No Longer Your Live-Streamed Wife

Chapter 4

"Why?" Gavin sighed, and a trace of blame flickered in his eyes. "Your reactions always made me feel like I was failing. I wanted to understand what was wrong. Melissa knows more about this than we do."

"Was the account your idea too?"

"Recording you without telling you was my idea." Gavin lowered his eyes. "She suggested the account later. I watched the first episode. Since your face wasn't shown, I didn't object when she continued."

"What about the money?"

"She said it was being used to promote the account. I didn't ask."

I kept scrolling.

A draft proposal sat in the shared folder. Gavin had written one note himself.

Do not tell her in advance. Keep her reactions natural.

Only then did I understand everything.

Melissa had set the stage, written the script, and made money off me.

But the first person to push me in front of the camera had been my husband.

"I'll join the livestream."

Gavin looked up. "You'll clarify things?"

"I'll say what I know."

I closed the laptop and slipped the drive I'd brought from home, containing our original wedding footage, into my bag.

It contained the final video my father recorded before he died.

It also contained something Gavin himself once taught me about consent.

Before the livestream, Melissa set up the equipment in our apartment.

"Put the tie here so the camera can capture it clearly."

She placed the silk tie in the center of the table.

"It proves this was always something the two of you used privately and wasn't purchased just for filming."

"It wasn't purchased for filming," I said, looking at her. "It simply became a filming prop later."

Melissa avoided my eyes.

"Wendy, the announcement has been up for 3 days. More than 20,000 people are waiting for an explanation. Don't change what we're saying at the last minute."

Gavin pushed the statement toward me.

"You only need to help clarify that you knew I was recording our marital interactions."

I read the first line.

I was aware of and voluntarily participated in the relevant recordings of our marital interactions.

Melissa immediately added, "The point of the livestream is that the account content was created with your knowledge and authorization. Don't bring up unrelated issues."

I nodded. "Fine."

She visibly relaxed.

When the livestream started, Melissa sat in the center of the frame.

"I'm sorry for taking up everyone's time. I only wanted to help two friends work through problems in their marriage, but I crossed a line in how I went about it and hurt Wendy. Gavin had been struggling with the lack of communication in their marriage, while Wendy struggled to express herself. I wrongly believed I could help them find a solution."

Comments flew past on-screen.

People asked whether I had known about the filming. Others asked whether all six episodes had been staged.

Gavin handed me the statement.

The first line had been printed in large letters.

I was aware of and voluntarily participated in the relevant recordings of our marital interactions.

He lowered his voice. "Honey, you knew about it, didn't you?"