I didn’t feel cold anymore, but an icy chill still ran through me. I never imagined Benjamin could hate me this much. If he saw my body now, he’d probably feel satisfied.

Like a ghost, I followed him, drifting behind as he entered his study. He didn’t immediately sit down at his desk to work. Instead, he stared at the table momentarily before making a call.

“Drop some supplies in the forest,” he ordered. “I don’t want her being dumb enough to starve to death and have people blame me for it.”

I almost laughed out loud. For a second, I thought he might pity me a little, but it turned out he was just covering his own back, avoiding responsibility.

Once that task was handled, Benjamin looked a little more at ease. However, suddenly, the study door opened, and Emma stood in the doorway.

“Benjamin,” she said softly. “I haven’t seen Lisa since I got back. What’s going on with her?”

Benjamin shook his head. “Don’t worry about her. She stood in the way of your treatment. I couldn’t let that go unpunished, so I taught her a lesson. She’ll be back soon.”

Emma hesitated. “Alright, but I’m a little worried about her.”

Benjamin pulled her into his arms, reassuring her gently. “You’re too kind, Emma. That’s why someone like Lisa could take advantage of you and be so cruel.”

…

Emma’s recovery was supposed to be a reason for celebration, a moment of pure joy. To mark the occasion, Benjamin decided to auction off part of his private collection and donate the proceeds to charity. Naturally, that drew a large crowd.

At the charity gala, Emma looked stunning in a black mermaid gown, with Benjamin by her side in a matching black suit. They looked like the perfect couple, flawless and inseparable.

Everyone, however, knew Benjamin was married to me. The crowd froze for a moment, exchanging puzzled glances, but no one dared say a word.

From the shadows, I saw my parents in the crowd. Dressed in their finest, they were all smiles, accepting congratulations from the guests. It seemed they couldn’t care less about me, lost deep in the forest.

Ever since Emma returned, all the love and attention they once gave me had shifted to her. I couldn’t really blame them. I had enjoyed the title of the only child for years. It made sense that they would want to make things right for Emma after all she had suffered. Still, I never imagined they cared so little about me that they didn’t even ask about me.

I watched as my parents approached Benjamin and Emma.

My mother, Andrea Tony, took Benjamin’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears. “Benjamin, you must take care of our Emma. She’s been through so much.”

It was absurd. Anyone who didn’t know better might think it was their daughter’s wedding day.

Benjamin nodded, accepting her plea. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after Emma. As for Lisa, after I’ve given her the lesson she needs, I’ll let her out.”

My parents exchanged a strange glance before my father, Xavier Tony, spoke up hesitantly. “Benjamin, there’s something we haven’t told you. The truth is, Lisa’s had her heart set on someone else for a while now... and that person isn’t you.”

I stood frozen, shocked by what I was hearing.

Why would they say that? They knew I had fallen for Benjamin the moment I met him in college. How could they claim there was someone else?

“When you were away with Emma, treating her illness this past year, Lisa went on several dates with this man,” my father continued. “As her parents, we couldn’t lie to you. We had to tell you the truth.”

Benjamin’s fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white with fury. His eyes blazed as he looked at my parents.

“Are you saying Lisa cheated on me?”

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the entrance of the banquet, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Where’s Lisa? I haven’t been able to reach her for days. What did you do to her?”

The voice belonged to Melissa Zacarias, my only friend and the only person who cared about me since I went missing.

She stormed up to Benjamin, her tone frantic. “Where is she? What did you do to Lisa?”

Benjamin, still fuming, snapped, “I dumped her in the middle of the wilderness. This is what she gets for betraying me!”

“You’ve got to be kidding! You know that could kill her, right? How could you?”

“I left supplies for her. She’s not going to die. Besides, she deserves to be punished!”

Benjamin scowled and called for security. “Get this crazy woman out of here. She’s just like Lisa.”

I watched helplessly as Melissa was dragged away, and the worst part? No one said a word, and the banquet just continued as if nothing had happened.

By the end of the night, Benjamin was praised as a kind-hearted man, and Emma was now standing proudly by his side. Meanwhile, I—Benjamin’s wife—had been forgotten by everyone.

I drifted like a ghost behind Benjamin, following him to his company and then back to our house. There, I watched as he sat down, all smiles, eating the food Emma had made for him.

It hurt to see that smile. I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t. I had no choice but to watch them together, their happiness like a blade cutting me to pieces over and over again.

It was the fifth day after I had been abandoned in the wilderness when Benjamin finally remembered me. He called the security team, ordering them to go and bring me back.

However, within a few hours, they called him back, their voices filled with panic. “Mr. Shane, we’ve searched everywhere but still can’t find her. There was a huge storm a couple of days ago, and even the dogs can’t pick up her scent.”

Panic flashed briefly in Benjamin’s eyes, but he quickly brushed it off with a cold smirk. “Don’t bother looking. She’s probably hiding, trying to make me worry. If she wants to stay there, let her be.”

“Mr. Shane, something’s really off about this. Maybe we should–”

“What are you so afraid of? Lisa’s not in any danger. Didn’t you inspect that forest? There’s some wildlife, sure, but nothing that would attack a person. She’s just playing games.”

The security team couldn’t argue with him, so they reluctantly gave up the search.

Benjamin hung up and immediately called his lawyer.

“Mr. Andrews, draft the divorce papers for me. Yes, I want a clean break with Lisa. She’s been unfaithful and a liar. I want her out of my life with nothing in her name.”

When he hung up, he finally seemed satisfied, as though getting rid of me was all he needed to feel free. On his desk was a photo of him and Emma, smiling together.

He had never looked at me with that kind of tenderness, and now, I was nothing more than discarded trash to him.

I burned with rage. I wanted to rip their perfect little world apart, to destroy them both, but I couldn’t. I was nothing but a wandering spirit, powerless to do anything.

After finishing his work, Benjamin left early to go home, all because Emma called and said she missed him. He dropped everything for her, just like that.

By the seventh day of my exile in the forest, Benjamin finally told security to bring me back again. However, there was still no trace of me.

For the first time, I saw a flicker of concern in his eyes. He personally went to the site with a team to search for me.

The security staff was terrified. “Mr. Shane, we’ve searched every area we hadn’t checked before, but there’s no sign of her.”

Benjamin immediately decided to lead the search himself. It didn’t take long before they found the cave I had been staying in.