By all accounts, Robert and Gabby Spencer have a perfect life. Only a few weeks away from their 13th wedding anniversary, the biggest marital conflict the pair currently face can be boiled down to some good-natured ribbing about over-salted sloppy joes. On Thursday, the couple took their three children out to see Unicorns vs Mechadon 3D, while tonight’s plans have the couple heading off for a romantic evening at the Candlelight Cafe. There’s only one problem: Susan Lucci.

That’s right, Susan Lucci, best known for her years playing the role of Erica Kane on the soap opera All My Children, is taking the Spencers’ wonderful life and predicting a dire future on the Is It A Deadly Affair website. And if anyone knows deadly affairs, it’s Susan Lucci. Since 1970, Erica Kane has lost more than a few husbands to infidelity, murder, faked deaths, and just about everything else an overly imaginative soap opera staff writer could conceive. Plus, Lucci is the host of a new show on the Investigation Discovery channel, Deadly Affairs, premiering September 8th at 10PM. To warm up for her stint at hosting a show about real life crimes of passion, Lucci is turning her attention to the Spencer family and the unknown tragedy that lies in their very near future.

The Is It A Deadly Affair website features an ornate box topped off with a printed napkin from the Spencer’s wedding on September 4th, 1999. The box itself has a combination lock and a keyhole. With a little educated guesswork, the combination lock could be broken in short order. However, I received a package in the mail that provided the key, along with a letter signed by Lucci herself.

Once unlocked, the box contains a number of trinkets that lead to Robert and Gabby’s online presences on social networking sites, along with an email address and a company website. Clicking on some of these items triggers voiceovers from Lucci, with ominous remarks like “They’re a beautiful family, don’t you think? Such a shame.”

Since the Deadly Affairs game is set to launch in earnest on August 20th, the next few days may be your last chance to chat with the seemingly happy couple before everything goes awry. The positive tenor of their online conversations with players is all the more heart-wrenching knowing the future looks bleak for the two. In an introductory video to the series, Lucci explains that “It’s going to end very, very badly for everyone” so the role of players in this particular narrative is not to prevent the tragedy that is coming. It may be that all we can do is pick up the pieces.

To follow along with the story as it unfolds, check out the game’s catch-up page for updates on the story’s progress, or follow along at the Investigation Discovery and Unfiction forums.