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?"

Ella gazed at me in a daze. Her lips twitched as if she meant to speak. Then, she shut her eyes in utter hopelessness.

Mom and Dad completely broke down.

Mom lunged at me, clutching my collar while screaming hysterically. "Do you realize what you've done, Zack? You allowed Henry—that good-for-nothing—to throw away everything the Fuller family owned!

"How are we supposed to live when we don't even have a place to stay? How are Ella and Chris supposed to live?"

In the meantime, the reporter trained the camera on me, leaving no detail of my expression unseen. "Do you regret it now? Do you regret sacrificing everything you had and destroying your wife and child's lives, all for the sake of your incompetent cousin, Mr. Fuller?"

Those watching the livestream bombarded the comment section with mean-spirited and mocking comments.

"That's karma right there! He got what was coming for him!"

"I don't pity him one bit. I just feel so bad for Ella and her son. I mean, they must have been cursed to end up with such a husband and cousin-in-law."

"It's been five whole years of sacrifices, and in the end, she's left with nothing and is even forced into homelessness alongside him. How devastating!"

In the midst of the chaos and blame, Jane led Chris inside. He seemed to grasp what was going on as he shuffled over to Ella and tugged at her sleeve. "Do we not have a home anymore, Mommy?"

Ella suddenly regained her senses and scooped Chris into a fierce hug, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, Chris. I'm so useless for failing you."

She sobbed incessantly. Her cries were filled with despair and helplessness. They tugged at everyone's heartstrings. She looked up at me with a tearful gaze. Her eyes were red and brimming with anguish.

"Why are you doing this to me, Zack? Haven't I spent the last five years caring for you? I've worked myself to the bone, even if you don't appreciate it. Why do you hate me so much that you'd throw your own son and me out on the street?"

I let out a scoff, which sounded particularly abrupt and jarring in the silent hospital ward. I looked briefly at my shivering son and the judgmental crowd. I had been part of this performance for five years, and I thought that it was finally time to end it.

I fixed my gaze on Ella's gaunt, pallid complexion and stated deliberately, "You can drop the act now, Ella. You've been playing the part for five years now. Haven't you gotten tired of it?"

I didn't speak loudly, but my words struck like a lightning bolt, silencing the commotion in the hospital ward and leaving everyone stunned.

Ella suddenly tightened her arms around Chris. Her nails dug painfully into his flesh.

I paused briefly. My eyes swept across the room before locking onto the camera. "You want to see how she 'looked after' me for the past five years? You can go to Chris' kindergarten and retrieve the surveillance footage from the server.

"You'll understand everything once you watch any random footage from a Tuesday afternoon."