The Perfect Victim

Claire had always been severely allergic to shellfish, so I deliberately made shrimp alfredo for dinner.

When red hives spread across her face and her breathing grew strained, I panicked. I was afraid she might actually die, and the police would charge me with murder, so I quickly fed her allergy medication.

The comments were ruthless.

[From scalding hot water to serving food that triggers her allergy, no one's buying that he's innocent. Authorities seriously need to investigate him!]

[Claire really loves him so much. What more could he possibly want?]

[He's definitely cheating on her. Who randomly brings flowers to the neighbor? Claire can't satisfy him, so he's pursuing other women.]

[Good thing the network decided to do hidden cameras. At least we can see the truth.]

...

As I was washing dishes in the kitchen after dinner, I replayed everything that had happened today over and over in my mind.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through my waist.

Claire had stuck a long, thin acupuncture needle into my side.

I frantically escaped to a spot where the camera could clearly capture everything. I looked at Claire's crazed expression. Even though I was in pain, I could not help being elated because she was finally exposing herself.

Late that night, after Claire fell asleep, I snuck into the stairwell and contacted Holly.

"Holly, it's me."

The woman on the other end responded coldly, sounding somewhat annoyed.

I gripped my phone, almost ready to cry. "Holly, did you see today's livestream?"

After three years, I had finally seen hope.

Holly scoffed. "Of course, I saw it. Louis, you abused your wife, your savior. Aren't you afraid of karma?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I asked, "Didn't you watch tonight's livestream?"

She answered impatiently, "Even with hidden cameras, we still respect privacy. It automatically cuts off after nine at night."

A wave of endless disappointment crashed over me, and I could barely hear Holly's next sentence.

"I suggest you treat your wife better. You're already being dragged all over the internet. If this keeps up, I'm afraid you'll get beaten up just walking outside."

With that, she hung up.

The spot on my waist where Claire had stabbed me earlier now throbbed with intensifying pain.

I bent over, unable to stand straight. Then, I searched for that day's news coverage, scrolling through article after article.

The livestream had been screenshot and turned into countless videos.

The footage of me splashing hot water on Claire, the video of me giving flowers to the neighbor downstairs, and even the scene where I deliberately cooked something she was allergic to and pressured her to eat it.

Below the videos were nothing but comments cursing me out.

[What an animal! Has he forgotten who he owes his life to?]

[It seems that when some debts are too much of a burden, it ends with hands around your throat.]

[I'm suddenly terrified of marriage. Either you get killed before the wedding or after. Sooner or later, a man will destroy you.]

[Even through the screen, I feel suffocated. Marriage is a gamble. If you face abuse like this, you need to use the law to protect yourself.]

[Can this jerk just drop dead? I'm so angry!]

[Ungrateful piece of trash. Without Claire, he'd be long dead by now!]

I had heard all of those things countless times before. Then again, if it were not for Claire, I never would have been trapped under that rubble in the first place.

Over the years, because of Claire's tantrums, I had lost my job, my friends, and any semblance of my own life. Whenever I did anything that slightly displeased her, she would call the police and claim that I was trying to kill her.

I numbly scrolled through the videos, until one particular video caught my eye.

In that instant, I understood why Claire had been acting so strange that day.

The next morning, the livestream started up again.

Claire had transformed back into that gentle wife. She thoughtfully prepared breakfast for me and attentively watched my every move.

[Wow, she's such an amazing woman. If her legs weren't injured, I'd totally want to marry her.]

[I hope this man realizes that the woman who loves him most is already right beside him.]

The comments were filled with nothing but praise for what a good woman Claire was.

I watched her struggle to push her wheelchair toward the kitchen and followed behind her. Then, I picked up the knife I had been sharpening all night, making sure everyone could see.

I stood behind Claire, aimed at her neck, and raised the knife.

The comments went crazy.

[Holy shit! What am I seeing?!]

[This has to be edited, right?]

[What is going on? Am I hallucinating?]