Chapter 2

And that day happened to be the day I returned from a survival expedition with my team.

I had been severely injured by a wild animal in the jungle.

My team had no choice but to end the live stream early and bring me back to the city hospital.

With my last shred of consciousness in the hospital, I called Lily.

But all I got was her rushed, breathless cover-ups over the phone.

"Ethan, I'm... a bit busy right now. I'll... see you later."

With that, she hastily hung up.

That "later" turned out to be a whole week. Until the day I was discharged, Lily never showed up at the hospital once.

During that week, I called her constantly.

I needed her. I needed my wife by my side, and I needed her comfort.

But she only claimed she was busy with company matters, unable to even explain what she was actually doing.

It wasn't until my assistant, Leo, ran back in a panic and told me he had personally seen my wife and Julian checking into a hotel together.

Yet, even then, I held onto a pathetic shred of hope.

I hoped she would change her mind, hoped she would realize her mistake, and hoped she would love me again.

But now, Lily was still snuggled in Julian's arms.

She had crossed the line again and again, and now they were openly flaunting their affair in front of me.

How absurd. I was actually holding onto hope for someone who had broken her vows.

What was even more absurd was that it took me this long to finally realize it.

Lily finally looked up at me and said, "Are you seriously going to make us stand here?"

Holding Julian's hand, she closed the front door and walked straight toward the sofa.

I tried to block them, but Julian shoved me aside.

How could a man who had been starving in the wild for two months match Julian's physical strength?

I could only watch as the two of them sat comfortably on my sofa, looking exactly like a real couple.

It was as if Julian was the actual master of this house, and I was just an intruder.

Looking at the lovey-dovey pair, a mixture of grief, anger, and sadness rushed to my chest.

A sharp pain shot from my lower back and arms, instantly paralyzing my entire body.

Those were the unhealed wounds left by wild beasts during my two months in the jungle.

I collapsed straight onto the floor.

Hearing the thud, Lily jumped up from the sofa.

She stood just a few feet away from me. She only needed to take a few steps to reach me, but she didn't. She just stood there.

Her eyes were cold, filled with a trace of disdain.

"What are you doing now? Are you trying to play the victim card to get my attention?"

I struggled to speak. "My back... a beast mauled me in the jungle. It's not fully healed."

Lily sneered. "You already went to the hospital for checkups. What could possibly be wrong?"

"Stop trying to fool me with your cheap acting, okay?"

My voice grew incredibly weak from the intense pain. "Lily, it really hurts..."

Seeing how much agony I was in, she finally seemed to waver and started walking toward me.

But just as she stood up, Julian, sitting behind her, flashed a smug, sinister smile.

"Cough, cough! Cough!"

Just as she was about to reach me, Julian started coughing loudly.

Lily immediately turned back and rushed to his side, leaving me abandoned on the floor.

"Julian, are you okay? Why are you coughing again?"

Julian smiled weakly, waving his hand. "I'm fine, really. You should check on Ethan first."

"He does this all the time. I'll just go grab a glass of warm water."

Just like every single time before, whenever I needed Lily, Julian would always use some pathetic excuse to pull her away.

And I had never once received her care.

Even though she was only two steps away, Lily refused to come to my side.

She didn't even bother to ask what was wrong with her husband.

She wouldn't even call an ambulance for me.

Staring at Lily, who was busy pouring water for Julian while completely ignoring me, I finally gave up.

With the last bit of my consciousness, I dialed my lawyer's number.

"Come to my house right now... Call an ambulance for me."

"And bring the divorce papers."

With that, I blacked out completely.