I've won a lottery hosted by the local bank that gives me an opportunity to experience a day as a rich person. Because of that, I'm given a temporary black card that has a credit limit of a billion dollars.

Excited, I rush home to tell my wife, Lara Crawford, about it and plan on taking her to a fancy meal.

Unexpectedly, Lara drugs me just so she can steal the black card. Then, she starts a livestream that's titled "Goodbye, Loser. Hello, Billionaire Life." with her male best friend, Adrian Schmitt.

Lara can be seen buying a shopping mall with the black card on the livestream. Then, she mocks me for being an impoverished man who only deserves to eat the cheapest food available.

What she doesn't know is that the purchase history of the black card is being live-streamed on the bank's channel at the same time.

The title of that livestream is "A Test of Human Nature—When a Gold Digger Finds a Billion Dollars."

Now, there are ten minutes left before the experience is over.

"Mr. Brewer, are you alright?"

A gentle female voice sounded in my ear.

My head was pounding, and the world around me slowly came into focus.

I wasn't on my couch at home, but in a room decorated with minimalist luxury. A woman in a sharp business suit stood before me. Her nameplate read, "Janine Harmon, Client Director."

"W-Where am I? Where's Lara?"

I remembered clutching that billion-dollar black card as I rushed home, buzzing with excitement.

My wife, Lara Crawford, had lit up the moment she saw it. She threw her arms around me. Then, she poured me a glass of water and said softly, "Honey, you're amazing. Have some water, and let's plan this out."

And then, I didn't remember anything after that.

Ms. Harmon handed me a glass of warm water and gestured toward the large screen on the wall.

The screen was split in two. On the left, there were Lara and Adrian Schmitt, her best friend. They were beaming radiantly at their phone camera.

The title of the live stream was glaringly harsh—"Goodbye, Loser. Hello, Billionaire Life."

"Loser?" I muttered to myself, my heart clenching as if a hand had squeezed it tight.

We'd been married for three years, and I'd been killing myself with 72-hour work weeks as a programmer just to make the down payment for our apartment. Even so, the property deed had both of our names on it.

I felt that I'd never mistreated her, yet I was just a loser in her eyes.

On the screen, Lara held up the black card I'd brought home and screamed to an audience of hundreds of thousands.

"Guys, do you see this? One billion dollars! My life starts over from today!"

Adrian draped an arm over her shoulder, all slick smiles and satisfaction.

"Lara, you finally dumped that broke loser. From now on, we live the good life."

The right side of the screen showed a different live stream. It was the bank's official live stream channel, with the title "A Test of Human Nature—When a Gold Digger Finds a Billion Dollars."

The host, Sasha Bradshaw, was chatting casually with a psychologist, Desmond Wilcox.

At the bottom of the screen, rows of red transaction records scrolled rapidly.

"Hermes Boutique—Purchase of eight million dollars (Virtual Transaction)"

"Rolex Flagship Store—Purchase of 12.5 million dollars (Virtual Transaction)"

"Mr. Brewer, this was an internal stress test conducted by our bank," Ms. Harmon explained in a calm and measured voice. "You were chosen as a participant.

"However, after you drank the water laced with a heavy dose of sleeping pills, Ms. Crawford stole the temporary test card. Our team downstairs detected unusual activity on the card and came up immediately.

"Everything you're seeing right now is being watched simultaneously by tens of millions of viewers across the country."

My eyes were locked on the left screen.

Lara pulled something out of a luxury shopping bag.

It was the gift I'd given her for our third wedding anniversary, a wind chime made from 520 paper cranes. Each one was inscribed in tiny fluorescent writing with moments we'd shared.

I'd stayed up late every night for a month folding them.

When Lara had first received the paper cranes, she'd cried her eyes out, saying it was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever gotten.

Now, she held it up to the camera with disdain.

"Guys, look. This was what my loser ex-husband gave me. A bunch of scrap paper, and he thought that would be enough to keep me?"

She flicked her wrist. "Trash like this belongs in the garbage."

With a clatter, the paper cranes I'd folded with my own hands hit the floor. She crushed them under her high heels.

And my world shattered right along with them.

"Lara, don't get worked up over someone like Russell. He's not worth it."

Adrian eagerly handed her a glass of champagne. The camera happened to catch a close-up of the new gold watch on his wrist, the very same 12.5-million-dollar purchase that had just scrolled across the bank's live stream.

Lara took the glass and sipped, the disgust on her face instantly melting into pleasure.

"You're right. Why waste energy on a broke loser? Starting today, the word 'settling' doesn't exist in my vocabulary."

She lifted her chin high toward the camera.

"Ladies, do you see this? A woman needs to treat herself right. Back then, my husband couldn't even bring himself to buy me a nice purse and is always going on about saving for the mortgage. And now? Anything in this mall that catches my eye is mine!"

She turned and snapped her fingers at the mall manager standing behind her.

"Wrap up every new-season bag, outfit, and jewelry in your store. And clear the place out, right now. I don't like random people hovering while I shop."

The mall manager looked flustered.

"Ma'am, this really isn't standard procedure."

Adrian stepped forward and slapped the black card onto the counter.

"Run it! Don't you see? There's a billion dollars in here. It's enough to buy your lousy store ten times over. Keep running your mouth, and you'll be out of a job by tonight!"

The manager's face instantly turned pale. Complying with the bank's instructions, he could only bow and scrape as he began clearing the area.

In the live stream, Lara's follower count was exploding.

"Lara, you're amazing and a total baddie!"

"Now that's a queen! Dumping that loser was the best decision ever!"

"I'm so jealous! When is it my turn to hit the jackpot?"

In the bank's official live stream, the comments told a very different story.

"Oh my god, is this woman insane?"

"The acting is so over the top. She totally gives off that new money vibe, like she's desperate for everyone to know she's rich."

"That guy is disgusting too—textbook trash with a taste of power."

"I feel bad for the cardholder. What a nightmare of a wife he ended up with."

"Am I the only one who noticed the words 'Virtual Transaction' after every purchase? Haha. All that hype for nothing."

I sat in the VIP room, staring expressionlessly at Lara's ugly sneer on the screen.

The woman who once brought me a bowl of hot soup after I came home from overtime and who would sit by my bed crying when I was sick turned out to have all been a lie.

Or rather, when money entered the picture, all that tenderness hadn't meant a thing.

Ms. Harmon handed me a document at just the right moment.

"Mr. Brewer, this is a record of the reputational damage Ms. Crawford has caused both you and the bank during the live stream. Our legal team has already begun collecting evidence."

Instead of taking it, I just pointed at the screen.

"Can I talk to her?"

Ms. Harmon hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Of course."

The call connected quickly, and Lara had it on speaker.

Before I could even speak, her impatient voice came through.

"Russell? You're awake? Good. Saves me the trouble of notifying you again. I want a divorce. I don't want to spend another minute with a broke loser like you. The house and the car are mine. Consider it compensation for everything I've put up with."

"You can forget about getting any of my money. I found this card, so it has nothing to do with you."

I let out an exasperated laugh at how shamelessly entitled Lara sounded.

"Lara, aren't you afraid of karma?"

"Karma?" She laughed like I'd just told the joke of the century, cackling along with Adrian.

"Karma is me with a billion dollars, and you still being a bottom-feeder stuck riding the subway and eating instant noodles! Oh, and I forgot to tell you that my mom is going to call your parents later and tell them to keep you in line.

"So, stop bothering me. Anyway, I'm busy shopping. I don't have time to waste on a loser like you."

The line went dead, and my heart turned to ice.

True to her word, five minutes later, Lara's live stream featured a video call with her mother, Lucinda Garza.

Lucinda's face, always impeccably made up, was now plastered with a smile that was both fawning and cruel.

"My darling daughter, I always knew you were destined for greatness. Don't you worry. I've already called the loser's parents and made everything crystal clear."

A flood of viewers immediately poured into Lara's stream.

"Here we go. The mother-in-law's about to tear into the poor husband too."

"The whole family's a circus."

Lara was clearly thrilled with the response. She motioned for her mother to keep going.

Lucinda cleared her throat and launched into a haughty retelling of her phone conversation.

"I told Myra that since Russell couldn't make anything of himself, he shouldn't drag you down with him. You're a billionaire now, destined to marry into real high society.

"And country bumpkins like them need to stop dreaming about climbing the social ladder. They need to tell Russell to get lost and stay out of your way."

With every word she spoke, Lara's live stream lit up with comments like "Well said!" and "Exactly!".

Meanwhile, I sat in the VIP room, watching Lucinda's smug expression on the screen, my blood ran cold.

My parents were simple, honest farmers.

To put me through college, they sold the only thing of value they owned—our plow ox.

To help me buy an apartment when I got married, they emptied their life savings and even borrowed money from relatives.

They had never once raised their voices at anyone, yet now they were being humiliated by my mother-in-law with such cruel, vicious words.

I picked up the other phone Janine had prepared and called home.

The moment the call connected, I heard my mother, Myra Watson, trying to stifle her sobs.

"Russell, how could Lucinda say those things about us?"

My father, Frankie Brewer, grabbed the phone and said in a trembling voice, "Russell, be honest with us—did you do something to hurt Lara? The money doesn't matter, but your character does!"

I couldn't hold back any longer. A wave of anger surged through me, rushing to my head.

"Dad, Mom, don't believe a word she says," I replied icily. "Don't do anything or get upset. Just turn on the TV and tune into Skysea Bank's official live stream. Watch the show, and when it's over, I'll bring you both to the city to enjoy a better life."

After hanging up, I turned to Janine.

"Ms. Harmon, can I take part in this test too?"

Janine adjusted her glasses, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Of course, Mr. Brewer. Every good show needs a perfect ending."

At the same time, Lara's live stream had reached a new peak.

Looking to juice up the donations, Adrian pitched an idea.

"Lara, how about a little something for the top spender?"

Lara waved her hand magnanimously, practically bursting with fake generosity.

"Who's my top spender? Step forward! I'm in a good mood today. Whoever takes the top spot, I'll give you one million dollars in cash back."