While my husband’s new electric car was charging, he and his mistress couldn't resist getting intimate inside. They didn't expect it, but right at the peak of their passion, the car spontaneously combusted. By the time I arrived, the fire was already raging. My husband, naked, banged frantically on the window, screaming at me: "Save me!" I approached the searing metal. But a second later, I pulled my hand back. "But honey, what should I do? I'm afraid of getting burned." 1 By the time I rushed to the parking garage, the brand-new EV had been burning for a while. My husband, Richard, and his secretary were naked inside, pounding on the windows. "Lin, save me! Get help!" It was 11 PM at his office building. The open-air parking lot was deserted. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed the car, but it was like spitting on a bonfire. "I already called 911. The fire trucks are coming!" I stared blankly at the scene, feeling nothing inside. I never thought these two cheaters would meet such an end. But in a split second, I snapped back into the role of the concerned wife. I rushed toward the flames like a madwoman, braving the heat to try and open the door. But this model had flush handles, and with the power cut from the fire, the doors were locked tight. I couldn't open them. "Lin, please! Think of something! Save me!" "I promise, if I get out of here alive, I'll be a good husband. I'll treat you right." Richard's voice cracked with tears, his eyes full of terror and despair. "For the sake of our past, please save me!" Beside him, his mistress, Mia, was choking on smoke and sobbing. "Sis, I was wrong." "I'll never seduce Mr. Sterling again, please save me!" I approached the fire again. As my palm neared the metal, the heat stung, and I instinctively recoiled. I looked at Richard through the flames as if he were a stranger. Then, mouthing the words slowly so they could see: "But what should I do? I'm afraid of getting burned." Sirens wailed in the distance, red lights flashing in the night. "Lin, you'll regret this!" Richard's roar echoed from inside the fire, but I didn't care anymore. They brought this on themselves. Luckily, they weren't burned alive. Firefighters pulled them out in a bizarre, intertwined position. I stomped out a smoldering pair of lace panties near my foot, smiled faintly, and followed the ambulance to the hospital. In the ER, time was money. "Are you family?" "I'm his wife!" The doctor looked at me with sympathy. "Your husband took performance-enhancing drugs, causing engorgement. He's currently... stuck inside the other patient and cannot be removed." I feigned a breakdown, collapsing to the floor and wailing. "Doctor, please! Save my husband!" "I can't live without him!" Nurses held me up as I swayed. "Ma'am, you need to be strong." "Both patients suffered severe burns, causing extensive fluid leakage. Their skin has fused together, including... the genitals." "We need to operate immediately to separate them, or both their lives are in danger!" "But... there's a cost." I looked up through teary eyes, suppressing my delight. "As long as you save my husband! I'll pay any price!" 2 "We need to amputate the male patient's genitals to separate them safely. However... this will affect marital life." Richard, still pressing down on Mia, had inhaled too much smoke. His throat was ruined; he could only make incoherent noises. Beneath him, Mia whimpered weakly. "Cut it off! Please, just cut it off! I want to live!" I squeezed Richard's swollen hand hard. He gritted his teeth in pain. "Hubby, you said you and Mia were true love!" "I believe even without that part, she'll still love you just the same!" Mia's eyes were red. "I love you! Richard, I love you no matter what! Let them cut it! I'll take care of you forever!" Richard tried to struggle. He stared down at Mia, a low growl vibrating in his throat like a demon. Mia trembled, begging, "Richard, I'll serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!" "I love your money! No... I mean, I love you! Even without that thing, I'm yours!" Richard looked at her, eyes seemingly full of deep emotion. He turned his head to meet my gaze. I saw resolve in his eyes. He nodded forcefully. Afraid he'd change his mind, I quickly signed the consent form. The red light of the OR turned green. After surgery, Richard went into a hyperbaric chamber. Mia, with no family present yet, was sent to a regular ward, hanging on by a thread. I stood by the observation window, looking at Richard wrapped like a mummy. Memories of our years together flooded back. We were college sweethearts. I stayed with him while he built his business from nothing, suffering through hardships, thinking we'd eventually enjoy the fruits of our labor. I remember our first office was a converted basement. In winter, we huddled in down jackets on the floor. In summer, we survived on three fans. He'd have a 102-degree fever and still edit contracts. I'd wipe him down with alcohol to cool him off. Back then, he always said when the company took off, he'd buy me a big house. Who knew that once he got money, he'd fall for a fresh college grad? His reason for divorce was laughable. "Mia came from a small town to the big city. It's not easy for her. I don't want her to suffer anymore." She couldn't suffer, so I had to be the one to suffer. Like I was born to be a doormat. When his first venture failed, I worked days at an investment bank and spent nights drinking with clients to get him funding. He forgot all of that. The first time he asked for a divorce, I cried uncontrollably. I knelt and begged him to remember the days we ate instant noodles in the basement. He pushed me away. "You look disgusting right now." The second time, I begged him to just live our lives. He threw his wedding ring in my face. "Let's just end it. Dragging this out is pointless!" The third time, I agreed. He said he could only give me half the assets because giving more would make Mia jealous. I agreed to that too. At that point, I just wanted to escape this wretched marriage. I wiped away my tears, mocking myself. Richard and I were still in the divorce cooling-off period. The doctor said his burns were extensive, infection risk high. Maybe I wouldn't need to divorce to get all of Richard's assets. I should be laughing. Just then, my phone rang. I stared at the caller ID: "Mother-in-Law." My fingers trembled slightly in the antiseptic air. Right, I almost forgot about you. 3 "Lin! Send me some money." I pressed answer, forcing a sob into my voice. "Mom... we're at the City Hospital Burn Unit..." "Richard was burned!" "Don't you dare curse my son!" my mother-in-law screamed. "You haven't even divorced him yet, and you're cursing him?" "It's all your fault! If you hadn't harassed him, he wouldn't turn off his phone so much. Now I can't reach him either." "You have to take responsibility!" Back when I was trying to save the marriage, I called and texted Richard day and night. He got tired of it, blocked me, and I used different numbers. Finally, he just started turning his phone off. Waiting for his reply was like a black hole, swallowing me over and over. Hearing my silence, she assumed I was submitting. "I'm hiking with my sisters. Send me money!" "Mom, I don't have money. Richard's treatment costs thousands a day!" "I'm warning you, stop cursing my son! Transfer the money now!" "If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll put in a good word for you with Richard." "I don't want much. Just send two million for now!" Before I could speak, the line went dead. Fine. Since she insisted. I grabbed a nurse changing Richard's dressing. I knelt down, eyes red. "Please tell the doctor... we have no money left. No imported drugs, just the basics!" "We can't afford the hyperbaric chamber anymore. Can you put a cot in a regular ward? We'll squeeze." The nurse tried to pull me up. "Ma'am, don't panic. I'll ask the doctor!" Richard was awake. He couldn't speak, just making guttural noises. I wiped his dry lips with a wet swab. "Hubby, I'm so sorry!" "Your mom just called. She demanded two million dollars." "I really couldn't come up with it. You'll have to suffer a bit!" He got agitated, growling low in his throat. "If you want to blame someone, blame your mother!" "I called her to tell her you were burned, but she said I was lying. She refuses to come back and see you." "See? You always wanted to leave me. In the end, I'm the only one by your side." "Boohoo..." Richard thrashed, tearing his wounds. Yellow fluid seeped through the bandages, the smell nauseating. But he was a cripple now. And I was his only family. His life was in my hands. "Are you sure? Changing the treatment plan now... it's leaving it up to fate." The doctor confirmed repeatedly. I nodded firmly. "My mother-in-law needs the money urgent. I'm at a dead end." "Should I call your mother-in-law to confirm?" So, under the doctor's gaze, I called her. "Lin! Why haven't you sent the money?! I'm telling you! If you don't send it now, I'll make my son kick you out and marry that little vixen!" I lowered my head awkwardly, tears dripping onto my hand. The doctor took the phone, suppressing his anger. "Is this Richard's mother? This is the City Hospital Burn Unit. I need to discuss Richard's post-op treatment." "Burn unit my ass!" "Are you Lin's side piece?" "Great! You dog couple waiting for my son to be away to scam me!" "Listen, Lin! Send two million right now! Or I'm telling Richard!" "Just wait until I get back, see how Richard deals with you!" "Mom, at least tell me what you need that much money for?" I wailed. "If I send it, what do I tell Richard when he asks?" "None of your business! Do I need to report to you to use my son's money? Look at yourself, who do you think you are?" She hung up. "Unbelievable." The doctor stood up, composing himself. "We'll do as you asked." To save money, Richard was moved to a cot in the hallway of a general ward. The hallway reeked of disinfectant. The overhead fluorescent lights stung Richard's eyes, making them water. I thoughtfully put sunglasses on him. "Hubby, now no one can see you crying." Just like those nights he cheated, he never wanted to see me cry. Not out of pity, but disgust. After taking care of him personally for a few days, I hired the cheapest caretaker I could find. I had more important things to do. 4 I had investigated Richard's assets when preparing for the divorce. Now it came in handy. Richard had secretly bought a 1,600 sq ft condo after we married—his love nest with Mia. With our marriage certificate, I got the keys from the property management. It was filled with proof of his love for Mia. Ironically, when we got married, we were so broke we couldn't afford wedding photos. Back then, he held me on a simple wooden bed in a rental, put a soda tab ring on my finger. "One day, I'll give you the best of everything!" Now, this house stood as irrefutable proof of my pathetic marriage. "Sell this place!" I turned to the agent. "I need it gone fast. Transfer this month." "No problem, sis!" The agent took photos and videos professionally. "And the other two properties you saw. Sell them all, expedited. Price is negotiable." "You got it!" I was converting everything related to Richard into cash. Only money never betrays you. I sold Richard's equity to his company's rival. He climbed fast these years, making plenty of enemies. Now that he was down, many wanted to watch him burn. By the time I liquidated our joint assets, half a month had passed. When I went back to see Richard, he was agitated, making noises. "Hubby, I finally scraped the money together." "Don't worry, I'll make sure the doctors treat you 'well'." Richard looked at me gratefully. Those were just comforting lies, like the promises he made back then. "I prepared a special gift for you." Amidst his expectation, I opened the box. "How do you like this little toy?" "I went to several design firms to get it custom made for your... measurements." The moment he saw it, his eyes filled with breakdown. I had stepped precisely on his pain point. He let out a hysterical scream, twisting his bandaged body like a bursting maggot. "Seeing you so excited, I knew you'd like it." "Out with the old, in with the new!" "Look, rechargeable is better. If you and Mia get in the mood later, just push the button. It's waterproof too." "Way better than those pills you used to take." "Technology is amazing, isn't it? Such a blessing for mankind!" "Mmm... uhhh..." He couldn't speak. I leaned in close. "Aww, you're thanking me even like this?" "We're husband and wife, no need to be so polite." Because of the fire, Richard's eyelids were burned off. He couldn't close his eyes. He could only stare at my smiling face, tears flowing. Maybe he really didn't want to see me. He pushed his head back against the bed, groaning, trying to turn away. "Too moved for words?" "You know, hubby?" "I contributed a lot to your and Mia's happiness!" I sneered. "Mia would love this if she saw it!" "After all, she said no matter what you became, she'd serve you like a slave!" "Oops! Wait!" I covered my mouth theatrically, adopting an innocent, weak tone. "She probably can't serve you in this life." Richard's twisted face showed shock. "You're in the same hospital, didn't you know?" "Your precious Mia had a massive infection. No saving her. The doctors said they did their best." I played with a loose thread on his bandage. "But it's okay. You have the next life!" Richard braced his feet, eyeballs bulging, staring straight at me, screaming with all his might. Only two garbled syllables came out: "Poison... woman!" "Tofu?" I patted his chest symbolically. "Still thinking about eating tofu in your condition?" "You're so dedicated!" Veins popped on his neck. His bandaged stump twitched under the restraints, his throat making a sound like a broken bellows. "Look at you! Can't even speak clearly!" "Tools confiscated, and you're still thinking about that?" BEEP BEEP BEEP... The monitor screamed. Richard's blood pressure skyrocketed. I ran out into the hall screaming. "Help! My husband is dying!" Richard went back into the ER. While waiting anxiously, my mother-in-law called again. "Lin! I'm begging you, okay? Send me two million!" Her voice was much softer this time. "I can't reach Richard. Help me. When I get back, I'll write you an IOU!" "But Mom, Richard is in the ER being resuscitated! We really don't have extra money!" "Lin!" "Stop lying to me!" Wailing came from the other end. "I can't reach Richard." "I really have no choice but to ask you!" "I went hiking and met a fit young guy. I couldn't control myself." "But it was a badger game! They took photos!" "If those photos get out, I'm ruined!" Her crying made my head throb. "Mom, for something like this, you should call the police!" "Richard needs money here. I really can't help." Just then, the doctor came out. "Gotta go." I hung up and rushed over, grabbing the doctor. "How is my husband?"
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