My wife went viral by copying someone else. After some netizens shamed her looks, she became obsessed with plastic surgery.

Eventually, an illegal clinic tricked her into spending thirty thousand dollars, claiming they could make her into a celebrity.

She even forced me to fund her dream by feeding our daughter pesticides.

However, I knew that the clinic used implants from stolen corpses. Before long, her face would start to rot. I spent ages convincing her to choose a professional cosmetic hospital instead, saving her life.

Later, though, her best friend became an internet star after undergoing plastic surgery. In comparison, my wife’s appearance had only improved slightly after the cosmetic treatment.

In a fit of jealousy, she burned my daughter and me alive. “It’s your fault I couldn’t make it big! You deserve to die!”

When I next opened my eyes, I returned to the day my wife asked me for money.

“Trust me this time, honey! This time is different.” My wife Chloe Rinn’s voice echoed through the quiet living room.

When she went shopping today, her best friend had recommended her a new plastic surgery clinic. Apparently, the clinic had headhunted a famous plastic surgeon from Korea with the offer of a high salary. The surgeon was very skilled and had many celebrities on his resume.

Since they were just starting out, the clinic only charged thirty thousand dollars for a full-face makeover.

“Doing a large-scale surgery is too risky! You may lose your facial functions or even your life…”

Chloe interrupted me before I could finish that sentence. “Don't say such things! It’s bad luck. Besides, the doctor is really skilled. Celebrities lined up for an appointment with him.”

She could not be convinced otherwise. All she could think of was how beautiful she would look after the surgery.

“Fine. If you really want to go, I'll transfer the money after I get my salary in a few days.”

Chloe's eyes lit up, and she gave me a peck on the cheek before hugging me tight. “You're the best, honey! Once I become a hit influencer, we'll buy a huge mansion! And Ellie’s friends won't tease her anymore.”

Chloe smiled at our daughter as she said that. Little Ellie was playing with her building blocks.

In my previous life, as a doctor, I had known she was falling for a trap the moment she said those things. Corpses had been stolen from many morgues and mortuaries associated with hospitals recently, and I instinctively thought the plastic surgery clinics were behind the thefts. After all, human bones made for the best implants, and a whole corpse could be broken down into many “components”.

Besides, where could she possibly get a full-face plastic surgery for thirty thousand dollars? Back then, I had spent an entire day convincing her to change her mind.

I even found her a more professional cosmetic hospital afterward, but all they did was slightly improve her existing foundations.

I never expected her best friend Rachel to go for that surgery and end up blowing up online. Many casting directors invited her to join their movies.

In comparison, Chloe could only maintain a small fanbase by following some healthy eating trends. Every day when I went home, she would scold me over the dinner table.

“It's all your fault! If you hadn't stopped me, I'd be famous by now! The three of us wouldn't have to live in this tiny apartment.

“You're always so risk-averse and paranoid about everything! The world out there isn't that dangerous. Do you think you're all that because you're a doctor? You only got into the hospital because of my father.”

I was furious, but I glanced at my daughter, her head buried in her food, and suppressed my rage. “You'll only see the side effects of the surgery after some time. It's early days yet.”

Chloe clicked her tongue and slammed her hand on the table. “Everyone will become old and ugly someday! I just want to earn money with my good looks now!”

She then turned her ire onto our daughter. “And you! I wouldn't have aged so quickly if I didn't have you! All you did was bring me misery.”

There were complications during the labor back then. Chloe had spent an entire day delivering Ellie.

After they left the hospital, I hired a nanny so that Chloe could focus on recovering. She never changed a single diaper, and nowadays she did not attend any parent-child conferences at Ellie’s school either.

All she ever did every day was scroll through countless TikTok videos and then copy the trends. She did not even mind when people called her a copycat.

I knew since then that my daughter and I meant nothing to her.

As expected, she soon started asking me for more money.

I smirked inwardly. This lifetime, I chose to respect her decision — but I would not give her a single cent.

“I'll withdraw the money from the bank in the afternoon. By the way, Mom and Dad called yesterday. They asked you not to contact them recently, because the investigators are closing in.”

Chloe scoffed. “They deserve it even if they died. They embezzled so much money but didn't give me a single dollar! Then they had the nerve to run away abroad, leaving me here.”

I comforted her for a bit and then lied that I was tired from the surgeries today, retiring to my room.

I had told her parents the same thing. They were terrified of being arrested, so they would not contact us for half a year at least.

Even as I closed the room door, I could feel her excited gaze trained on me.

I knew she had an even bigger “surprise” waiting for me.

In my previous life, Chloe pretended to give up after I persuaded her. That night, she invited Rachel to a bar, planning to swindle some men there and earn the money she needed for the surgery. However, her victim's wife caught her in the act.

By the time I got there, the fight had been over. Chloe sat on the bed, her expression twisted in agony. Her eyes were red and there were scratches on her face. She sobbed at me, “Honey, believe me, the wine was drugged! I just went drinking for a change of mood. I have no idea what happened after I drank the wine…

“Forgive me this time, please? If you don't believe me, you can test the wine for drugs.”

She swore on her life. That time, I had asked my friend for a favor and tested the wine overnight. As expected, the results showed there were sleeping pills in the wine.

Of course I forgave her after that. Even up till my death, I never once considered she was the one who put the pills there to drug the man.

In my previous life, I even felt bad for her after the incident. I comforted her and signed her up for the most expensive overseas tour package so she could get over the trauma.

My actions cost me and my daughter our lives.

This time, I would not interfere anymore. Instead, I was going to use this opportunity to thoroughly muddy the waters.

As I expected, Chloe crept out of the room with her things at midnight.

I sat in the living room for a while, then I locked the door and took a cab to the address on my phone.

In my previous life, the other man's wife had just found them at this point in time. They were probably still engaged in a heated fight.

I arrived to see the room door wide open, a huge hullabaloo unfolding inside. Someone even threw a piece of clothing at my head.

“You loser! You married into my family, and you still dared to cheat on me?! With such an lowly woman, too! Are you that desperate?!”

The woman slapped her husband over and over again, but he just took the beating in a daze, as though he was still half-asleep.

“Honey! Honey, listen to me. I can explain…” Chloe grabbed her clothes in a panic and tried to approach me, but she was so flustered that she fell from the bed, completely naked.

I saw the bags under her eyes and understood. The man was obviously not capable of doing anything right now, so she had to do the bulk of the work.

The woman scrutinized me up and down before ordering her subordinates to carry her husband away. Before she left, she gave me a mocking look. “Your wife is ruthless, I'll give her that. She even dared to drug a man.”

Chloe did not have time to distort the truth. The man's condition made the truth obvious for all to see.

After the man, his wife, and their posse left, the room fell silent.