My Final Wish: Die in Her Hands

After a sleepless night, Joshua Bennett's voice was hoarse, yet his mind was clearer than ever before.

In just one week, it would be his fifth anniversary with his wife, Olivia Peterson.

This was going to be the most unforgettable present he could ever give her.

Once Joshua hung up, his phone lit up again with the top trending headline that had been pinned there for two weeks—"Olivia Peterson Buys Luxury Estate, Hand-Plants Rose Garden to Celebrate 5th Anniversary".

Yet another grand public declaration of her devotion to Joshua.

The comment section was overflowing with envy.

"I'm totally obsessed with them! Ms. Peterson is such a diehard romantic. Word is Mr. Bennett is eight years older, and she courted him for three whole years before he gave in."

"They're literally a real-life romance novel. Remember that earthquake two years ago? Mr. Bennett got trapped, and Ms. Peterson risked her life running into the rubble. She was covered in cuts and bruises, but she kept digging. When she finally found him, she sobbed like a baby."

"Oh, and last year! Some tabloid implied they didn't have kids because Mr. Bennett was getting too old to perform. Ms. Peterson sued them straight into bankruptcy. She even went public saying she didn't care about having kids, and nobody was allowed to hurt her husband."

Reading the last comment, Joshua let out a bitter smile.

Protecting him from the world? Olivia really had kept that promise.

It was just that when it came to cutting into his flesh, she was the one who wielded the knife.

Those tabloid rumors hadn't come out of nowhere.

A year into their marriage, Joshua's doctor informed him that his test results had suddenly become abnormal, making infertility highly likely.

Joshua blamed himself relentlessly. Unable to figure out what had caused it, he was driven to the brink of despair.

Back then, Olivia had wrapped her arms around him and insisted he was all she ever needed. Kids didn't matter.

But they mattered to him.

Over the next few years, Joshua fought through the quiet shame of feeling inadequate as a man.

He swallowed his pride, went through endless body-conditioning regimens, endured countless hormone shots, and went back to the hospital time and time again.

Finally, on his eighth round of tests, he got the green light. He couldn't wait to share the miracle with Olivia.

Then the text from an unfamiliar number came through. "Your wife is carrying my baby."

Attached was an intimate bedroom photo. Olivia was lounging in skimpy lingerie, beaming happily against another man's chest. Resting on her barely-there bump was a scan showing a 12-week pregnancy.

Tears streamed down his face.

The child Joshua had prayed for over five long years was finally here. Except he wasn't the father.

The clean bill of health in his hand felt like a cruel joke, laughing at what a fool he had been.

On their wedding day, Olivia had sworn she would love him and only him for the rest of her life.

It turned out that her lifetime only lasted five years.

If that was the case, he was done with this fake marriage, and he was done with Olivia.

Just then, the door swung open.

Seeing Joshua's bloodshot eyes, Olivia immediately panicked. "What's wrong, honey? Did something happen?"

She glanced briefly at the lab results on the table, barely looking at it before pulling him into a soft embrace.

"If the test didn't go well, just forget about it. It doesn't matter if we never have kids. I've got you, and that's enough. Honey, it breaks my heart to see you sad."

Joshua managed a smile that looked worse than crying.

How hypocritical.

She was already carrying another man's child inside her.

Olivia didn't catch the coldness in his eyes and kept coaxing him, "Our anniversary is in a week. You always say you aren't the romantic type, so let me handle it this year.

"I planted a whole field of roses for you, and I set up a blue fireworks show. We'll watch them together, okay? Blue's your favorite color, right?"

Joshua stared at her, the redness in his eyes deepening.

She seemed to have completely forgotten that he had never liked blue.

"I have a gift for you in a week, too," he said.

Olivia's eyes lit up with excitement. "Honey, I can't wait! I'm going to love whatever surprise you have for me."

Joshua lowered his head without a word.

He just hoped she would actually love the surprise when the time came.