Chapter 1

To save her first love, my wife abandoned me in a wild, brutal jungle.

Her ex-boyfriend, Chase, had racked up millions in gambling debts.

Desperate for quick cash, he signed up for an extreme wild survival reality show—the longer you survive, the bigger the cash prize.

But my wife, Vivian, couldn't bear to see her fragile first love suffer. She flew straight to the campsite and forced me to take Chase’s place in the wilderness.

"Five days, Julian. Five days at most. I’ll call the producers and have them pull you out," she promised.

For those five days, I was tortured in a jungle crawling with venomous insects and wild beasts, praying every second that she would come get me.

Meanwhile, she was flying across the world with Chase, taking him to Norway to see the Northern Lights—a trip I had begged her to take with me for years—and skiing in the Alps.

It took her two whole weeks to finally remember she had a husband. She came back, offering empty apologies and promising to make it up to me. But I just stared at her with pure confusion.

"Husband? Since when am I married? Lady, did you get the wrong guy?"

"Vivian, we aren't flying out for a vacation, are we?"

I pulled my gaze from the window and stared at the news on my phone.

Vivian, my wife, leaned against my shoulder, squeezing my hand. She looked up at me with a soft, affectionate scolding tone.

"Of course we are, babe! I wanted to take you on a trip."

"We've been married for so long and never got a chance to go away. This is the perfect opportunity."

She sounded so sincere, practically begging me to believe her.

But knowing her, this tone meant she was lying through her teeth.

Actually, I had noticed something was off a long time ago.

My wife, who usually pinched every penny, had suddenly splurged on first-class tickets.

Even the other passengers in first class kept glancing at me, as if I were some kind of sacrificial lamb.

The moment we boarded the plane, I knew I had walked straight into a trap Vivian had meticulously designed.

My expression remained calm as I looked at her.

"Cut the crap, Vivian. Just tell me what's going on. I don't even know if I'm coming back from this. Speak now."

Vivian didn't look shocked that I knew. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and began to sob.

I didn't comfort her like I used to. I just calmly turned my phone screen to her face. The headline read:

“Extreme Survival Challenge: Contestant Requests Swap—And It’s His Ex-Girlfriend’s Current Husband!”

Chase's face was plastered right on the front page of the article.

I would have to be an idiot not to understand. This wasn't a vacation. Vivian was sending me to replace her precious first love.

After all, Chase was the one she loved but could never truly have.

Vivian glanced at the screen, still trying to make excuses.

"No, Julian, listen to me..."

I raised my hand, cutting her off.

"Save your breath, Vivian. I don't have much time left, and I don't even know if I'll survive. Just tell me the truth."

"Chase piled up millions in gambling debts. Desperate, he signed up for this extreme survival show to win the prize money."

"You watched three episodes and realized he couldn't survive. You couldn't bear to watch him suffer, so you decided to make me take his place, right?"

Vivian didn't answer. She just held me tighter and wept.

"Chase was set up by bad people! He promised me he'd never gamble again once he got back. He’ll get a real job and pay us back every cent!"

"Julian, we're husband and wife. I would never hurt you!"

I whispered coldly, "Set up? We cleared millions of his gambling debts before and found him a decent job. He quit after a week and went straight back to the casino. You call that being set up?"

Vivian clung to me even tighter, her voice cracking with desperation.

"Julian, please! I promise you, this is the absolute last time. For the sake of our five years together, please help me just this once!"

She said this every single time. Even when I was lying in the hospital injured, she took my medical fund to bail Chase out of the casino.

Between Chase and me, she had never chosen me. Not once.

I looked deep into her eyes, knowing this was likely the last time we would ever be this close.

When the plane landed, a group of burly, rough-looking men surrounded me.

I knew they were the production crew of the survival show. A show that flirted with death required a crew that looked the part.

A disheveled figure emerged from the crowd. He was covered in dirt and mud, looking absolutely pathetic, though he didn't actually have any real injuries.

After all, it had only been two days. Anyone could survive two days just by pushing through the hunger.

"Chase!"

Disregarding the mud and filth, Vivian rushed forward and threw her arms around him, her eyes filled with heartache and relief.

Why was she so happy?

Was it because Chase was safe, or because I was finally leaving? I didn't know.

Seeing the burning devotion in her eyes, I felt my will to live slip away.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to die in some remote rainforest I'd never been to. The woman I had given my everything to had eagerly escorted me into hell just to save her toxic ex.

As I walked toward the crew, Vivian finally snapped out of her bubble and called my name.

"Julian! Five days! You only have to stay for five days at most! I will call the producers and get you out, I swear!"

One week was the minimum limit to claim the prize money. She couldn't bear to let Chase stay for two days, but she was perfectly fine with her husband staying for five.

Some things didn't need to be said out loud.

"When you come back, I'll do whatever you want!"

Vivian ran up to me, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me, but I pushed her away.

I pointed to the mud on her coat where she had just hugged Chase.

"Don't touch me. Go back to your precious Chase."

"You disgust me."