I was married to a genius pharmaceutical PhD. We were deeply in love, and everyone envied me for marrying a wife who was both caring and successful. I thought our marriage was perfect and couldn't help but brag about my wife to the whole world. Then one day, I overheard a conversation between her and one of her students outside the lab. "Isabella, what she's doing is messed up. Ben just got a new artificial heart, and she wants him to test a new drug? If something happens to him..." Before the student could finish, Isabella stormed into the lab to cut him off: "It's none of your business! I've been working on this for years. If I don’t trick Ben into testing this for Jason, and something happens to Jason, what am I supposed to do?" So, all the medications I had been testing for her were a joke… Well, whoever wants to be a guinea pig can be my guest! 1 "Professor, isn't this taking things too far? Ben just got a new artificial heart. If something happens to him..." Isabella’s low voice snapped from inside the lab: "That's enough from you!" Even though I couldn't see her face, I could tell she was truly angry. Sure enough, the next second I heard something being smashed. "He has to test the new drug. Jason's weak; he can't wait any longer." The student didn't dare say much more. As he was about to leave, Isabella stopped him, hesitating: "Just in case, postpone the drug trial until next week. Run a few more tests to make sure Ben won't be hurt." Isabella’s words felt like a knife twisting in my heart, almost unbearable. Had she been in love with Jason all these years? And was I just a lab rat? I stumbled back to the house, the chest pain from the artificial heart making it almost impossible to stand up straight. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil in my heart. I collapsed onto the bed, my eyes landing on the flowers and pill bottles on the table. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Isabella and I had been married for five years, and I had always cherished her. I thought I was the luckiest man in the world, so I was willing to be her guinea pig for her medical research. Over the past five years, I'd coughed up blood countless times, developed countless incurable diseases, and even had my heart gradually deteriorate from all the drug trials. But I never regretted it. For her, I would have given my life. I never imagined it was all a joke, a carefully crafted lie. "Honey, what's wrong? You look terrible." "Are you feeling okay?" Seeing my pale face, Isabella rushed over and carefully held me in her arms, gently rubbing my chest. Her eyes were overflowing with concern. Before, this would have made me feel happy, like I had married a truly loving woman. But now, I just felt a chill run down my spine. "It's my fault. I haven't been around to take care of you." Isabella's voice was full of self-reproach. Looking into her sincere eyes, I pleaded, "Isabella, I just got this heart. Can I skip the drug trial this time?" A flicker of hesitation crossed her face. I quickly added, "I'm worried about rejection. I might not be able to stay by your side." Isabella's gaze fell to my chest. She sighed and said, "Ben, this drug is important for my career." Looking at her determined expression, a sharp pain shot through my nose. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. So, my life meant less to her than that guy. Seeing my stricken face, Isabella quickly reassured me, "I promise I'll protect you." She touched her nose to mine, her voice gentle and loving. "You're my life. I wouldn't want you to be hurt." Every word was a lie. My heart turned to ash. I said, "It's okay, Isabella. I can handle it." Isabella's face lit up, but she said, "This is the last time, honey. I won't put you in danger again." I hugged her, but felt icy cold. That night, I couldn't sleep. At dawn, Isabella’s phone rang. The guy on the other end was being jealous and sarcastic. Isabella soothed him and then left without hesitation. Hearing the door close, I couldn't stop replaying the words I'd heard the night before. She was rushing off to see that guy, wasn't she? The guy whose life she was protecting with mine. 2 After she left, I went straight into Isabella’s study. Her bookshelf was full of photos of me, and on the balcony was a huge portrait of me she had painted. Even the layout of the study was designed according to my tastes. Anyone who saw the study would be touched by Isabella’s deep affection for me. But only I knew that on her computer was a folder that I didn't know the password to. Isabella had told me about it when she was drunk, saying it was the most precious thing in the world, her life. I thought it was her research, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Now, I realized things might not be as I thought. I tried entering Isabella’s phone password, and it opened the file right away. Turns out the phone password, which she had told me had no special meaning, was actually someone else's birthday. The folder was full of photos of a guy named Jason. Isabella had taken every single one. The camera doesn't lie. Every photo showed me that Isabella loved him deeply. The funny thing was, Isabella had once told me she wasn't into photography. They traveled together, read together, and even raised a kitten together. But Isabella had told me she was allergic to cat hair, so I even gave away my cat of eight years. In the photos, Isabella’s gaze was cautious, passionate, and timid, unlike anything I had ever seen from her. She was always in control with me, always stoic. I thought it was just her personality, but it was just because she didn't love me. The last page was a letter she had written to Jason. [Jason, I've finally found someone whose health is very similar to yours. He thinks I love him and is even rushing to test drugs for me!] [He doesn't know his heart is failing. He's voluntarily testing drugs for me and has even developed cancer. But it's not my fault; he volunteered!] I strained my eyes, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. Turns out the person she really wanted to spend her life with wasn't me at all. In her eyes, I was just a guinea pig. What I thought was a chance encounter, a love story, was just something she'd orchestrated. It was all because my health was similar to Jason’s. She had been using me the whole time. I closed the computer and went back to the bedroom, collapsing on the bed and finally crying. I couldn't stop reliving the time I almost died in the hospital from a heart attack. I had taken a drug that Isabella had given me, and soon I was in agonizing pain, coughing up blood. I panicked and called Isabella, but she never answered. I naively thought she was busy. In the hospital room, I almost bled to death. Isabella consoled me, saying she would always be by my side and wouldn't let anything happen to me. I was touched beyond words, but also felt guilty for being careless and letting her down. So, even though the doctor later told me that my body might die from a heart attack if I kept testing drugs, I was willing to try, again and again. But little did I know that what I thought was salvation and love was all her manipulation. The pain in my heart made it almost impossible to breathe, a side effect of testing Isabella’s drugs for so long. I was afraid to tell her, so I never did. She probably already knew I was being tortured every night, but she didn't care. Every detail of being with Isabella kept flashing through my mind. For the past seven years, I had been her guinea pig, experiencing countless near-death experiences. Each time, she tried her best to save me. She was genuinely afraid of losing me. Only because she didn't want to lose someone who was so much like Jason, someone she could continue testing drugs on. My hand shook as I pulled out my phone and checked Isabella’s financial records. She had a large sum of money in a Swiss bank account and had also bought a lot of life insurance. All of them, without exception, were under the same name: Jason. 3 Turns out every penny Isabella earned had been given to Jason. All these years, I thought she was noble and had no savings, so I worked hard to support her dreams while also being her guinea pig. How utterly ridiculous! Just then, someone added me on social media. Looking at the profile picture, I knew instinctively it was Jason. The photo showed two hands intertwined, one of which was Isabella’s. She had been injured in the lab, so she had a burn scar on the back of her hand. I clicked on Jason’s timeline. The latest post was a photo of someone wearing an apron, with their back to the camera. The caption read: [How lucky to have a woman who’s willing to cook for you!] Isabella had told me she couldn't cook and hated the smell of grease, so even when I was recovering from surgery, I endured the pain to cook for her. But around Jason, her principles, likes, and dislikes disappeared. It wasn't that she didn't like to cook; she just didn't want to cook for me. I scrolled down further. This past Valentine's Day, Isabella had taken Jason to France and bought him priceless artwork. They kissed in front of the Louvre, rowed on the Seine, and read together in the library. That day, Isabella just ordered me a cake. She even misspelled my name on the card. For Jason’s birthday, Isabella arranged a huge fireworks display. That night, I had my second heart attack. I almost died in the hospital. ······ Tears blurred my vision. I clutched my chest, curled up on the bed, and every breath was agonizing. So, in Isabella’s eyes, I was just a guinea pig, a scapegoat for Jason. She gave everything she had to Jason and left me with nothing but fake concern. I didn't sleep all night. Isabella sent me countless messages. Before, I thought she shared everything with me because she loved me. Actually, she was just afraid I'd find out the truth, afraid of losing me as her guinea pig. This time, I was going to disappoint her. I contacted a fake death agency and asked them to arrange a faked death as quickly as possible. Isabella came back late, and the moment she walked in, she couldn't wait to hug me. Her voice was tired, and her eyes were bloodshot. "Honey, I've been working in the lab all day. I'm exhausted. Did you miss me?" Before, I would have felt sorry for her. But now, I just felt disgusted. She loved someone else, yet she could still put on this act of deep affection. "Are you mad?" She pinched my nose affectionately. "I'm not going anywhere today. I'm staying with you, okay?" I didn't say anything. Anyway, I was leaving her soon. Even this child wasn't worth keeping around. There was no need to play the lovey-dovey act anymore. The phone rang suddenly. Isabella looked at the text message with a puzzled expression. "What kind of service did you sign up for that goes into effect in five hours?" I snatched the phone from her. It was a message from the fake death agency. They had taken care of everything for me. It would take effect in five hours. I forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just company stuff." Although Isabella’s eyes flashed with suspicion, she was confident in my love for her, so she didn't ask any more questions. She just took my hand and said: "Honey, I miss you every minute." "Don't ever leave me, okay?" A bitter feeling rose in my throat. I lowered my eyes and nodded. Isabella, soon there won't be a Ben around anymore. Soon, I'll be gone from your life forever. We'll never see each other again. Before Isabella could even change, she got a call. "What? Something happened to Jason? Wait for me. I'm coming back right now!" Isabella looked panicked and rushed out the door without even a glance at me. But my heart didn't even flutter. Before faking my death, I needed a good reason. So, I opened a chat window with Jason. [I'm Isabella’s husband. Let's meet.] 4 Jason was still talking to Isabella when he came to see me. He deliberately put her on speaker so I could hear Isabella’s gentle and loving voice. "Jason, you're not feeling well. Why are you running around?" "If something happens to you, what am I supposed to do?" Jason had a winning smile on his face. "I missed you so much. When are you going to give me the medicine you promised?" "Are you having second thoughts about that other guy? You don't want to lose him?" Isabella was silent for a moment, then smiled helplessly. "You're the only one in my heart." "I have to let him try it out first before I dare give it to you. I don't want you to be hurt, not even a little bit." I clenched the sleeve of my shirt under the table, a bitter smile on my face. After hanging up, Jason looked at me provocatively. "Isabella is really going to great lengths for me." His eyes and brows were full of a winner's pride. His skin was rosy, and he didn't look sick at all. I turned to look at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, and I was emaciated. From testing Isabella’s drugs over and over, my body had long become extremely weak. "I might as well tell you the truth. I'm not really sick." "She's letting you test the drugs just because of something I said." I should have known. Isabella was a medical genius. How could she not know that Jason was faking it? She just loved him too much, loved him so much that she was willing to let me die. "I didn't come here to fight you over Isabella. I'll leave her, but you have to do one thing for me." Meeting Jason’s mocking gaze, I said: "I just want the new drug from her lab. Anyway, I'm going to be testing it. What difference does it make if I take it a day earlier or later?" I felt a lot better after leaving the hotel. These past few days, I'd been clinging to Isabella, never leaving her side. At first, she was patient, but later she became extremely impatient. But I didn't care, as long as I could get the drug. Three days later, Jason brought me Isabella’s new drug. After swallowing the pill, I completely relaxed. Before the fake death agency staff arrived, I packed up all my belongings, tore up all my photos and threw them in the trash, and replaced every frame with photos of Isabella and Jason. I was leaving, and there would be no one to stand in their way anymore. Just before I lay down on the hospital bed, my phone suddenly rang. Isabella had sent me a long voice message saying she couldn't be with me for New Year's Eve because the lab was too busy. But the background noise in the voice message was clearly the airport departure lounge, announcing her flight to the Maldives was about to take off. I knew without a doubt that Isabella was going on vacation with Jason. It had been like this for years. No matter what the holiday, she always spent it with Jason. Even if I was about to die in the hospital, she would go celebrate Jason’s birthday. Now, she didn't even bother to pretend. I smiled mockingly and closed my eyes as instructed by the staff. I told myself: Ben, soon you can leave Isabella forever. At the same time. The moment she landed in the Maldives, Isabella received a call from the hospital in the US. Her student’s voice was panicky and trembling. "Professor! Ben found out about you and Jason! He took the new drug you developed in the lab." "His heart stopped! He died after failed resuscitation!"
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