Chapter 2

In that instant, the comment section in the livestream blew up.

Ella stared at me in disbelief. Her face turned deathly pale.

Mom's hand trembled as she pointed at me. "Have you lost your mind, Zack? You must have! You would rather hand your wealth over to that profligate cousin of yours than give it to your wife, who sacrificed everything for you! How can you be so heartless, Zack?"

Henry had always been a good-for-nothing who went through girlfriends faster than clothes. He was the relative Mom and Dad despised most, yet there I was, handing the business empire that was my life's work over to a total wastrel.

Henry let out a whistle and grinned without a care in the world. "You're so generous, Zack! I'm more than happy to take them off your hands since you're willingly offering them to me!"

He then patted my shoulder and said, "You can rest assured that I'll make sure to enjoy every bit of the money you're giving me, Zack."

He took out his phone and began contacting his lawyers and assistants after saying that.

Ella swayed on her feet, nearly collapsing. Her parents, Robert York and Jane Smith, caught her just in time. "You have to hang in there, Ella!"

Jane rushed to my bedside, crying and screaming as she grabbed my hospital gown. "How could you be so heartless, Zack? Ella sacrificed her career and health for you! How could you repay her in such a way?

"You should at least think of Chris, your six-year-old son, even if you don't care for Ella! How can you leave them with nothing for the future? Why condemn them to a life of hardship?"

I kept my eyes closed and stayed silent, turning away from all of them.

In the meantime, the chaotic family drama quickly reached a wider audience through the ongoing livestream.

"It turns out that the miraculously recovered business tycoon is nothing but a scumbag husband."

"Ella—the exemplary wife—ends up betrayed after maintaining her devotion for five years!"

In a single night, the internet exploded with people trash-talking me.

…

Ella returned the following day. Her face was pale, and her eyes were puffy from apparent sleeplessness. She pushed through her exhaustion and handed me a hot bowl of seafood chowder.

"You've been in a coma for five years, surviving solely on IV nutrition. Your stomach is sensitive, so I prepared your favorite seafood chowder. You should try some, Zack."

Having said that, she scooped a spoonful, blew on it gently, and offered it to me.

I jerked my head to the side, and the scalding seafood chowder splashed onto her hand, causing her to yelp in pain.

Those who were present immediately noticed the red burn that was quickly forming on the back of her hand.

I didn't even glance at her. I simply called out to Henry, who was standing by the door, saying, "Go get me a fried chicken burger from downstairs, Henry."

Mom yelled, "Have you lost your mind, Zack? The doctor told you that you have to adhere strictly to a liquid diet!"

With red-rimmed eyes, Ella defended me. "It's alright, Mom. If Zack wants it, let him have it. He's been in a coma for five years, so he must be craving it badly. I'll go get it for him."

She pulled back her reddened hand and started to rise from her seat.

I glared at her and snapped, "Hold on! I don't want to eat what you buy. I'm not eating a single thing that you've touched!"

In that instant, the glimmer of hope in her eyes was totally extinguished.

It was also then that a nurse walked into the hospital ward with a small child in tow. It was my son, Chris Fuller. He was clad in a suit as he hid fearfully behind the nurse. His wide eyes were full of dread as he looked at me.

Ella managed a soft, reassuring smile as she walked over and gathered him into her arms. "You have nothing to be afraid of, Chris. Daddy is just unwell. He didn't mean to be mean to me."

She raised her head to meet my gaze. Her eyes were pleading. "Chris missed you a lot, Zack, so please just take a look at him."

I stared at the boy—my own flesh and blood, who now regarded me with nothing but terror.

I slowly raised my arm, still unsteady and beyond my full control. Thinking I wanted to embrace Chris, Ella looked hopeful and shifted Chris toward me.

However, I swung my arm toward her instead. I didn't manage to slap her, but I did hit the thermos in her hand with a loud thud, causing the hot seafood chowder to spill everywhere, even scalding her ankles.

Ella gave a stifled cry of agony as she reeled back and slammed into the bedside cabinet. There was a deep, jagged gash on her arm, and blood surged out at once.

In that instant, everyone in the hospital broke out in pandemonium. They cried out Ella's name as they rushed toward her and ignored me completely.

Those watching the livestream went wild in the comment section as well.

"Zack is out of his mind! Ella is so pitiful!"

"Is it possible that he is cheating on Ella? Is he doing this on purpose to hurt Ella?"

"How could he possibly cheat on Ella while being in a coma for five years? He's probably just kicking her to the curb now that he's awake. He's truly a cold-hearted capitalist."

…

Chris began to sob loudly, holding onto Ella's leg for dear life. He glared at me with pure resentment and yelled, "You're bad, Daddy! You're a bad man!"

I looked at the glaring streak of blood and at Chris' hateful gaze. I felt a strange sense of peace deep within me. I also felt a profound sense of detachment.