The Wife Who Died Twice

After my wife attended her childhood friend’s wedding, she sped home and caused a chain-reaction crash. Four people died, and one was injured. The police called me, and I rushed to the scene. Flames filled the sky, while cries and frantic shouting blended into chaos. It took an entire day to clear the wreckage. Then the police regretfully told me they couldn’t find my wife’s body. She had probably been burned to ashes. To mourn her, I could only gather some charred remains from the scene and place them in an urn. Before I could even hold a funeral, the victims’ families surrounded my house and demanded an explanation. Overnight, I was burdened with four deaths and millions in compensation payments. I worked myself to the bone to appease the victims’ families. From the age of thirty to forty-eight, I spent eighteen years paying everything back. Only after I had settled every debt did I finally receive their forgiveness. But by then, my body had already collapsed under the strain. I suffered a stroke and spent the rest of my life bedridden in a hospital. Just before I died, I saw my supposedly dead wife and her childhood friend bringing a child to the hospital for a checkup. The family of three laughed and chatted, looking perfectly happy. That was when I finally understood. Everything had been an elaborate lie created by my wife. I was so enraged that I vomited blood and died on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my wife caused the chain-reaction crash. “Hello, is this Mr. Ethan Parker? This is the Highway Patrol. Your wife has been in an accident on the freeway. Please get to the scene as soon as possible.” The officer’s grave voice rang in my ear. I froze for a moment. “Hello? Are you still there?” The officer repeated my name several times before I finally came back to my senses. Memories of my previous life flashed through my mind like a movie. In my last life, I had rushed to the crash site in a panic after receiving that call. When I saw the sky filled with flames, I had cried until my heart nearly broke. In the end, I couldn’t even bring my wife’s body home. I blamed myself for the rest of my life. I never imagined her body couldn’t be found because she hadn’t died at all. She had staged everything to steal my assets and run away with her first love! This time, I would make that treacherous couple pay. I said okay, hung up, and immediately contacted a lawyer. I explained the entire situation in detail. The plan had several key points. First, I had to prove that Vivian Parker wasn’t dead. Second, I needed evidence of her affair and had to protect my assets so the division of property would favor me. Third, Vivian had caused the crash and fled the scene. Four people were dead and one was injured. Prison was waiting for her. After steadying my emotions, I was about to leave when the front door suddenly flew open. Vivian’s mother, Grace, rushed into my arms, sobbing so hard she could barely speak. “Ethan, you saw the news too, didn’t you? The police called you, right?” “What am I going to do? I only have one daughter. If something happens to her, how am I supposed to live?” In my previous life, Grace had acted out the exact same scene after Vivian’s accident. Back then, I had spent all my time comforting her. Thinking about it now, it was almost laughable. What mother would only scream and cry without shedding a single tear after something so terrible happened to her daughter? If I hadn’t been blinded by worry, I would have noticed it much sooner. Grace already knew Vivian was alive. She also knew all about Vivian’s affair. This hypocritical family made me sick, but I had to force myself to endure it. They had eaten my food, spent my money, and then set such a massive trap to take everything I owned. “Ethan, why are you so calm? Vivian was in a car accident!” “The situation hasn’t been confirmed yet. Even the police don’t know exactly what happened. But why does your reaction make it seem as if you already know Vivian is dead?” “Did you get the news faster than the police?” A flash of guilt crossed Grace’s face. She hurriedly explained, “I’m just worried.” Then she pushed all the blame onto me and shouted, “Ethan, what do you mean? Are you hoping my daughter dies?” “You’re her husband! How could you let her drive all the way home alone?” Only then did I remember that I had tried to stop Vivian from making the trip. I had been negotiating a major project and couldn’t get away. Normally, I drove her everywhere myself. When her childhood friend got married, I suggested that we send a gift and visit her hometown together with Grace once I had time. But Vivian refused to listen. She insisted on going and even had a huge fight with me over it. In the end, she ignored all my objections, secretly took the car, and drove onto the freeway. Usually, Vivian was gentle and sweet. She rarely lost her temper with me. I had been too stupid to realize how strange her behavior was.“Ethan, aren’t you saying anything because I’m right?” “Grace, you’ve watched how I’ve treated Vivian all these years. I love her more than anything. How could I possibly want her dead?” I took Grace’s hand and put on a look of unbearable grief. “I’m the last person who wants something like this to happen. I just want Vivian to come home safely. I’ve already made arrangements. Let’s go to the scene.” The moment she heard that, Grace’s face lit up. She looked as if she had already forgotten that her daughter’s life was still supposedly hanging in the balance. Grace and I got into the car one after the other. Before leaving, I had also hired a private investigator. I needed him to watch everything happening around my house. The moment Vivian appeared, he was to record evidence. After Grace sat down, she kept both hands hidden as she rapidly typed on her phone. When I asked what she was doing, she claimed she was checking the news because she was worried about the crash. But the scene had already been sealed off, and all the vehicles had been diverted. Aside from the first photos that had leaked online, there was nothing new to see. I knew Grace was lying. She was actually messaging Vivian and reporting everything I did. Meanwhile, outside the mansion, Vivian and her childhood friend were already waiting in disguise. Vivian was preparing to sneak inside and take some expensive jewelry to sell, but the man beside her stopped her. “What’s going on? Why is that man lurking outside my house?” “I’ll go take a look.” Vivian was about to step forward when Noah urgently stopped her. “No. If you show yourself now, you’ll be exposed. The whole plan will be ruined.” She stopped, her expression turning ugly. “Then what are we supposed to do? My jewelry and important belongings are all inside.” In my previous life, when I returned home from the crash site, the house had been turned upside down. A great deal of jewelry was missing. At the time, I couldn’t accept that Vivian was dead. With the victims’ families causing trouble, I had no energy to investigate the theft. In the end, I simply let it go. But this time, I wouldn’t let her succeed. She was supposedly dead, yet she still wanted to steal my money to support her lover. Not a chance. “Don’t worry. We’ll find another opportunity.” “Besides, once you’re dead, he’ll have to support your mother. We can just make Mom demand more money from him and use it ourselves.” Vivian and Noah quietly withdrew from the mansion. Even now, they were dreaming about living off me for the rest of their lives. They had no idea I had deliberately placed two investigators around the house—one in plain sight and one hidden—to gather evidence. Even if Vivian had a new identity, her face hadn’t changed. Once I had photos of her, their scheme had already lost half its power. When I reached the crash site, the flames had only just been extinguished. The moment Grace got out of the car, she ignored the police officers and firefighters trying to stop her and charged inside. By coincidence, the fire had burned several vehicles completely black. Yet Grace still found Vivian’s car without hesitation. The moment she got close, she threw herself to the ground and wailed as if she were about to die.I glanced at the phone on the ground. Grace must have dropped it when she ran over. I bent down to pick it up, and a message popped onto the screen. It was from a gray profile picture. We already went to the mansion. We couldn’t get anything. Mom, find a way to squeeze more money out of Ethan. I clenched my fingers. Vivian and Noah really had planned everything perfectly. They knew I wouldn’t abandon her only remaining family member, so they were using my love for her to drain me of money. After Vivian “died,” the victims’ families had pressured me until I could barely breathe. Even so, I had sent Grace five hundred dollars every month for living expenses. Whenever I had a little extra, I gave her more. Now I realized that all of it had ended up in the hands of that shameless couple. “Mr. Parker, please calm the family members down. You’re interfering with the rescue effort.” “We’ll do everything we can to find your wife.” “I’m sorry.” I quietly returned the phone to its original position, then hurried over and helped Grace up from the ground. “Mom, don’t interfere with the rescue. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Vivian was already dead and that you were holding a funeral here.” Grace lifted her red-rimmed eyes. A trace of surprise flashed across her face. “Ethan, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you constantly cursing my daughter to die?” “No. Every second matters during a rescue. I’m just worried about Vivian.” She seemed only half-convinced and stood up. I reached out to support her, but Grace suddenly stumbled and fell toward the wreckage. “Mom!” I shouted and grabbed her. “Are you okay?” I caught her in time, but instead of thanking me, she glared at me. “Don’t touch me.” Grace shook off my hand, wiped her tears, and marched beyond the police barrier. She was angry because I had ruined her plan. She had wanted to secretly slip Vivian’s phone into the wreckage. During the rescue, someone would have found it. Vivian’s phone contained countless photos of her, along with memories that belonged only to the two of us. In my previous life, I had been consumed by grief. The first thing I did after getting the phone was take it to a repair shop and recover its data. That was when I found a recording. It had been left behind by Vivian before her death. The moment I heard it, I collapsed to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. The phone was filled with Vivian’s love for me. She said she knew she was leaving this world and that she couldn’t bear to part with me. She hoped we would meet again in our next lives. Every word felt like a blade dragging across my heart. Because of that recording, I had believed completely in her love. I spent my entire life taking responsibility for her crimes, supporting her mother, and never remarrying. But this time, I stopped Grace before she could place the phone in the car. The rescue lasted an entire day. Finally, a police officer approached Grace and me with a bag of Vivian’s belongings. He regretfully told us that her body still hadn’t been found. The crash had been devastating. Her body might have been blown apart or burned beyond recognition. He told us to prepare ourselves for the worst. The moment I heard the news, I panicked. I grabbed the officer’s hands and let tears pour down my face. Grace fainted on the spot. I knew she was pretending, but just as I had in my previous life, I took her to the hospital. Last time, after arranging for someone to care for Grace, I bought an urn and returned to the crash site to collect some ashes. This time was no different. But after collecting the ashes, I didn’t go buy a grave as I had before. I went to the hospital instead. When I reached the hallway outside Grace’s room, I heard her bright laughter from inside. “Vivian, you were right. The moment Ethan heard you were dead, he looked like he’d lost his soul. He’s such an idiot. Don’t worry. I’ll squeeze a fortune out of him.” “I’ve already sent people to stir up the victims’ families and make them cause trouble. Ethan will be overwhelmed. You need to hurry and take anything valuable from the house.” Listening to them, I twisted my fingers together. After five years of marriage, I had never imagined the victims’ families had been manipulated by them from the beginning. The truth struck me like a bolt of lightning. But this time, they had miscalculated. Since Vivian was supposedly dead, I would make it real—even if I had to turn a fake death into an actual one. The Parkers’ good days were coming to an end.