New Year, New Me… And My Money

On Christmas Eve, my wife, Abigail Balmer, publicly announced her relationship with her forty-ninth boy toy. [My forever love, @Dwayne Porter.] [My forever love, @Abigail Balmer.] Then she turned to comfort me. "He just lost a dare game, that's all. Don't take it to heart." Everyone mocked me as the man who'd married into money, too spineless to fight back. But I never made a scene. What they didn't know was that I'd struck a deal with the System. Every time Abigail was unfaithful, one year of her lifespan would transfer to me. By my count, of the eighty years she should have lived, she now had exactly one left. All I had to do was survive until the New Year, and she'd meet her natural end. And I would walk away with our three children and inherit the Balmer family's trillion-dollar fortune. Chapter 1 The social media platform Ducky had crashed. Underneath Abigail Balmer and Dwayne Porter's public declaration of their relationship, a blazing red "Trending" tag had appeared. In under ten minutes, the comments passed a hundred thousand. [Abigail is such a romantic! Now this is true love!] [Dwayne must have saved the galaxy in a past life.] [@Brett Ridley, kept-man king, get over here and see this. Your wife's traded up again!] I set my phone down, perfectly calm, and lifted my cup of black tea for a sip. The doorbell rang. Abigail's parents, Russell Balmer and Marilyn Balmer, stormed in, radiating fury. Russell's face had gone the color of iron. He let out a heavy sigh. "Brett, Abigail's out of her mind. I'll have the yacht sent over. Go take some time to clear your head if this is bothering you." Marilyn patted my shoulder gently. "Brett, don't worry. You're the only son-in-law this family will ever claim." I kept my head down, pouring the tea, my face arranged into an expression of quiet understanding. "Thank you, Mom and Dad. I know." Why would I make a scene? This was, after all, only the forty-ninth little boy toy Abigail had kept. How wonderful. Seven days left. It would all be over soon. The next day, the Balmer Group's head of public relations came by in person. "Mr. Ridley, here's the draft statement. Take a look." I read it over. The same recipe as always: [It's just a game. I don't mind. Our relationship is fine. Let's not waste public attention on this.] I'd put out plenty of statements over the past ten years. This one mattered more than most, though. It was the first time Abigail had gone public with an affair this openly, with this much fanfare. I'd gotten a look at the boy. He was different from the boy toys she'd kept before, sharper, more perceptive, and he looked eerily like her deceased first love. After the statement went out, the group chats lit up again. Someone in the business circle tagged me directly. [Props to Brett for being such a good sport. If my wife pulled this, I'd have broken her legs by now.] [It's not the same. He married into the family. A man who marries up into a wealthy family has to keep his head down.] I'd heard enough snide remarks like that to stop caring. I closed the chat and shut myself in the study. At the very bottom of a drawer sat a small notebook with a leather cover. On the first page, a date from ten years ago. Charles Hills, 23, a student at a sports college. Dated for three months; given a condo. Second page. Tyler Carell, 25, a livestreamer known for his looks. Dated for four months; given a clothing boutique. ... Page forty-eight. Freddy Cohen, 22, a music-college student. Dated for two months; given a sports car. I picked up my pen and began the forty-ninth page. Dwayne Porter, 24, a drama-school graduate. What he'd end up with, I still didn't know. But something told me his goals weren't so simple. I closed the notebook. Outside the window, a light snow had started to fall. The Christmas tree in the garden blazed with colored lights, and I could hear my three children laughing as they built a snowman, the sound muffled through the glass. My original name was Sean Watson. The day I crossed over, the original owner of this body had just breathed his last. An empty bottle of sleeping pills lay scattered by the bed. The phone screen was still lit, showing a photo of Abigail in bed with Charles. He'd been consumed by one obsession. He'd left me a message that said Abigail hadn't betrayed him. It was that other man's fault. He wanted me to watch over her for him. The moment I heard that, I wanted to refuse. Wasn't this the textbook definition of a fool in love? Driven to his death by his wife's affair, and still making excuses for the woman who'd wronged him. The System tried to talk me into it. "You can't go back anyway. Complete the mission, and I'll grant you one wish." I thought about it, then nodded. "Fine. Brett Ridley was so sure Abigail would never betray him, wasn't he? Then let's make a deal. "Every time Abigail is unfaithful, one year of her lifespan transfers to me. "If she ever spends her entire lifespan, the mission is complete." The System went quiet for three seconds. "Deal." Forty-nine times meant forty-nine years gone. Abigail should have lived to eighty. Now she had one year left. No, to be precise, once the New Year arrived, her time would run out. The thought filled me with a strange, deep sense of release. My phone buzzed with a message from Abigail. Abigail: [Not coming home for dinner tonight.] Abigail: [You've seen the stuff online, I know. The boy lost a dare game. Don't take it to heart.] I didn't reply. She didn't push, either. It was the understanding we'd built over the years. "Brett, you're always so reasonable. I'm just having some fun, letting off steam. Don't worry, you're still the only son-in-law this family will ever claim." I laughed coldly and called the kids in for dinner. The faint sound of Christmas bells drifted in. Seven days left. In seven days, on New Year's Eve, fireworks would fill the whole sky. And my ledger would finally turn to its last page. Chapter 2 The next day, Abigail didn't come home alone. She walked in hand in hand with Dwayne. "Brett, we need to talk." I looked up at her, an odd unease stirring inside me. She never brought her lovers home, let alone paraded them in front of me. "Dwayne's grandfather is dying. His one wish is to see Dwayne get married." I frowned slightly. "And?" Abigail hesitated, then finally said it. "So... we need to get divorced." The air went still. Divorced? I'd endured ten years, finally reaching the edge of my reward, and now, at the very last step, she wanted to throw me out? Watching me stay silent for so long, a flicker of guilt crossed Abigail's eyes. "Just for a month. As soon as his grandfather passes peacefully, we'll remarry right away." Dwayne's eyes had gone red-rimmed. "Brett, please." He walked over and actually started to kneel. "Grandpa. The doctors say it's only a matter of days." I didn't move, though my mind was racing. If Abigail died and I wasn't the son-in-law who married into money anymore, how much less would I inherit? The thought of Dwayne tearing my three children's inheritance apart made something ache deep in my chest. No. I couldn't let this happen. For my own sake, for the children, for myself, I had to hold on to my place as the family's son-in-law. I looked Abigail dead in the eye. "The New Year's coming up, and the whole family will be gathering. Don't make us a laughingstock in front of them. Wait until after the holiday. You two can put on whatever show you want then." "No!" Dwayne screamed. "I'm afraid Grandpa won't last that long!" He really did kneel then, grabbing at the hem of my pants. "Please, Brett, he's my only family left. If Grandpa doesn't get to see me married, he won't be able to rest easy when he goes. I won't be able to go on living either." Abigail's eyes were full of sympathy for him as she turned to me, her patience wearing thin. "Brett, just do me this favor. What Dwayne's asking isn't unreasonable." I laughed bitterly. "Abigail, I've stood by you for ten years. "You've had forty-nine lovers, and I never once raised my voice at you, never said a bad word about you to anyone. "I've taken care of this household, your parents, our three children, every single one of them, without fail. "And now you want me to give up my place as the family's son-in-law..." Abigail argued back, a little desperate. "Just one month!" "No." I stood up, my resolve harder than she'd ever seen it. "You promised me this. Your word has to mean something!" Reminded of her own promise, Abigail wavered, caught between the two of us. Dwayne covered his face and started crying. "Forget it, forget it. I'll just go be with Grandpa." He tried to get up, only to collapse back to the ground, his whole body shaking. Abigail's heart broke watching him. She pulled Dwayne into her arms. Then she looked at me, her eyes turning cold. "Brett, I'm not asking your permission. You've always done what I say. That's not going to change now." I let out a cold laugh, already turning the plan over in my mind. If I simply refused to sign, and she had to file for a contested divorce, it would take at least two months. Six days from now, on New Year's Eve, all of this would be over. Seeing me start to leave, Abigail grabbed my wrist. "Where are you going?" I gave her a flat, indifferent look. "I don't want to look at either of you. I'm leaving." Abigail smirked, her eyes reading, "I see right through you. Think running off gets you out of the divorce? Planning to go tip off my parents?" She hauled me toward the door. "We're going to the County Court right now. This is getting done today." Chapter 3 On the way to the County Court, Abigail held tight to my hand, clearly afraid I'd jump out of the car. "Brett, just one month. I promise." I said nothing, only pulling my hand gently free of hers. She grabbed it again, more forcefully. "Dwayne and I won't go public. No wedding, nothing. No one outside will ever know. You're still the Balmer family's son-in-law who married into money." I said nothing, quietly working out how to blow this whole thing wide open. If it became public enough, how could she still force my hand? I slipped my phone into my pocket and quietly sent off a message. There was a name in my contacts: Jamie Reynolds. Jamie was a reporter. Three years ago, he'd broken a scandal about Abigail and nearly gotten crushed by the Balmer family's retaliation for it. I'd been the one to smooth things over for him. He resented Abigail for it, and he owed me a favor. We finally reached the County Court. Just as we were getting out of the car, a group of reporters swarmed us. "Ms. Balmer, are you here to file for divorce? You and Dwayne made your relationship public yesterday. Is this about giving him his rightful place?" "Mr. Ridley, do you have any comment on your wife's infidelity during your marriage? You've put up with it for so long. Why break now?" Abigail froze, clearly not expecting to be ambushed like this. For a moment, she had no idea how to respond. I looped my arm through hers and smiled, the picture of composure. "You've all got the wrong idea. We're not here to divorce. Today's our tenth wedding anniversary. We just came by for old times' sake..." Abigail's arm went rigid under mine. A few seconds later, she caught on, and a faint, easy smile spread across her face. "That's right." The reporters, thrown off, pressed on. "And Dwayne?" "Dwayne's a new talent Abigail's company just signed." I forced a smile. "The announcement was just to hype up his new show. Isn't that right, Abigail?" Abigail gritted her teeth and nodded. "Right." I used the moment to pull her back toward the car, ready to leave. That's when a scream cut through the air. "Someone's about to jump!" On the rooftop of the office building across from the County Court stood a figure in white, swaying dangerously in the wind. It was Dwayne. My heart sank. This wasn't going to be easy to walk back. Sure enough, Abigail couldn't hold back a shout. "Dwayne, don't do anything stupid!" Dwayne stared down at her, tears streaming, his voice breaking. "Abigail, I can't live without you..." Abigail clutched at her hair, frantic. "Get down! I'll divorce him! I'll do it right now!" She turned back to me, her eyes urgent. "Brett, go inside. We're getting divorced." The reporters' cameras swung around, all trained on my ashen face. Chapter 4 "Are you divorcing of your own free will?" The clerk behind the counter looked up, eyes wary. I opened my mouth to say no. Abigail's fingers dug into the soft flesh of my hand, and the pain stole the words right out of me. The clerk repeated the question. Abigail's other hand pressed against the back of my neck, forcing my head down. Once. Twice. The clerk stood up, visibly irritated. "Ma'am, this looks like coercion." Abigail smirked. "Fine. Go ahead and ask him yourself whether it's his choice." She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. "Think about our three children. If you don't sign, by tomorrow, they won't be Balmers anymore." My whole body went rigid. I looked up at her, unable to believe what I'd just heard. "Abigail, they're your children too!" "So what?" Her eyes had gone ice cold. "I can have more, with any man I want. But you, Brett, can you afford to gamble on that?" I couldn't. Ten years of patience, forty-nine betrayals endured. I'd burned through everything I had waiting, not just for Abigail's death, but for the day our three children could inherit everything openly, in the light of day. To protect them, all I could do was force the bitter words out. "I'm divorcing of my own free will." The clerk studied me for a few seconds before finally sitting back down and sliding the form across the counter. My hand shook as I signed the last line. Not from grief. From fury I couldn't let show. Abigail snatched the divorce decree from my hands and ran straight out the door. Outside, Dwayne had already come down from the rooftop. His face was pale, but his eyes were shining. Abigail rushed over and threw her arms around him. "Dwayne, I'm free." She took his hand, and the two of them held each other tightly. They kissed right there in public. I stood three steps away, a spectator. No. A clown. The reporters closed in. "Mr. Ridley, how are you feeling right now?" "Will you be fighting for custody?" "As for the property division..." I didn't answer. I watched Abigail lead Dwayne back inside the county clerk's office. This time, to the marriage registration window. They sat side by side, filling out forms, signing, posing for photos. When the camera flash went off, Dwayne's smile was radiant. Abigail turned to look at him, her eyes soft with a tenderness she hadn't shown me in ten years. Dwayne couldn't wait to post the photo to Ducky. The caption read: [Please take care of me for the rest of my life, @Abigail Balmer.] Within a minute, the comments had passed ten thousand. I went back to the Balmer estate like a walking corpse. Russell and Marilyn had already gotten the news and were waiting for us at home. Russell smashed his teacup, furious. "That worthless piece of trash! That absolute worthless piece of trash!" Marilyn pressed a hand to her chest, her face bloodless. "Brett, don't worry. I will never accept that gutter rat into this family. The moment that old man dies, I'll make sure Abigail leaves him!" I lowered my head and said nothing. I couldn't afford to wait that long. Five days left. Then, all at once, a new plan took shape in my mind. I made a call, reaching out to a company called Lucent Dynamics. They legally extracted memory fragments from the recently deceased for use in medical, legal, and inheritance disputes. Now, it was time to change my approach. Chapter 5 I pushed open the door to Abigail's office. Dwayne was feeding her grapes, mouth to mouth. He nearly stumbled back in shock when the door opened. Abigail frowned. "Brett? What are you doing here?" "Working." I gave the badge on my chest a little shake. It read Concord Insurance. "Ms. Balmer, care to support your ex-husband's sales numbers?" Dwayne let out a scornful laugh. "Brett, wow. You've really changed." Abigail's frown deepened. Clearly, having a washed-up ex made her lose face too. "Are you short on money? The divorce settlement gave you two properties, plus..." "I'm thinking long-term." I cut her off. "A house isn't something you can eat." Abigail studied me for a few seconds, then waved a hand, impatient. "I have enough insurance already. I don't need..." I pulled a contract out and set it on the desk. "This is accident insurance. The high-value kind. "You could name Dwayne as your beneficiary, or you two could buy policies naming each other, as a token of your love." Dwayne's eyes lit up. "Abigail, that's a beautiful idea." Abigail gave him a doting look, then finally nodded. "Fine. Put Dwayne down as the beneficiary." Before I knew it, New Year's Eve had arrived, and Russell and Marilyn called me home. "Brett, the family should be together. Come spend it with the kids." I agreed. I needed to be there to witness the final moment of Abigail's life anyway. At six in the evening, Abigail came in with Dwayne in tow, clinging to her like conjoined twins. She glanced at me, a flicker of guilt in her eyes. "Dwayne's grandfather has stabilized. The remarriage might have to wait a bit longer." I kept my eyes on my tea and didn't look at her. "Whatever you want. A year, ten years, it's your business." She frowned, displeased. "Brett, don't be like this. You've always been so generous." I laughed, cold and mocking. "Haven't I? Generous enough to hand my own wife over to another man." She went silent, unable to find a response. At eleven thirty, everyone gathered on the terrace. The staff had set up fireworks, and the children ran around, giddy with excitement. I called the three kids over to my side. A security camera sat under the eaves, angled to catch the whole terrace, every single person on it. I wanted that footage. Dwayne stayed glued to Abigail the entire time. Russell and Marilyn sat off to the side, their faces tight with anger. The countdown began. Everyone shouted together. "Ten, nine, eight. Three, two, one." I kept my eyes fixed on Abigail. In those last few seconds, she was still smiling. In the final second, the first firework burst open in the distant sky. "Zero! Happy New Year!" A thousand fireworks bloomed across the sky at once, lighting up the night like broad daylight. The children screamed with joy. Russell and Marilyn managed weak smiles. Dwayne wrapped his arms around Abigail's neck and kissed her. "Abigail, happy New Year!" Abigail laughed and pulled him closer. Then, all at once, her smile froze. Her right hand shot up to clutch her chest, fingers curling tight. "Abigail?" Dwayne sensed something was wrong. Abigail's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Then her knees buckled, and she fell straight backward, like a puppet with its strings cut. The System's voice sounded in my mind. "Mission complete. Lifespan transfer initiated."