My wife's memorable crush had recently opened an escape room store.

In order to support his business, she asked me, a person with a heart condition, to accompany her and experience it together.

As a result, during the game, I was frightened and had a seizure. Only then did I discover that my wife had gone on a date with her unforgettable crush.

As I desperately tried to call for help before my impending death, my wife sneered at me over the phone, saying, "Why don't you say you were hit by a car? Stop lying!

"Besides, Owen is in a bad mood, so what if I accompany him for a while? Can you please stop being so petty? If you are unhappy, just go and die!"

Little did she know that this time, I was really going to die.

***

At the moment of my passing, I felt my soul being pulled away from my lifeless body, floating towards my wife's side.

At this moment, my wife, Nicole Adams, stood elegantly at the entrance of a bar as if preparing for a grand date.

She smiled sweetly while speaking to someone on the other end of the phone. "Owen, I'm ready. Where are you?"

A cold voice responded from the phone, "Wait, I'll be there soon." It was Owen Taylor, her memorable crush.

Suddenly, I realized that everything that happened that day had been meticulously planned. My wife had persuaded me to play the escape room game solely as an excuse to meet Owen.

Come to think of it, if it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't have given me a second glance.

I waited behind her for half an hour until I witnessed Owen rushing over.

"Owen!" Nicole exclaimed, running towards him in high heels, gripping his arm, and acting affectionate. "Why took you so long? I've been anxiously waiting."

Owen, with a cold expression and limited patience, retorted, "If you can't wait, then leave."

But Nicole seemed unfazed by Owen's demeanor, maintaining a flattering smile. "How could I? I'll wait as long as it takes."

Owen sneered and, as if remembering something, asking. "Have you told your husband? Aren't you afraid he might cause trouble?"

Nicole's expression turned icy, and she angrily cursed, "How dare he! If you ever meet him, you'll see how much of a coward he is. He can barely utter a word. How could he possibly cause trouble for me?

"He's just pretending to be dying. It's laughable. I suppose he's only jealous of you."

This was her usual way of pleasing Owen while belittling me.

Owen smiled and suggested, "Let's go inside. We have a surprise waiting for you." He draped his arm around Nicole's shoulders and led her into the bar.

When I saw that, my heart, which I thought had lost all sensation, began to ache intensely. Breathing became difficult, and I struggled to gasp for air.

Memories of the moments preceding my death flooded back into my mind. I remembered how I couldn't bear the shock any longer, collapsing in a corner. Desperately, I made a phone call, pleading with Nicole, who had suddenly disappeared, to come and save me.

The phone rang incessantly until, finally, she answered. Impatiently, she scolded, "Adrian Deleon, why are you so annoying? I stepped out briefly, and now you're rushing me?"

Enduring excruciating pain, I fought to call for help. "I'm having a heart attack, and I've left my medication at home. Please come back and save me!"

Nicole paused for a moment, then responded with annoyance in her voice, "Drop the act, Adrian. Can't you understand anything? Owen needs me right now.

"I'm busy. If you can't wait, just go and die."

With that, she ended the call. When I attempted to reach out to her again, my phone had already run out of battery.

Overwhelmed by my diminishing strength, I closed my eyes, morphing into a restless spirit wandering the realms of this world.

The bar was dimly lit, and it took me some time to locate Nicole among the crowd. Eventually, I found her sitting in a corner, her face flushed from drinking excessively.

She leaned into Owen's arms and pleaded, "Owen, I can't drink anymore. I'm about to vomit."

Across from them sat a group of people who appeared to be Owen's friends. Their eyes gleamed with impure intentions as they shamelessly ogled Nicole, whose appearance was slightly disarrayed, and laughed without restraint.

One of them handed her a glass of wine and remarked, "Today is Owen's first day in business. As his girlfriend, you should have a drink, shouldn't you?"

Nicole's face lit up at the mention of being Owen's girlfriend. Without any hesitation, she accepted the glass of wine and downed it in one go.

Anger surged within me, and I wished I could confront these men, but my ethereal form passed through Nicole's shoulder, leaving me helpless as I witnessed her being compelled to drink one glass after another.

The intention of this group of people was so obvious. How could Nicole not see it at all?

A bitter appeared on my lips; she would do anything for Owen. After all, they had once been deeply in love.

Soon, Nicole was so drunk that she could hardly open her eyes. Lying in Owen's arms, she said shyly, "Owen, I want to rest."

Owen glanced at the few remaining bottles of wine and impatiently replied, "Finish them and then we'll leave."

"But..." Nicole looked hesitated.

She couldn't hold her liquor and once complained about how drinking made her stomach uncomfortable. So, after we got married, I would drink on her behalf at various parties.

Yet now, she allowed herself to get drunk simply because of Owen's words.

After all, I meant nothing to her.

Owen's face turned cold, and his impatience grew evident. He snapped, "You don't want to? There are plenty of people who would be willing.

"Nicole. Don't forget that you owe me this."

Hastily, Nicole grabbed a bottle and emptied it. "I'll drink. Please don't be angry, okay?"

Only when the last bottle was finished did Owen's smile return.

He patted Nicole's unconscious face and whispered, "Do you want me to take you home?"

The intention was so obvious that Nicole quickly responded with a yes.

I followed them back to our home, consumed by anger but powerless to intervene.

They had sex all night, while I listened in silence from beyond the closed bedroom door.

I had long known that Nicole never married me out of love.

On the day we obtained our marriage license, she changed. She revealed the truth, confessing that she was bound by a System and tasked with conquering me, or else she would die.

Thus, she had to abandon Owen, whom she loved, and seduced me into marrying her. On our wedding day, as soon as the task was declared complete, she shattered my illusion of love.

She showed a disgust she had never had before and said, "I have never loved you, Adrian."

But I had fallen in love with her.

As time passed, she grew colder each day, and my heart became lifeless.

Divorce crossed my mind, but every time I brought it up, she would become angry, insisting that the marriage would remain until she said it was over.

However, I died before it was over.

My thoughts drifted back to the day, and I found that it was already dawn.

I saw Owen and Nicole lying on the bed that once belonged to us, their clothes scattered across the floor, a testament to their passionate night together.

Suddenly, the door was opened, and the nanny came in and informed Nicole, "Mrs. Deleon, there are reporters outside waiting to interview you."

The nanny's words were abruptly cut off by the sight of the intertwined figures on the bed.

Nicole, awakened by the disturbance, scolded, "So noisy! Get out of here!"

The nanny stood there in a daze, gazing at Owen on the bed, hesitating momentarily before speaking, "There are suddenly many reporters outside..."

"Reporters?" Nicole appeared perplexed. Owen, who had also been woken up, buried himself beneath the blanket and grumbled impatiently, "Go out and check. I can't even get a good sleep."

Nicole quickly offered a comforting smile and assured him, "I'll handle it immediately. You go back to sleep."

She got out of bed, changed her clothes, and shot a stern glance at the nanny. "If you dare breathe a word about what happened here, I'll make sure you regret it."

The nanny quickly left. Nicole walked towards the door, opened it, and found herself encircled by reporters.

"Mrs. Deleon, rumors suggest that you were seen entering and leaving a bar with an unidentified man yesterday. Is this true?"

"You brought this man home. Does Mr. Deleon know about this?"

Nicole's face froze. She hadn't anticipated the news spreading so swiftly. She quickly concealed her expression and replied, "These claims are entirely baseless. The man is just a friend.

"All will be clarified by Mr. Deleon himself."

Regardless of further inquiries, she refused to provide any answers, closed the door, and returned to her room.

Meanwhile, Owen had already woken up and was leaning against the bed, scrutinizing Nicole. He taunted, "Mrs. Deleon, your identity is quite extraordinary. Is that why you're reluctant to divorce Adrian?"

Nicole recognized the mockery behind his words. In order to please Owen, whom she had once abandoned, she climbed onto the bed and retrieved a card.

"This is a gift from Adrian to me. You can use it for now. If it's not enough, let me know. You're just starting your career, and you'll need money."

Owen took the card, kissed her on the cheek, and asked, "I'm feeling sleepy. Do you want to rest a little longer?"

Nicole immediately laid down beside him, and the two resumed their intimate encounter.

Hearing their conversation, I finally understood why Nicole didn't want to divorce even though she didn't love him.

It was all about money.

As an orphan, I had struggled for over a decade to become a successful entrepreneur, with no children of my own. Being my wife, she would naturally live a life of wealth and glory.

But why should I give my wealth to someone as insignificant as Owen? It was never my fault.

The bitterness within me continued to accumulate. Standing by the bed, I watched them have sex until Owen's phone rang.

Initially in high spirits, he grew irritated after being interrupted and snapped, "Who is it?"

After listening for a moment, he handed the phone to Nicole, a puzzled expression on his face. "It's Mia. She said she wants to speak with you about something."

Mia was the staff member of the escape room.

I watched as Nicole answered the phone, her face turning pale.

Then, a voice filled with fear emanated from the other end. "Ms. Adams, your husband has been found dead in our store."