She Stole My Life for Him

On my wedding day, I find out my wife has a system that lets her swap two people's lives. Once my love for her reaches its peak, she can make me switch lives with the man she's always loved. She makes me fall for her on purpose, all so she and that man can take everything I own. But after the swap, she comes to me with red-rimmed eyes and begs me to switch back. I smile and shove her away. "It's just cancer. Why should that stop you two from being together?" Chapter 1 I watched Audrey Lennon walk slowly toward me in her white wedding gown. I had imagined this moment more times than I could count. My feelings were different every time, but I had always looked forward to the day it finally came. Audrey wore a perfectly composed smile and looked so happy that the whole thing almost felt like a dream. You would think we'd been in love for years and that getting married was simply the natural next step for us. When I slipped the ring onto her finger, her face lit up. Before she could say, "I do," a dull ache suddenly pulsed through my head. Everything started spinning, and I stumbled, nearly falling. Audrey caught me and asked if I was okay, but I could see the impatience in her eyes. It hurt. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't bring myself to ask any of the questions I'd been holding back. Then I lost consciousness, and all the hurt and resentment I'd been carrying suddenly didn't matter anymore. Even as everything went dark, I wondered if she would be worried about me. But after I blacked out, I heard a mechanical voice. "Congratulations. Mission complete. Affection level has reached 100%. Calculating reward..." The cold, emotionless voice made me breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God. I'd finally succeeded. When I woke up again, I was slumped over a table at the wedding reception. The people around me looked at me with disgust. "No wonder Audrey isn't interested in someone like you. Just look at Mr. Hatcher. He's rich and powerful. What do you have? All you do is drag Audrey down. I can't believe she even invited you to her wedding. I have no idea what she was thinking!" My gaze slowly shifted to the body that had been mine. I could already tell it was doing much better. That was when I knew for sure. Audrey's first love and I had switched souls. I hated to admit it, but her system had actually worked. Watching Audrey take his hand with so much affection still sent a dull ache through my chest. I had treated her so well, and it still wasn't enough. She chose to team up with her first love anyway, even making me fall for her just so she could switch our lives and help him take everything I owned. But anything they got without earning it would never truly be theirs. The man glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, looking smug as he laced his fingers through Audrey's and raised their joined hands. The room erupted in applause and cheers. My eyes met Audrey's. She looked away guiltily, then turned back to the man beside her and looked at him lovingly. I scoffed. If she loved him that much, then finding out he had cancer shouldn't change anything. She'd stay by his side no matter what, right? She'd better not disappoint me. Chapter 2 I first met Audrey at work. Everyone at the company said she was hardworking and capable. As a shareholder, I traveled a lot for business and was constantly going from one meeting to another. Normally, I could handle things on my own, even without an interpreter. But when my secretary suddenly had something come up, he recommended Audrey to fill in. She had just gone through a breakup at the time and often seemed distracted while working with me. What surprised me was how quickly she pulled herself together whenever I needed her. No matter how distracted she'd been, she always took care of everything she was supposed to. After a while, I started to like her. She was smart, and I couldn't help being curious about her. I'd given her a ride home a few times when it was convenient. Eventually, I ran into her ex-boyfriend, Russell Walker. One look at him was enough to tell he still had feelings for Audrey. She just stared at him, her eyes filling with tears. I figured it wasn't any of my business, so after dropping her off, I drove away. But maybe I was worried about her after all, because I ended up pulling over just around the corner. Russell had a tight grip on Audrey's hand, and she couldn't pull free. She just stood there crying, like a scared little animal that didn't know how to fight back. I guess I felt sorry for her, because by the time I realized what I was doing, she was already back in my car. When I looked back, Russell was glaring at me. I started the car and drove away. That was how things started between Audrey and me. What I didn't expect was that not long after we started dating, I caught her meeting Russell behind my back. They were holding each other then, just as tightly as they were now. I stayed even after the wedding was over. Everyone around me looked at me like I was pathetic, which only made the whole thing feel even more ironic. Of course they all thought it was ridiculous for me to stay. What none of them knew was that given the choice, Audrey would still choose Russell over me. Once we were alone, Russell came over and finally dropped the act. Wearing my face, he gave me a vicious grin and said something I never would have. "I couldn't be happier. Bet you never saw this coming, Shane. You're me now, and everything you had is mine. Your money, your woman, all of it!" I looked past him at Audrey. She was clinging to Russell, half-hiding behind him with a nervous look on her face. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Audrey, did you forget how he used to treat you?" Her expression shifted for a second, but she immediately shot back, "He won't do it again. He promised me he wouldn't. He won't!" I'd known all along that she wouldn't choose me, but hearing her defend him still stung. I'd already been prepared to turn their own plan against them, but that didn't change the fact that I'd once had real feelings for her. It took me several tries to figure out how the AI system decided whether two people were in love. Apparently, it looked at all the little things you did for each other. If that was all it took, I could easily do even more. But not everything I did was fake. I really had fallen for Audrey. I had loved her. Still, whenever it came down to a choice, she chose Russell. I wasn't the kind of man who made love my whole life. I had a business empire of my own. If she didn't want me, then I wasn't going to keep wanting her either. She probably had no idea when I'd figured everything out. Maybe it was when I had a fever and she chose to be with Russell instead. Or maybe it was one of those nights when she kept having nightmares and called out Russell's name in her sleep. There had been so many signs that I'd lost count. I looked her in the eyes and smiled. "Let's hope so." I hoped he never hit her again. I hoped he never insulted her again. And I hoped he never came to her for money after gambling it away. After all, they had far worse things coming. Chapter 3 I left the wedding feeling lighter than I ever had. The last time I'd felt this free was after Mom and Dad divorced, when I threw myself into getting into college and building a life of my own. Now, for the second time in my life, I felt that same freedom. And this time, I was finally free of cancer. I'd started to suspect that Audrey had another reason for getting close to me. I didn't want to believe it, but I still had someone look into both her and Russell. Even then, it never crossed my mind that she wanted Russell to take my place. Then one day, I noticed she'd left her phone screen on. Normally, I never would have pried into her private life. But the image of her in Russell's arms kept replaying in my head. Before I knew it, I'd picked up her phone. Her notes were filled with details about me, including what I liked to eat, what foods I hated, and what time I worked out. She'd written down all my habits. I couldn't help feeling a little happy. For a moment, I thought she really did love me. I even hated myself for doubting the woman I loved. I was about to put her phone down when a message popped up on the screen. "Got it. Don't worry. I won't give myself away." The moment I saw the contact, my blood ran cold. She'd saved it as a heart emoji, but the profile picture wasn't mine. Pain shot through my chest, like someone had stabbed me straight through the heart. It hurt just as much as being stabbed in the back by a close friend I trusted in business. My fingers felt stiff as I opened the message, and a familiar name jumped out at me. "Russell, I made this list of all his habits just for you. Make sure you memorize everything so you won't get caught when the time comes!" Why did Russell need to memorize my habits? And why would that keep him from getting caught? It was only one short message, but it sent a chill through my whole body. I could barely think. Then I heard Audrey calling my name, her cheerful voice coming closer. I quickly marked the message as unread and put her phone back on the table. By the time she opened the bedroom door, I was already making the bed. Her eyes went straight to the phone on the nightstand. She hurried over and checked it, then visibly relaxed when everything seemed normal. I acted like I hadn't noticed. "Audrey, what's wrong?" She quickly put on a smile. "Nothing, Shane. I couldn't find my phone anywhere. I thought I'd lost it!" I forced a smile, lowered my eyes, and gave a quiet "Mm." Just as she turned to leave, I called after her. "I saw a message pop up on your phone. Someone said they wouldn't give themselves away, and you saved the contact with a heart." Her face stiffened as she looked at me. "You saw that?" I wanted to see how she'd explain it, so I said hoarsely, "The message popped up on your screen." She smiled. "That's my best friend. Don't make such a big deal out of it. And if you're worried that Russell and I might get back together, you don't need to be. I'm yours now." Even though I'd seen for myself that she was still in contact with Russell, I couldn't help being a little moved by those words. Chapter 4 I asked, "Audrey, are you going back to take care of your mom today?" She nodded and smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Shane. You know she has a heart condition." I pressed my lips together. I wanted to tell her she didn't have to keep lying to me. I'd already seen who she'd really gone to meet yesterday. Before I could say anything, she suddenly pulled out a cake in a playful, mischievous way. "Hey, don't be sad, Shane. I made this just for you to make it up to you!" My chest tightened even more. I'd seen that cake before. Someone had dropped it off at the office, and I was pretty sure it was from Russell. But he'd forgotten that Audrey was allergic to mangoes. I swallowed hard but kept quiet. All I said was, "Stay here tonight." She seemed to sense that something was off with me, and eventually, she stayed. But once I started doubting her, it was hard to trust anything she did. Mom and Dad's marriage had fallen apart the same way. And the way Audrey was acting only gave me more reason to doubt her. The next morning, I wrote up a report and had a courier deliver it to the local tax office. Then I went straight to the law firm and asked for the lawyer I'd worked with before. The moment Mr. Whitmore saw that I'd really become someone else, his jaw dropped. I smiled. "What, Mr. Whitmore? It's only been a day. You don't recognize me anymore?" He shook his head. "I'm just amazed you really called it. You really did become Russell Walker." He pulled out an agreement and handed it to me. "So that gift agreement you had me draw up—" I was about to discuss what to do about the assets I'd transferred earlier when my phone suddenly rang. I held up a hand, then answered it. Audrey's hysterical voice came through the phone. "Shane Hatcher, you bastard! Why didn't you tell me you had cancer? Did you know all along that I could swap your soul with Russell's? You murderer!" Her voice was shrill, nothing like the soft, gentle way she usually spoke. Mr. Whitmore let out a sigh. "I never would've thought it, Mr. Hatcher. You really almost fell for someone who'd betray you after everything you did for her." I gave a quiet laugh and said into the phone, "It's only cancer. Why should that stop the two of you from being together?" Audrey scoffed. "Shane, if he doesn't make it, don't think I'll let you off easy." I didn't take her threat seriously. I hung up, finished discussing the asset transfers with Mr. Whitmore, and signed the papers without hesitation. But the moment I stepped out of the law firm, I saw a crowd of reporters waiting outside. A bad feeling hit me. I took off running, and sure enough, the reporters spotted me and chased after me. Then Audrey called again, her voice cold. "If Russell dies, don't expect this to end well for you." I had no idea what she'd accused me of, but right now, the only thing that mattered was keeping myself safe. The problem was, I was Russell now. I had no bodyguards. I didn't have other places I could disappear to. I couldn't even ask my friends for help because, to them, I was Russell. Then I thought of the perfect place to go.