Elena Frost has been by Aaron Reed's side for a decade. He goes from being a broke freshman who almost drops out of university to the proud CEO of Reed Corporation.

Everyone in Halston City knows Aaron loves Elena more than life itself. At one point, even Elena believed this.

Then, in the third year of her and Aaron's marriage, she discovers his mistress. He even has a one-year-old child with her.

Since Aaron doesn't appreciate the sacrifice Elena has made to be with him, she decides to take it all back.

…

Aaron sees Mia Wynn as a distraction and a form of entertainmen and heir child is an accident. Elena is the only person he truly treasures.

But when Elena disappears without a trace and takes half of his soul with her, he realizes one thing—he's the true loser in the relationship he's betrayed.

"Are you sure you want to reserve our funeral services for yourself, Ms. Frost?" a staff member asked.

Elena Frost nodded calmly. "Yes, I am. I can pay you double as long as you satisfy two of my requests. Firstly, I want the best cremation service you provide—ensure that my body is cremated so thoroughly that nothing remains but ashes.

"Secondly, I want my ashes to be scattered in the ocean immediately after the cremation. I'll leave the exact planning to you."

After filling a form and paying to ensure her death would be dealt with in two weeks, Elena left the funeral parlor.

As she drove past Reed Tower, a massive electronic screen displayed a live broadcast of an interview. It featured Aaron Reed, the dignified CEO of Reed Corporation.

"It's just a building—donating it isn't a big deal. Halston University is my and my wife's alma mater, and it's also where we met and fell in love. I won't hesitate to help my alma mater if necessary.

"I don't have any plans to develop the land in the east of the city. I want to keep it and personally design a dream home for my wife there.

"There's no special reason for venturing into the amusement business, either. My wife likes Ferris wheels, so I want to build her one that's unlike any other in the world.

"Acquiring a gaming company has to do with my wife, too. I want to develop a game that my wife likes and exclusively for female players. Even in virtual reality, I don't want any men to get close to my wife."

He mentioned his wife with every sentence. His deep affection for her made countless people stop to watch the interview.

"Mr. Reed treats his wife so well. I can't even imagine how happy she must be, falling asleep and waking up with such a man by her side," one of them murmured.

"Ha! Well, I can imagine it," another added. "Not only would I want to fall asleep and wake up in his arms, but I'd also want him to accompany me as I shopped and ate the day away. I would want him to think of me in everything he does and bring me everywhere he goes."

The spectators continued talking among themselves. As the interview continued, people from all walks of life couldn't help admiring Aaron's profound love for his wife. His words painted a romantic and doting picture.

Elena smiled mockingly and looked away from the screen. She'd come to this world a decade ago—she'd been on the brink of death after an accident, and the original host's wish had led her soul here.

The original host, also named Elena Frost, had grown up with Aaron. Due to several misunderstandings, they'd split up, leading to Aaron turning evil.

Despite later attaining success and becoming the CEO of a large company, his heart remained hollow. He'd ultimately taken his life the day before his company had become publicly listed.

Despite being reborn, the original Elena had still failed to help Aaron escape his fate. On her third chance, she'd summoned Elena's soul.

For the sake of survival, Elena had stuck by Aaron's side and done everything she could to help him. Over time, he'd gone from being a freshman in university with nothing to his name to the CEO of Reed Corporation.

Elena could've left this world and returned to her original one to be reunited with her family upon Reed Corporation's public listing. However, she hadn't done so because she'd fallen in love with Aaron after spending so much time with him.

She'd given up her chance to return home because she couldn't bear to part with a character in a novel. This was her second chance at life, and she'd decided to leave it in Aaron's hands. She'd willingly walked down the aisle with him.

She'd thought that as long as they loved each other, it didn't matter where they were. She'd thought he would love her as deeply as she loved him.

They'd dated for four years and been married for three. Throughout that time, Aaron had always acted like Elena was his one and only. He'd treated her like a princess and doted on her to no end.

He hadn't even mentioned having children throughout their marriage because he wanted to care for and cherish her to the best of his abilities. He claimed it was because he didn't want a third party to affect their relationship, even if said third party was their child.

He didn't want her to get pregnant, nor could he bear to have her be on birth control lest it affect her health. So, he'd used protection whenever they'd slept together instead of getting her to do it.

Yet it was also Aaron who'd started a family with another woman behind Elena's back. He and his mistress even had a son who'd just turned one.

"Do you know how surprised and overjoyed Aaron was upon finding out that I was pregnant? He picked out the baby's clothes, toys, and pram himself.

"He even gave me and the baby a villa with a huge garden and swimming pool so the baby could grow up in a good environment. It's under the baby's name, you know.

"I had some stretch marks on my belly after giving birth. I thought Aaron would scorn me because of them, but he kissed me from head to toe and told me they weren't ugly at all. He said they were the most beautiful marks a woman could have.

"Do you know how it feels to make out in the elevator and strip in the foyer? Do you know how it feels for him to stick it in me and do me as we head to the bedroom? Aaron says it's so satisfying and that it's not something you can give him. I'm the only one who makes him feel like that, Elena."

The texts came with explicit photos and videos of a couple doing the deed in various places and poses. Things had started long ago—the first photo had been taken when Mia Wynn had just started her internship at Reed Corporation.

There were even images and videos of her and Aaron doing the deed when she'd been heavily pregnant. It was clear that they'd been head over heels for each other.

Elena rubbed her reddened eyes and put her phone back in her bag. Then, she crossed the street to the coffee house opposite Reed Corporation.

A lawyer was already waiting there. When he saw her, he pulled out a stack of documents from his briefcase. "This is the divorce agreement that's been drafted per your request, Ms. Frost. There's also a proxy statement for donating your belongings to a women's and child's welfare organization…"

Elena took the papers and signed them without waiting for the lawyer to finish. "I'll leave the details of handling my belongings up to you. All I ask is that you ensure the divorce agreement is given to Aaron Reed in two weeks. I don't want my name to be associated with his even in death."

After taking care of everything, she paid and left the coffee house. As she crossed the square outside Reed Tower, a familiar figure came out from the building.

"Is that really you, darling?" Aaron's handsome face was filled with surprise. "Why did you come all the way here when it's so hot out? I thought my employees were seeing things when they told me they'd seen you earlier."

Elena's lashes fluttered. She pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

Aaron didn't seem to notice her odd behavior. He approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I'm guessing that you missed me too much if you were willing to brave the sun instead of relaxing at home. Did you want to have lunch with me?"

Two years ago, she'd fainted due to low blood sugar. Since then, he'd forbidden her from going to work, fearing it would tire her out. He'd fed her the best food money could buy. He'd also installed surveillance cameras everywhere in their home so that he could see if anything had happened to her.

The surveillance cameras still worked perfectly, but it was clear his attention was no longer on her. Why else would he not have checked the cameras the whole morning? If he had, he would've realized that she'd left the house early that morning.

Well, it wasn't important anymore. Elena had already decided to leave this world, so it no longer mattered whether he still had her in his heart.

She caught a faint scent of roses on him and knew very well it didn't come from any of her perfumes. Turning her head away, she tried her best to hold her breath. "I wanted to go to one of the restaurants near here."

"Let's go, then. You can come to my office and nap with me afterward." Aaron smiled and held her tighter. "You know I can only sleep well with you by my side. If I weren't worried about you tiring yourself out from running around all day, I'd keep you with me at all times."

Did he want to keep her by his side so she could see how he fully utilized every second of his day? He had to run a company, keep her happy, and sneak away to be someone else's perfect husband and father, after all.

Elena smiled mockingly as she followed Aaron to the parking lot. They drove to a nearby restaurant for lunch before returning to Reed Tower.

She'd sat on the toilet bowl for a long time and hadn't slept a wink after learning the truth last night, so she napped for a long time.

It was almost 5:00 pm when she woke up. Aaron sat behind his computer as he attended to work, looking focused. But the moment he heard her footsteps, he immediately looked up. He grabbed some fruits and dessert from the mini fridge in the room.

"You must be hungry after napping for so long. I'm guessing you didn't sleep well last night, so I'll get off work early today and have dinner with you. Then, we can go home and rest together. What do you think?" he asked.

He was the one who'd suggested spending more time together, yet he went back on his word a mere 30 minutes later. His phone pinged, and his expression turned conflicted after reading the message. "I'm sorry, Elena, but there's an emergency with one of our projects.

"I have to deal with the situation in person, so I can't be with you tonight. How about you go to a restaurant you like and take a stroll after that? Buy whatever you want—think of it as me making it up to you."

Elena knew she should've been considerate. After all, she was alone, but Mia had a child with her. Aaron had already spent so many hours with her—it was understandable that he wanted to switch things up and be with his lover and child.

Still, she was pissed. She wanted to make things hard for him. "What could possibly be urgent enough for someone to go straight to you without getting through John first? Don't they know you're busy with work right now?"

Aaron's eyes darkened. Elena understood what that meant and continued indifferently, "Still, this is work. There's no point in me getting mad, nor will I ever get mad at you. It's tough enough for you to run such a huge company alone.

"I'm your wife, but I can't bear this burden with you. The least I can do is be more understanding when it comes to your work."

He relaxed, evidently relieved. "You're the best, darling."

"You wouldn't like me if I weren't, right?" She pulled her hand out of his and glanced at his phone. She saw a conversation on the screen. It was short, but there was a photo among the sentences.

It was too far for her to get a clear look at the photo, but she soon received the image on her phone. It was a selfie Mia had taken of herself in a black lace nightgown.

The angle was perfect, and her expression was saucy enough to make any man hard. She was alluring and pretty—it was definitely more seductive than someone as plain as Elena could ever be. She supposed it made sense that Aaron would choose to abandon her to be with Mia.

Then again, perhaps he'd been so busy having a family with Mia that he'd forgotten how crazy he'd been for Elena when they were newlyweds. They would do the deed four or five times a night before continuing the following morning.

However, he'd started controlling himself after a pregnancy scare. Her period had been a week late once, and he'd stopped going wild over her, even with protection.

He claimed he had to restrain himself because he didn't want her to get pregnant. He didn't want a child to come into the picture.

Now, Elena knew the truth. Aaron's restraint hadn't been due to his fear of getting her pregnant—he'd only been saving his energy for Mia.

She lowered her lashes, concealing the mockery in her eyes. Then, she grabbed her bag and left Reed Tower.

She got into her car and circled the building. However, instead of leaving, she parked her car elsewhere before taking a cab back to Reed Tower.

Before she got close, she saw Aaron hurrying to a mixed-use office complex opposite Reed Tower. He looked like he was in a rush.

Elena's expression shifted. She suddenly remembered that he had an apartment unit there. He'd bought it when they were still dating—it was for them to rest there after lunch because he was worried the office wouldn't be conducive for a nap.

In hindsight, Aaron had probably lied about leaving Reed Tower to pick her up because he'd heard his employees mentioning that they'd seen her. In truth, he'd been heading to the complex across the road for a date with Mia. He'd had no choice but to delay his plans because Elena had suddenly shown up.

Now that she was gone, he could head over there to be with Mia. He was truly in a rush.

Despite already making up her mind about leaving, Elena still felt horrible. She clutched her chest with her right hand, and the blood drained from her face. She almost broke out in a cold sweat.

"Are you okay, miss? Do you feel unwell? Should I take you to the hospital?" the cab driver asked anxiously.

The hospital? Yes, she should head to the hospital since she was feeling ill, and she needed someone to be with her.

She took a deep breath to calm down before pulling out her phone and calling Aaron. "My chest suddenly hurts, Aaron. I feel sick. Can you come home and take me to the hospital?"

Aaron stopped on the sidewalk nearby after receiving Elena's call. His gaze traveled between the complex ahead of him and Reed Corporation behind him, weighing his choices.

Ahead of him was his apartment, where Mia waited for him. Despite already giving birth to their child, she remained as gentle yet insatiable as before.

Behind him stood Reed Corporation, the company he and Elena had established together. It carried countless memories of their time together.

It was a difficult choice that made Aaron hesitate, but only briefly. He said, "I'm really busy now, Elena. Be good and head to the hospital yourself, okay? Or you can ask Dr. Jones—"

Elena hung up without waiting for him to finish. She didn't need to test him anymore, nor did it matter. When one needed to put on a mask to test the other person's love, the feeling itself lost its meaning. There was no point in clinging to it anymore.

She put her phone on silent mode and stuffed it into her bag. Then, she got out of the cab and walked along the sidewalk outside Reed Tower. She traversed the city on foot.

Now that she thought about it, she'd already been in this world for a decade. Throughout that time, she'd focused all her attention on Aaron. Her world had revolved around him, so she hadn't had the chance to take a good look at the city.

She hadn't tried to get a feel of the virtual world the author of this book had created—Halston City was actually a beautiful place.

She was leaving in two weeks, so it was high time she took in the sights. She didn't want to be lost for words and unable to describe anything about the place when she thought about it in the future.

Elena wandered the city until past 10:00 pm. When she returned, the house was still empty.

She had many missed calls and unread messages but deleted them without reading or checking the caller ID. Then, she went to the attic to retrieve some empty packing boxes. Once she was in her room, she started putting her things away.

The first things she started with were her expensive designer bags and jewelry. She'd transmigrated into this book, so she couldn't bring any of these things with her.

There was no way she would leave them for Aaron and Mia—she'd be much better off donating them, her shares, and fixed assets to the needy. She had a lawyer to handle everything for her, anyway.

Soon, Elena filled one box. It contained the jewelry and bags she'd accumulated over the years. Some were gifts from Aaron, and others were purchases she had made herself.

She texted Sean Quilton, her lawyer, and told him to drop by the following morning to take the things away. Then, she washed up and headed to bed.

She didn't know when Aaron returned, but he lay in bed with his arm around her when she woke up. She was revolted by the thought of being so close to him and instinctively pulled away.

Aaron looked glumly at his empty arms. "I'm sorry, Elena. I didn't mean to leave you to head to the hospital alone—I was really busy yesterday. To make it up for you, I made you your favorite seafood bisque for breakfast.

"Can you forgive me this once? I'm also a victim. I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to be with you."

He really had a way with words. He could make it seem like she was the one to blame for him spending the night outside.

Elena parted her lips to speak when her gaze landed on a provocative mark on Aaron's chest. It had been revealed when he'd lowered his head, making his collar fall open slightly.

It looked fresh—it had probably been left there yesterday. She wondered how vigorously Mia had sucked to leave it there.

Was Aaron aware of it? If he was, did he think of concealing it? Or did he think Elena was a fool who didn't have a mind of her own and would believe everything he said?

Elena curled her lip slightly before saying softly, "Of course I'm not mad at you. You're only this busy for our family, right? I'm just used to being alone now. I was caught off guard when I sensed someone else in bed with me."

That took Aaron aback. He suddenly recalled that he'd delayed his return home from a business trip for three days because his and Mia's child had fallen sick. His business trip had lasted four days, and he'd spent three days with Mia and the baby.

He'd also stayed out last night to get his fill of Mia, so he and Elena hadn't slept in the same bed for eight days. This made him feel guilty.

"It's definitely a lot busier running a company alone. Once I settle everything I have in hand, I'll take a long break so I can be with you, okay?"

There he was again, making the matter seem like it was her fault. Elena smiled coldly. "Sure. I'll wait for you."

…

Aaron was pretty good in the kitchen. The seafood bisque tasted delicious, and he'd prepared a few other snacks to go with it. Elena managed to enjoy her meal despite having to endure his presence.

He was relieved to see her eating happily and left for work when she was done. Shortly after, Sean arrived. Elena handed him the things she'd already packed before getting back to work.

She and Aaron had gone through an amorous stage for three years before officially dating. Then, they'd dated for four years before being married for three. They'd accumulated quite a number of things after spending a decade together.

Aside from the jewelry and bags Sean had already taken away, Elena still had to clear a wardrobe full of clothes and shoes. She also needed to get rid of vases, paintings, daily necessities, souvenirs from trips, and the gifts she and Aaron had given each other.

She put away anything that belonged to her, whether bought by herself or Aaron. There were 14 days left until her disappearance, and she wanted to do it thoroughly. She wasn't even going to leave a shred of paper behind. Aaron wouldn't have anything of hers.

Elena kept busy until noon. As she waited for her takeout to be delivered, she was surprised to see Aaron return home.

A sudden downpour had drenched him, but he didn't bother drying himself. He ran straight to the bedroom, his expression ugly as he stopped before Elena. "Where's your wedding ring, darling? Did you lose it?"

Had he already noticed?

Elena suddenly felt a cruel vindication from being found out. "I didn't lose it—I sold it. I wanted to do some charity work, so I sold all the bags and jewelry you've ever given me.

"You know what it's like to go hungry and have no money, Aaron. I'm sure you won't resent me for doing this. You'll support me, won't you?"