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The Perfect Victim

The Perfect Victim

Short Story · Romance
By:  Perfect TimingCompleted
Language: English
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9Chapters
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Synopsis

Feel-Good Story

Plot Twists

Male POV

Live Streaming

Once again, my wife, Claire Winters, stabbed me with a silver needle. A reporter tracked me down and asked, "Louis Sterling, wasn't your wife, Claire, one of the winners of the National Inspiration Awards from ten years ago? She won the reward for saving you during the earthquake and ending up paralyzed from the waist down, right?" I stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Louis, we're from a TV station, and we're producing a tenth anniversary special about the earthquake." I rubbed my arm, which was covered in tiny needle marks, and looked her straight in the eye. I replied, "That's fine, but can you keep the cameras discreet? Claire isn't used to being in front of so many lenses." However, I never expected that on the very first day of the live broadcast, I would be dragged onto the trending charts and torn apart online.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When I got home, Claire Winters was still in the bedroom. Later, I carefully finished setting up the hidden cameras.

"You're back?"

My heart skipped.

"Why are you home so early? Don't you have work today?"

Claire smiled and waved me over. I forced myself to ignore the discomfort in my body and walked toward her.

The hidden cameras began streaming live across the internet, and the comments started flooding in.

[So, she's the one who sacrificed her own legs to save her boyfriend during the earthquake!]

[She's so beautiful. Loyal and gorgeous... She's the kind of woman men should marry!]

[Why's her husband acting so weird? It's like he doesn't even want to get close to her.]

Claire gently ran her hand over my arm. Although I pretended to stay calm, every touch made my stomach churn, especially when I saw those hands resting on the blanket.

I quickly looked away.

Just a few days ago, those same hands had jabbed silver needles into my body.

[It's settled! He's disgusted because Claire's paralyzed. Look, the second he glanced at her legs, he avoided eye contact.]

[Seriously? If it weren't for him, Claire wouldn't even be paralyzed, and now he's acting like this?]

On the day of the earthquake, I had planned to break up with Claire.

When we were together, her obsessive possessiveness had always made me uncomfortable. However, what really did it was finding out she had poisoned the stray cat I had been feeding since freshman year.

Fear, anger, and grief flooded my entire body as I realized she was terrifying.

She grabbed my arm and begged, "Louis Sterling, I was wrong. Please don't break up with me, okay? Louis, I just love you too much. I was already jealous because you spent so much time on that cat. Then, you said you were taking it with you after graduation... I couldn't handle it."

I did not want to argue with her any longer, so I turned around to leave the classroom. Just then, I felt the room start to shake.

It was an earthquake!

Our classroom was on the first floor. If I ran outside, I would make it to the open field. Just as I was about to run out, Claire yanked me back hard.

"Louis, if you're going to break up with me, I have no reason to live anymore. Let's die together."

I watched helplessly as the beam above us came crashing down.

I had no idea how long I was trapped under the rubble. All I knew was that when the rescue team finally pulled me out, countless cameras were pointed right at me.

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9 Chapters
Chapter 1
When I got home, Claire Winters was still in the bedroom. Later, I carefully finished setting up the hidden cameras."You're back?"My heart skipped."Why are you home so early? Don't you have work today?"Claire smiled and waved me over. I forced myself to ignore the discomfort in my body and walked toward her.The hidden cameras began streaming live across the internet, and the comments started flooding in.[So, she's the one who sacrificed her own legs to save her boyfriend during the earthquake!][She's so beautiful. Loyal and gorgeous... She's the kind of woman men should marry!][Why's her husband acting so weird? It's like he doesn't even want to get close to her.]Claire gently ran her hand over my arm. Although I pretended to stay calm, every touch made my stomach churn, especially when I saw those hands resting on the blanket.I quickly looked away.Just a few days ago, those same hands had jabbed silver needles into my body.[It's settled! He's disgusted because
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Chapter 2
Claire threw her arms around me, overjoyed.She cried out, "Thank goodness, Louis. You're finally awake! If you didn't make it, I wouldn't want to live either. I don't care that my legs are paralyzed. As long as I could save you, nothing else matters."In the face of disaster, people were usually selfish, yet Claire had sacrificed her legs for me, and the media praised her selfless true love endlessly.Later, to inspire hope and prove that love still existed in the world, Claire was even chosen as one of the winners for that year's National Inspiration Awards.Everyone was waiting for our happy ending. The media ran our stories daily, hoping we would get married. The whole country wanted to see the lovers end up together, and they wanted to see me show gratitude for Claire's sacrifice and return her devotion.Even my own parents said that if I betrayed Claire, they would disown me.Under everyone's expectations, I married Claire. However, three months into the marriage, Claire's
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Chapter 3
It was never hard to provoke Claire.If the water I gave her was not exactly the temperature she wanted, she would throw the cup right at me.So, I deliberately poured a cup of boiling water, and steam was rolling off the top.I said, "Honey, here's some water."I knew the camera was recording, but every time I faced Claire, I could not help feeling terrified."Thanks, honey."She smiled as she reached for the cup, even though it was obviously scalding hot. However, I did not hand it to her.Gritting my teeth, I pretended to lose my grip and spilled the boiling water all over her legs. I figured she would not be able to hold back and jump up in rage.I closed my eyes and silently counted, 'One, two, three...'Time passed, yet I did not feel the familiar fists crashing down on me.I opened my eyes and saw that Claire had not moved. Instead, she was still sitting perfectly upright in her wheelchair.Not only was she not angry at me, but she looked at me apologetically. "I'm so
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Chapter 4
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 a
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Chapter 5
That slash avoided Claire's vital areas. Just as I had expected, she never stood up.Since the livestream had drawn so much attention, the police arrived quickly to secure the scene. Soon, I was handcuffed to the couch.An ambulance arrived right behind them.Claire looked at me sadly and said, "Honey, I know what you're thinking. After all these years of taking care of someone useless like me, you must've been exhausted."If you've really found someone better, then be with her. You know that as long as you're happy, I'll be happy too. Besides, I can't even give you a child." At that point, Claire covered her face in pain, tears seeping through her fingers.Claire and I had once had a child.After my failed divorce attempts, that baby's arrival had rekindled my hope for life. I had naively thought that maybe Claire would change because of the child.However, just because I had asked the doctor, Melanie Sanchez, a few extra questions during a prenatal checkup, Claire became con
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Chapter 6
The topic of the 'earthquake couple' turning against each other exploded online immediately.Combined with days of trending hashtags building up the story, my case with Claire attracted massive attention. During that time, allegations flooded the internet.Someone claiming to be my elementary school classmate said I had been part of a bullying clique.Another person claiming to be my college roommate insisted I had dated multiple women at once and acted inappropriately with a female professor, which was why I supposedly received scholarships every semester.Someone claiming to be my coworker came forward, accusing me of having an affair with my female boss, which is supposedly why I got promoted and got raises so quickly.They all spoke with absolute certainty, and some even produced so-called chat logs and photos to back up their claims.In an instant, I was nailed to the pillar of shame, labeled by thousands of strangers as an ungrateful, shameless scumbag.I did not defend
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Chapter 7
On the day of the trial, the courthouse was packed with media because of Claire's public image.My parents and relatives came too, but they stood behind Claire.Claire looked at me with reddened eyes and said, "Honey, this is the last chance I can give you. Once the trial begins and you're convicted, there won't be any room to turn things around."My mother chimed in from the side. "Louis, this whole thing is your fault to begin with. If you actually get convicted, what will your father and I do? You've already humiliated us enough. Just apologize to Claire right now, and this whole thing will be over."She hissed, "Ryan just got a new girlfriend from a really well-off family. If you ruin this for him, I won't forgive you!"My father and Ryan stood to the side with cold expressions.Dad growled, "Louis, just do what your mother says."Ryan added, "Exactly. Claire risked her life to save you, Louis. Whatever the issue is, just talk it out. I'm sure she'll work with you."I did n
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Chapter 8
The video had barely started playing when my screams filled the courtroom. As the screen slowly came into focus, everyone saw it clearly.Claire stood up and stabbed me again and again with a long needle.People in the courtroom rubbed their eyes at the same time.Someone gasped, "Wasn't she supposed to be paralyzed from the waist down?""So she had been faking it this whole time?""This has to be AI-generated, right?""No way. If the court approved it as evidence, it has to be real!"Only then did everyone realize how serious this was, and that vague possibility forming in their minds began to take shape.Claire slumped in her wheelchair with cold sweat beading on her forehead. She stammered in panic, "T-That's not me! Honey, I love you so much. How could I ever hit you! This has to be fake!"My parents immediately chimed in, "That's right, it must be fake! We've lived with Claire for so many years. We know her character. She loves Louis; she'd never hit him! This video has t
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Chapter 9
The court made its ruling on the spot. I was guilty of assault, but with mitigating circumstances, I was sentenced to only three months.Claire, however, was found guilty of repeated domestic abuse during our marriage, faking paralysis, deceiving the public, and fraudulently obtaining national honors, so she was sentenced to two years."Wait, I want a divorce from her!"Throughout the lawsuit, I had told my lawyer that my ultimate goal was to successfully divorce Claire.Claire looked at me in anguish, "Honey, even if I deceived you, I really did save your life back then! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead. I promise I'll never hurt you again. When I get out, we can have a good life together, okay?"The audience started murmuring among themselves."She does have a point. At the end of the day, she still saved his life.""I feel like we should give her another chance. Any woman willing to risk her life to save her man can't be all that bad."The judge also rejected my request a
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