Erasing My Perfect Husband

After that day, an unspoken truce settled between us, and our daily interactions dwindled to almost nothing.

Until the company's annual charity gala.

Liam and I went on stage together to give a speech.

Everyone in the audience praised us as a match made in heaven.

Suddenly, a young man rushed onto the stage and threw a punch at Liam.

"Liam Blackwood! You hypocrite! If you don't love Chloe, why did you give her hope!"

All heads turned.

It was clear the man was one of Chloe's devoted admirers.

He sneered, his eyes full of contempt.

"Remember that lab fire? She saved you! Half her leg was burned, and she still has the scar!"

Chloe lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing a jagged scar on her calf.

Beside me, Liam's breathing hitched.

"That project that won you an international award? She was the one who stayed up for a month, behind your back, to get you the final data."

"Those so-called partnership opportunities? She was the one attending endless dinners, schmoozing partners on your behalf."

"Liam Blackwood, your success today isn't because of you and your wife. It's because of Chloe!"

The entire hall was in an uproar.

I calmly broke the silence.

"But everything she did was of her own accord. Liam never asked for any of it."

"If Chloe is using this to blackmail him, then she's nothing but a homewrecker trying to force her way into our family!"

The man, unconvinced, was about to speak again, but Chloe pulled him back, crying:

"Stop it! Elara's right. I shouldn't have fallen for Liam!"

"I did it all willingly. When you truly love someone, you don't expect anything in return."

The man looked at her, his own eyes welling with tears. "Chloe, you're too noble. It's not worth it for a man like him."

Only then did Liam slowly speak, his grip on my arm tightening.

"Elara is right. And she is my only wife. Always has been, always will be."

"Please leave. Don't stand here spouting nonsense."

His grip was strong, his voice firm.

But I could feel his arm trembling.

And as his eyes darted toward Chloe, I saw a flicker of confusion he couldn't hide.

My heart ached, as if pricked by a needle.

Even though I had already decided to leave, it still hurt.

Just then, the massive LED screen above our heads made a strange creaking noise. Then, along with its heavy frame, it came crashing down on us.

Screams erupted from the crowd.

I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

With all his might, Liam shoved me violently away.

Then, like an arrow, he lunged toward Chloe.

Bang!

The frame shattered on the floor beside me, and shards of metal cut into my skin.

Through the searing pain and my blurry vision, I saw them in the distance.

Liam was shielding Chloe with his own body as the heavy metal frame slammed into his back.

Chloe was crying, unhurt but still in shock.

Nearby, I heard a paramedic shouting:

"Sir, the intern just scraped her knee! Your wife is the one bleeding out! If we don't get to her now, she's going to die!"

Before I lost consciousness, I saw Liam sweep a crying Chloe into his arms and rush past me, disappearing from sight.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Young nurses were gossiping in hushed tones outside my door.

"Did you hear? Mr. Blackwood fractured his back saving that intern, Chloe!"

"I know, right? He's not even healed, and he's already over there changing Chloe's bandages and feeding her soup. His own wife gets nothing!"

"Tsk, he and Chloe must be the real deal. They have real chemistry."

A long time later, Liam finally came to my room.

He was holding half a bowl of soup, offering to feed me.

I swatted it from his hand, sending it crashing to the floor. "I don't want someone else's leftovers."

Hearing this, his face filled with guilt.

"Elara, I'm sorry. Chloe saved my life once. I was just repaying the favor. It was the decent thing to do."

"But I promise, nothing like this will ever happen again."

I scoffed.

So her life was a life, but mine wasn't?

I didn't argue. Instead, I threw a document at him. "Sign this."

He signed his name without even looking at it.

I smiled.

If he had flipped open a single page, he would have seen it was a postnuptial agreement, one with severe financial penalties for infidelity.

After signing, Liam said he wanted to make it up to me and suggested a ski trip to Aspen to help me relax.

But as soon as we got to the airport, his phone rang.

It was Chloe.

On the other end, she was crying so hard she could barely breathe, saying she was scared to be alone in the hospital.

Liam hung up, avoiding my gaze.

"Elara, there's an urgent project at the company. I have to go back. You go on ahead. I'll join you as soon as I can."

I waited from morning till dusk, but Liam never showed.

Chloe, however, updated her Instagram.

In the photo, her hand was intertwined with a man's. On the man's wrist was the fifth-anniversary watch I had custom-made for Liam.

The caption: [After eight years of waiting, the sun is finally shining on my world.]

I liked the post. Just then, Liam called. I didn't answer.

Night fell, and a light rain began to fall.

I suddenly felt exhausted. I wanted to go home. My real home.