He Abandoned Me in the Flames

I was the protagonist of dead literature.

My husband Nolan Stewart chose to save his unforgettable crush Flora Morgan in the fire.

Our sevenyear marriage was shattered overnight.

My last plea to him was: "Nolan, come back, or I will die."

However, he asked me to respect life and stop seeking death.

Then he continued to play the role of the perfect boyfriend in Flora's live broadcast.

He didn't know that everything I said was true.

I could die, but they couldn't live happily either.

——

Candles, wine, delicacies, and a cake.

Everything was ready, except for tonight's male protagonist, Nolan Stewart.

The pointer of the catshaped clock on the wall pointed to eight, but the door was still tightly closed late in the evening.

No one had come back.

The quiet home only had the ticking sound of the clock.

I dialed Nolan's phone number.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

By the time a mechanical female voice was about to come through the phone, he finally answered.

"Elise Murphy, what's the matter again?"

Nolan's voice was filled with deep impatience, and he was panting imperceptibly.

I tried to keep my voice calm.

"When are you coming back?"

Nolan remained silent as if trying to recall why he had to go back tonight.

He had indeed forgotten that today was our seventh wedding anniversary.

Before he could speak, a clear and beautiful female voice came from the phone.

"Nolan, I feel so comfortable. Let's do it again."

I was quite familiar with the voice, as it was the voice of Nolan's unforgettable crush, Flora Morgan.

After we got married, Nolan spent more time with her than with me, his wife.

Nolan being with her was within my expectations.

But that sentence of hers still disgusted me.

"What are you doing, Nolan?"

Nolan cleared his throat, his voice becoming more impatient.

"I'm helping Flora with rehabilitation training. What do you think I'm doing?"

"Rehabilitation training? It's been two years and it's still going on."

"Elise, can't you have a little compassion? Flora needs care because she suffered severe burns."

I didn't want to argue with him about that anymore, so I took a deep breath and changed the subject.

"Nolan, today is our wedding anniversary. Can you come back?"

"We celebrate our wedding anniversary every year. Can you take responsibility for delaying Flora's recovery?"

Nolan's voice was extremely cold.

I could imagine him frowning on the other end of the phone.

I could also hear a woman's soft urging on the phone, "Hurry up."

I begged Nolan with gritted teeth for the last time.

"Nolan, come back, or I will die."

Nolan sneered.

"Elise, please respect life and stop seeking death. Be sensible."

All right, there was no need to waste words anymore.

I hung up the phone directly, not even wanting to say goodbye.

Nolan didn't know that what I said was true.

I would die on January 1st at midnight.

Since they wouldn't give me a way out, I would take them with me.

Two years ago, a fire in the school auditorium trapped me and Flora.

My husband, Nolan, was a firefighter.

In the fire, he stepped over my body, which was pressed by heavy objects, and shouted "Flora" while searching for Flora's figure.

Flora was his goddess in college, his unforgettable crush.

He didn't call my name.

Nor did he see me, barely alive under the ruins.

I was suffocated by the thick smoke and was finally saved by his colleagues.

The moment I breathed fresh air, I saw him carrying Flora and rushing out of the fire in the chaotic crowd.

I was unharmed.

Flora suffered severe burns.

So, I should compromise.

That was Nolan's logic.

I clicked open Flora's live broadcast room.

She was livestreaming her burn recovery training.

Wearing a lowcut dress, she was revealing the large scars on her neck, trying to seek sympathy from netizens.

Nolan also showed in the camera, gently helping Flora with joint recovery training.

His eyes were filled with indulgence and tenderness.

Netizens' comments quickly scroll by.

[Dear, you're so strong. I'll send you some gifts to show support.]

[Beautiful girl, your optimistic attitude towards life has touched me.]

[I've donated some money to you, doing what I can.]

[Your boyfriend is a nice person, never leaving you. Thumbs up to you guys.]

Nolan saw that comment but did not clarify the issue.

I remembered that Flora once cried and begged me privately.

"Elise, you are unharmed, but I am burned like this. Can't you just let me have Nolan?"

That was the first time I confronted her headon, shocked by her hypocritical words.

I mercilessly retorted, "What do your burns have to do with me? Why should I let you have my husband?"

She wiped away her tears, her eyes filled with ambition.

"Then let's get him by our means."

I slapped her.

It was shameless of her to willingly be a mistress of Nolan knowing that he had a wife.

That day, Nolan skipped work for the first time and rushed home to question me.

"Elise Murphy, how could you be so heartless? Flora's parents died in the fire, and she managed to escape from the fire. Instead of sympathizing with her, you slapped her. Are you still human?"

I was stunned, staring at his handsome face, which was now red with anger.

I raised my hand and slapped him too.

"Nolan, don't you know who you are?"

He seemed to have forgotten that he was my husband.

He forgot that I also managed to escape from that big fire.

He forgot that my parents died in that fire too.

Most importantly, he forgot that he used my bank card to pay for Flora's medical expenses.

I was so kindhearted, paying for Flora's medical expenses and letting her steal my husband.

No wonder that Flora had the nerve to show off in front of me, Nolan's wife.

After all, she didn't need to fight at all.

Nolan had always wanted her.

I, however, was just Nolan's simp.

After that fire, Nolan didn't remember me until after he put Flora in the hospital.

At that time, I was choked by the thick smoke and suffered from severe pain in my internal organs, lying on the hospital bed struggling to breathe.

I had no external injuries, but I knew I was dying.

Seeing that I was not injured, Nolan said symbolically, "Have a good rest."

He then turned and went to Flora's ward.

I could tell that he was disappointed.

He was disappointed that I wasn't the one who got burned.

He was disappointed that I didn't die in the fire.

That way, he could receive my legacy.

And he could be with Flora forever.

It was on that day that I awakened the System.

The System told me that I was the female protagonist of dead literature.

After being a simp of the male lead for many years, I still couldn't get his love even though I became his wife.

Only when I died could the male lead feel heartwrenching guilt.

But I didn't want to die yet.

If I died, I would have nothing.

So, I asked the System to keep me alive.

The System agreed.

But the price was that I must make Nolan say "I love you" to me within two years to extend my life.

I could continue to live as long as he said "I love you" to me at least once.

It should be the simplest thing for a couple.

But for me, it was nearly impossible.

He had never said that to me proactively.

Even when we got married, he didn't say it.

Today was our wedding anniversary, but I couldn't even see his face.

Nolan was a firefighter and usually lived at the fire station.

He spent all the break time he had on Flora.

That fire left Flora with severe burns on her limbs, neck, and back.

Now Flora had become a somewhat famous Internet celebrity, relying on live streaming to gain sympathy from netizens.

Nolan went to accompany Flora whenever he had a vacation.

I couldn't remember how long it had been since he last came back to our home.

It had been so long that there was no trace of him living there.

My last chance of survival was ruined by him.

What's the use of just making him feel guilty if I'm dead?

His guilt is worthless.

I don't need his cheap guilt.

Since I cannot avoid death, I'll let them die with me.

I randomly captured a part of Flora's live broadcast and posted a scree.

Then I enjoyed half of the prepared dinner by myself.

The remaining half was fed to the stray dog downstairs.

I took a comfortable bath when I got home.

After applying a facial mask, I went to sleep.

The next day, I was awakened by Nolan's intense knocking on the door.

I opened the bedroom door and felt a bit uncomfortable by his sudden appearance.

"Disturbing my sleep on a weekend morning. Don't you have any manners?"

Nolan dragged me to the living room and angrily pointed at the video on his phone, asking, "Elise Murphy, are you out of your mind? You spread rumors about Flora with the video. Do you know that Flora has been cyberbullied?"

I took a look and realized that it was the video I posted last night, and it had already been shared over 100,000 times.

In the video, Nolan was gently helping Flora with her socalled recovery, and some netizen had the following comment.

[Flora's boyfriend is so gentle. They are so loving.]

I posted the video with the following caption:

[On our seventh wedding anniversary, my husband acted as the boyfriend of a female Internet celebrity in her live streaming.]

Overnight, the video went viral.

Netizens all criticized Flora for being the other woman.

I turned around to pour myself some water and glanced at Nolan sideways.

"The video was taken from her live broadcast, and every word in the caption is a fact. Why do you think I started a rumor?"

Nolan couldn't reason with me, so he started attacking me emotionally.

"Do you have any sympathy? Flora is already in such a miserable state, and yet you still added insult to injury."

"Oh, I can't tell she's miserable. She earns a fortune from live streaming, and she has my husband care for her. I don't live as well as she does."

I looked at Nolan, whose sweat was dripping from his forehead due to anxiety.

When he shouted Flora's name in the fire, he had the same expression on his face.

I clenched the cup in my hand, my knuckles turning white.

Even though my heart was already dead, it still got stung by the inertia of my affection.

Seeing that I was being aggressive, Nolan softened his attitude.

"Elise, if you make a video clarifying that we are divorced and Flora is not the other woman, I won't hold you accountable for hurting Flora."

I thought my ears were not working properly. How dare he say something like that to me?

I took out the divorce agreement and threw it in front of him.

"Sign it, and I will make the video as you wish."

On the white paper, the words "Divorce Agreement" were written.

Nolan's pupils dilated, and he asked me loudly, "Elise, do you want to divorce me?"

I said coldly, "Do you think the netizens are all fools? If you don't want to divorce, how dare I make the video as you require? It's okay if you don't want a divorce. Just wait for Flora to be cyberbullied.

"Nowadays, things on the Internet spread like wildfire. If you hesitate for one more moment, the whole country will know that Flora is the other woman."

Nolan nodded helplessly but still said confidently, "Okay, let's get divorced now. We can remarry after the situation calms down."

He was so confident that his confidence was overflowing.

He wanted to remarry me maybe because he couldn't bear to part with my money.

After all, the inheritance and company assets left to me by my parents were enough for me to live several lifetimes.

And Nolan, he was just a poor man.

After so many years of marriage, he had been using my supplementary card.

He wouldn't easily let go of an ATM that loved him and was willing to spend money on him.

He was anxious to clarify for Flora and signed the document without even looking at it.

I guessed he believed that I had been his simp and wouldn't scheme against him.

But in fact, what I drafted in the agreement was to make him leave with nothing.

I was anxious to get a divorce because I didn't want to die with my tombstone still saying "Nolan's beloved wife".

In that case, I was not carefree even as a spirit.

After we finished registering for divorce, he reminded me, "Hurry up and post the video I asked for. Flora is waiting for me. She's scared to be alone. Look at the mess you've caused, and I have to clear it up for you.

"By the way, increase the credit limit of the card to 200,000 dollars for me. I'm leaving."

I stared at his back as he left without looking back, sneering.

I took out my phone and immediately suspended my supplementary card.

I would post another video, but it may not be what they thought.