I slipped into a vegetative state because of an accident.

For the next five years, my wife, Ella York, remains devoted to me. She turns down all of her admirers and has chosen to raise our child on her own. At the same time, she exhausts herself from taking care of me to the point that she suffers from stomach bleeding.

Everyone advises her to find a new man to settle down with. But Ella exclaims in a choked-up tone, "I'll always be Zack's wife for as long as he lives!"

When I miraculously wake up from my comatose state, the first thing I do is file for a divorce under the condition that Ella leaves this marriage without a cent to her name.

All of my family, friends, and relatives are pissed off at me, to say the least.

"You bastard! Ella has stayed by your side for the past five years! How dare you cast her out the moment you wake up!"

As I gaze at Ella's tear-streaked face coldly, I say to everyone else, "Go ahead and check the security footage at my son's kindergarten. Then, you'll understand how Ella has taken care of me over the past five years."

I awoke as if by some miracle, greeted by a crowded hospital ward and the livestream camera pointed directly at me.

Ella York, my wife, whose dark circles were prominent, tenderly moistened my cracked lips with a cotton swab. She had lost a great deal of weight over the years, and though her eyes showed weariness, they remained deeply affectionate.

"How do you feel, Zack? You see, the doctor says you're doing well and will be speaking again soon."

I noticed Mom and Dad standing beside the hospital bed. Their hearts were heavy with concern and gratitude as they looked at Ella. "You've been through a lot these past five years, Ella. We, the Fuller family, owe you so much."

Ella shook her head. Her voice was thick with emotion yet full of resolve as she said, "Please don't say that, Mom and Dad. It's all worth it now that Zack is awake. It seems like fate was kind to me after all; it really brought Zack back to me."

She brushed away her tears, and her eyes were sparkling with joy as she gazed at me.

I looked back at the perfect woman in silence. I then exerted all my strength to utter my first words after regaining consciousness. "I-I want a lawyer. I-I want to get a divorce."

In that instant, everyone in the hospital ward fell completely silent, while the comments in the livestream interface surged rapidly.

"What's going on here? Isn't this supposed to be a joyful reunion between lovers, filled with tears of happiness?"

"Is Mr. Fuller confused because he spent too long asleep? Is it possible that he is suffering from amnesia?"

"It's the classic amnesia trope for those wealthy families. Maybe his memories were altered."

Ella's hand, which was clenched around the cotton swab, froze in mid-air. Her face turned pale instantly as tears streamed down her face. "W-What are you talking about, Zack? You must still be disoriented. I'm your wife, Ella York!"

Mom rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. "How could you be such a monster, Zack Fuller! Ella has stayed faithful to you like a widow for five years! How could you just divorce her the moment you regained consciousness? How could you be so heartless!"

Dad was more level-headed than Mom. He asked, "Do you realize what you just said, Zack?"

I nodded calmly in response.

Dad shook with fury. "You damn fool! You must still be confused from sleeping too long to spout such nonsense! Have you no conscience?"

Ella threw herself in front of Mom, weeping. "Please don't hit Zack anymore, Mom. He's just disoriented from waking up. I don't hold it against him; I'm fine with anything as long as he recovers."

She wept piteously, looking as though she had been deeply wronged, yet she still chose to be magnanimous.

It was then that the door to the hospital ward swung open and my cousin, Henry Lund, sauntered in.

He took one look at the scene and sneered, saying, "You've actually woken up, Zack! You see, I thought you'd kicked the bucket! You want a divorce, right? You can rest assured that I'll find you the best lawyer in the city and ensure that Ella gets nothing in the settlement!"

Seething with rage, Dad grabbed a glass of water from the table and hurled it at Henry. "Get the hell out of here, you miserable brat!"

Henry dodged the glass with ease and walked right up to my bed. He then added with a tone carrying a hint of provocation, "You'd better think this through, Zack. You see, if you go through with this divorce, that 51% stake in your company is going to be up for grabs."

I faced his provocative gaze and said with great effort, "I'll transfer all of those shares to you, so get right to it!"

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.

It was the third day of the livestream, and it commenced with a "surprise" Ella had organized for me.

In the aftermath of the previous night's chaos, the entire internet rallied behind Ella in sympathy, while I was branded as a domestic abuser and a toxic husband.

Ella walked into the hospital ward carrying a finely crafted box. She was followed by a swarm of reporters who had been livestreaming her for several days straight.

She opened the box to reveal the newest model of smart orthopedic rehab shoes. "I got something for you, Zack. I heard these could really help your recovery, so I had someone buy them from abroad. Why don't you give them a try and see if they're comfortable, Zack?"

She smiled gently and pleadingly, as if the pain of the previous day had never left its mark.

In that instant, the comment section in the livestream was bombarded with heartwarming reactions.

"Oh, my God! She's still thinking of her husband, even after getting hurt that badly the previous day!"

"Where would you ever find another wife like her? Zack really doesn't know how lucky he is!"

"I mean, just because he has some money doesn't give him the right to treat her like trash."

Upon seeing my reaction, Jane brushed away her tears and informed the reporters. "Those shoes cost a fortune—over tens of thousands of dollars! Ella pawned her last few pieces of jewelry just to afford them. She's completely broke now!"

I cast a cold gaze at the shoes and stated flatly, "I don't want them. Take them away."

After saying that, I awkwardly maneuvered the electric wheelchair to head toward the rehabilitation center alone. I accidentally crashed into Henry, who was holding his phone to take a close-up shot, while turning. I sent his phone flying; it hit the floor with a loud snap, and the screen broke into a web of cracks.

"Damn! That's my brand-new phone!" Henry yelled dramatically. He lashed out and kicked my wheelchair in a fit of rage. "Have you gone blind or something?"

He kicked my wheelchair hard, causing it to swerve and tip toward the ground.

"Zack!" Ella yelled, lunging forward and throwing her slender body between me and the wheelchair. Her back collided hard with the cold metal railing. I heard a muffled thud.

She brushed off the pain, rushing to check on me first. "Are you alright, Zack? Do you feel any discomfort?"

She then winced through the pain and bent down to steady the wheelchair that had been kicked askew after ensuring that I was unharmed.

Henry was still grumbling and cursing on the side. "Zack is just a cripple who can't even move. Why are you so worked up, Ella? How annoying! He ruined my limited edition phone!"

He grabbed his phone and strode off without a backward glance.

In the hospital ward, only Ella remained. She pushed through the intense pain. Her face was drenched in sweat, while she checked and fixed the damaged wheelchair.

In the meantime, the condemnation of Henry and me in the comments section hit an all-time high in the livestream.

"These cousins are pure evil."

"How could you still care about that horrible husband of yours when your hand injury is that bad? How could you be so foolish, Ella?"

"Zack is a cripple who only torments his wife, while Henry is a complete nutcase who kicks his own crippled cousin. Their entire family is messed up!"

"How suffocating! You should just run away, Ella! That husband and cousin-in-law of yours aren't worth your time!"

It was then that the usually impartial reporters couldn't help but ask, "Do you really not feel any gratitude for your wife, considering how well she treats you, Mr. Fuller?"

I stared at the man who spoke, then looked directly into the lens of the camera positioned behind him. I smiled maliciously before replying, "I don't."

It was then that a lawyer, accompanied by several men in business suits, entered the room.

That lawyer, Josh Zimmerman, stated formally, "Mr. Fuller, per the stock pledge agreement signed by your cousin, Mr. Lund, his failed investments have caused a total liquidity crisis. Thus, the 51% controlling interest of the Fuller Group held in your name is being seized by the creditors."

He paused briefly before adding, "Your bills for this VIP suite are overdue, so you'll be moved to a standard ward effective immediately. Your villa, which you've been living in, has been mortgaged and put up for auction, so you'll have to vacate within three days, Mr. Fuller."

In that instant, a dead silence fell over the hospital ward. Ella appeared depleted of all vitality as she slumped to the floor with a vacant expression. She stared at me. Her expression was thick with bewilderment as she asked, "Is this the outcome you desired, Zack?"

I stared back at her, feeling no remorse at all, and let out my first smile since regaining consciousness. "It's the outcome you desired, Ella. I've walked away with nothing. Is this enough for you now?"