline without a second thought.

"Ethan, pick up the phone! Ive been in a car crash!"

"Pick up, Ethan! I'm dead!" No matter how hysterically I screamed and thrashed beside him, he didn't react at all.

Only then did it hit me. I was just a ghost. No one here could see or hear me, including Ethan...

Vivian trembled and threw herself into Ethans arms. "Ethan, I'm so scared. There looks like a horrible accident up ahead."

His phone rang again. This time, Ethan shut it off completely, his expression ice-cold.

He held Vivian close, looking over at the bloody crash site in the distance, and muttered, "I wish it was Chloe who died. Then she'd finally stop annoying me."

It turned out that after five years together, he hated me this much. He truly wished for my death.

I froze. The bitter smile on my face slowly faded, and my heart turned to ash.

"You got your wish, Ethan! The person dead in that crash is me! I'll never bother you again!"

I watched the paramedics lift my body into the ambulance.

I wanted to go with them, to accompany my physical self on her final journey, but that weird, magnetic pull kept me locked right by Ethans side.

Actually, when Ethan and I first got married, we were very close.

Back then, Ethan was twenty-five, fresh out of college. To secure his grip on Carter Group, he agreed to the family-pressured marriage between the Vance and Carter families.

But as the Vance family's business declined, Ethans attitude toward me grew colder by the day.

Hoping for a peaceful ending, I had prepared a beautiful dinner yesterday and went to his office to celebrate his birthday with him one last time.

But the moment I stepped inside, Ethan grabbed me by the neck and slammed me against the wall.

"Chloe, what right do you have to come to my company? Stop acting so pathetic! If my mother hadn't forced me to marry you, a cheap girl like you wouldn't even be fit to wipe my shoes!"

He let go of me and practically threw me out the door.

"Im giving you one last day. Pack your trash and get out of my house!"

Just before the heavy oak door slammed shut, his cold words pierced my heart one last time.

"And if you know whats good for you, sign those divorce papers immediately!"

Recalling this, a bitter laugh escaped my lips. I reached up to wipe away tears that could no longer fall.

"Ethan, did you know? I already signed the divorce papers yesterday. The doctor told me I have leukemia. I only had a few days left anyway."

Vivian looked up at Ethan with adoration in her eyes. "Ethan, the traffic is so bad. It looks like were going to be late. What should I do? Its only my second day working at your company. If Im late, I dont know what the others will say behind my back!"

Ethan replied, "I'm the CEO. Who dares say anything? If you hear even a whisper of gossip, come tell me immediately."

Vivian wrapped her arms tightly around him, beaming. "Ethan, you're the best!"

So, he had hired Vivian at his company.

No wonder he was so furious when I showed up yesterday. He was probably terrified my presence would make people realize his precious childhood sweetheart was just a home-wrecker.

As my corpse was driven away, traffic slowly cleared. Ethan and Vivian got back into the car.

He walked her all the way to her department. Vivian playfully pushed him toward the door, giggling, "Go on, get back to work. No one's going to bully me. If you stay any longer, people are going to say I only got this job through the back door!"

After pushing him out, she waved cutely before shutting the door.

But the moment the door closed, her sweet expression vanished.

"Chloe Vance..."

I heard her mumble my name. I wanted to stay and hear what she was up to, but as Ethan walked away, the invisible rope jerked me violently back to his side.

Back in his office, Ethan buried himself in work.

His assistant, Leo, knocked and walked in.

"Sir, a package was delivered from your house."

As Ethan reached for it, my eyes fell on his ring finger. There was a faint, pale band where his wedding ring used to be.

Right. We were getting divorced. What right did I have to care if he took off his ring?

Besides, I was dead. Why did I still care?

Ethan tore the package open, his face grim.

I bet he thought I was playing another game to get his attention.

But when the papers slid out and the bold words "Divorce Agreement" met his eyes, his brows furrowed deeply.

As he scrolled down and saw that I had requested zero alimony, his face turned incredibly dark.

By the time he reached the end and saw my signature, pure rage flared in his eyes. He slammed the papers onto his desk.

...

Before I could figure out why he was so angry, Vivian walked in unannounced.

"Ethan, it's lunchtime. Let's get food! Your stomach is sensitive. If you don't eat on time, you'll get a terrible stomachache!"

Then she noticed the papers scattered on the desk. "Ethan, whats wrong?"

Ethan glanced at the papers, grabbed his suit jacket from his chair, and wrapped his hand around Vivians waist.

"It's nothing. Just some trash. I'll have the janitor throw it away."

Vivian linked her arm with his. "Where are we going to eat?"

Ethan said, "Let's go to Bistro Moderne. It's your favorite."

My heart felt like it had been struck by a sledgehammer.

Bistro Moderne... He had never taken me there. He always told me it was overpriced and overrated. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it. I just wasn't worth it to him.

I smiled bitterly. As they walked out, I was dragged along behind them like a dog on a leash.

Ethan kept his hand intimately on Vivians waist as they entered the restaurant. He pulled out her chair like a perfect gentleman and ordered all her favorite dishes.

"Ethan, you actually remember what I like!"

Vivian smiled, and Ethan said softly, "Of course I do. But you have a sore throat today, so we're keeping it bland."

So, he did know how to care for someone with a throat issue.

Then why, when I had severe laryngitis last year, did he order a table full of spicy food and tell me to stop being dramatic and starve if I didn't want to eat?

He wasn't incapable of caring. He just didn't care about me.

"Ethan, you're so sweet. Chloe must be so happy to be married to you." Vivians eyes suddenly dimmed. "I missed your wedding because I was sent abroad for therapy. I want to toast to you and Chloe with this water. I hope you two grow old together."

Ha. Happy? The only person who got to experience his kindness was her.

And besides, I was already dead. How could we grow old together?

"Why bring up an outsider during lunch? It ruins my appetite," Ethan said coldly.

Even though I was dead, and even though I had signed those papers, hearing him call me an "outsider" still sent a sharp pang through my chest.

Vivian looked down, acting guilty. "Ethan, if Chloe finds out we had lunch together, she won't be mad, will she?"

"She has no right to be mad. Besides, were getting divorced anyway."

Standing beside him, I stared at the disgust in his eyes and let out a mocking laugh.

*Ethan, I'm already dead. You can go straight to the courthouse and file for a death certificate.*

I saw the triumphant smile Vivian couldn't quite hide.

"Really? Then we..."

Suddenly, a waiter walked over. "Excuse me, sir, miss. We have a couple's promotion today. If you take a romantic photo together, you get fifty percent off. Would you like to participate?"

"Yes!" Vivian said.

"No," Ethan said simultaneously.

I didn't understand why he refused. Wasn't he desperate to divorce me so they could be together publicly?

While I was wondering, Vivian leaned in and kissed his cheek.

Ethan froze for a second, then gently pulled her back into her seat. He leaned down and whispered, "Let me handle the situation with Chloe first. I don't want people calling you a home-wrecker who stole someone else's husband."

So that was the difference between love and indifference.

When Vivian suddenly left the country five years ago, Ethan and I got married shortly after.

Everyone in our social circle rumored that I had stolen him. I begged him to clarify things.

But he had only said, *Why care what they think? We're the ones living our lives.*

Vivian blushed and smiled. "Okay! Then, Ethan, can we throw a little party tonight? To celebrate you becoming single again?"

Looking at her eager face, Ethan hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Indeed, I was the only obstacle between them. Even before the divorce was official, they couldn't wait to celebrate.

...

That night.

Ethan held Vivians hand as they walked into the Hilton. They looked exactly like a deeply in-love couple.

I didn't want to watch them be intimate.

But every time I tried to step away, the invisible force would yank me back, forcing me to stand right next to him.

Ethan pushed open the VIP lounge door.

Suddenly, party poppers went off, showering them in confetti and rose petals.

Look at that. We didn't even have this at our wedding.

Looking at the beautiful couple standing together, it felt as if I were the villain who had wrongfully kept them apart for five years.

All night, Ethan accepted every drink offered to him. He didn't stop smiling.

It seemed that finally getting rid of me and being with the woman he loved made him truly happy.

After a few drinks, Vivian seemed drunk. She leaned heavily against his chest. Seeing her struggle, Ethan excused them early and took her upstairs to a hotel suite.

They fell onto the bed together. Vivian wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ethan, don't leave me tonight."

I thought they were finally going to cross that line. But to my surprise, Ethan paused. He gently removed her hands. "Vivian, don't."

He actually rejected her?

Why? Before I could process my shock, Ethan gave the answer.

"Be good. We aren't officially together yet. I don't want to ruin you."

How hilarious. When he wanted to sleep with me before we got married and I refused, what did he say?

He called me prude and said we were getting married anyway, so what did it matter?

That was the difference between love and lust.

Suddenly, Ethans phone rang. His brows knit together when he saw the caller ID, and he instantly hung up.

But the caller was persistent, calling back over and over. Annoyed, Ethan shut his phone off completely.

A few minutes later, there was a furious banging on the hotel room door, accompanied by a screaming voice.

"Ethan Carter! Don't you dare hide in there! I know you're in there with that bitch! You have the balls to play around, but you don't have the balls to open the door?!"