My wife has an emotional breakdown after being violated. She insists I'm the one who orchestrated it, but both our parents know her true love is the actual culprit.

Still, they don't object to her insane retaliation. They even have me locked up in a prison abroad.

As I'm tormented, she sells my company to help her true love get away scot-free. Ultimately, he's set free, but I die without even having a final resting place.

When a judge informs her to collect my body, she sneers and says, "I've had enough of this nonsense. Does he think he can get away with a fake corpse? I won't even bat an eye if his body is flushed down the drain! He's nothing but a disgusting criminal!"

Later, she realizes that I've truly died. She's delighted, but her laughter soon turns to tears as she holds my corpse.

My body was repatriated back home.

My wife, Samantha Langley, was notified to come claim it.

As she walked into the morgue, the overpowering stench of decay hit her instantly.

She hesitated.

Her beautiful face twisted in disgust as she muttered, "He can't seriously think that I'd forgive him for being a criminal just because he used his death to atone for his sins. Dream on!"

In the end, her lover, Isaac Henderson, carried her in.

My soul lingered behind, watching as Samantha bit Isaac's neck in a fit of rage. Then, afraid of hurting him, she licked it repeatedly, giggling.

My heart ached so much it felt like I couldn't breathe.

Samantha was flirting with her lover right in front of my corpse.

Some of the attending staff couldn't stand it and spoke up.

Samantha jumped out of Isaac's arms. She spat on the ground and finally lifted the white sheet off my body.

The moment I saw my body, my breath stopped.

It wasn't the sight of my body that did it. It was how disgraceful I looked.

"Joziah Henderson, are you proud of yourself now that you made a fake, rotting silicone corpse to fool everyone?

"You're probably hiding somewhere right now, laughing at the Hendersons for the humiliation you caused and at me for the way you violated me. You're absolutely vile!

"Even if you fooled everyone, you can't fool me! I wish you were really dead. Totally dead. I hope your soul can never come back to Virelia!"

"No, I didn't lie to you!" I rushed toward her in panic, but my ghostly body passed right through her.

She turned and embraced Isaac before planting a kiss on his neck. "Come to think of it, it's good that he faked his death. At least now we can finally be together openly."

Samantha had been carried in by Isaac, and now, she was carried out the same way.

All the way, she caressed his face and neck and kissed him over and over as if demanding compensation.

When they reached the office, they picked up the paperwork related to my body. It was a thick stack of medical data.

If she had just flipped through a couple of pages, she'd never have thought my corpse was a fake. But instead, Samantha just tossed it all into a trash bag.

Isaac touched her head gently and said, "Joziah dragged me down three years ago, and I almost ended up in prison. You worked so hard to clear my name. I owe you so much."

Samantha shook her head. "No, it wasn't anything big. I just spent a little money and sold off a few of Joziah's companies. My family didn't lose anything."

The companies I had poured my heart into for three years, the ones I built from scratch, had collapsed overnight.

My wife sold them just to help another man.

People said the dead wouldn't feel anything. But why did it hurt so much that even breathing felt like pain?

Well, I started the companies to treat her illness, so I guessed they served their purpose.

Samantha gritted her teeth. "It's what Joziah owes me. Selling off a few of his companies is just a punishment."

Isaac glanced back at the morgue. "This is your last time to see him. Once you sign the papers, his body will be buried. Are you sure you don't want to take one last look?

"Even if he made a huge mistake, he was still your husband. He used to be good to you. We're both men. I get where he's coming from."

Samantha spat again. Her face twisted in disgust. "You're too kind, Isaac. How can you defend someone who had hurt both of us?

"Back then, he forced himself on me even when I begged him to stop! It doesn't matter that we were married. It was still forced.

"You risked everything to save me, and because of that, you were sentenced for assault. His name doesn't even deserve to be mentioned!"

The door to the morgue slowly closed.

The officers reminded Samantha to sign the authorization for the release of the body.

She picked up the pen, ready to write her name. Suddenly, her face darkened. She turned around and walked out.

"I don't ever want anything to do with that man again. Even if he's really dead, I refuse to sign under the wife's section."

Confused, the officers chased after her. "You're his legal wife. Mr. Henderson is dead. You're the one who has to sign the authorization."

Samantha stopped for a moment.

She scoffed. "I don't have a horrible husband like him! Let his body rot there, eaten by rats and bugs. That's exactly what he deserves!"

She threw open the car door and jumped into her pink Maserati, speeding off.

As she drove, Isaac called her. She answered and shook her head. "Don't mention it. That man just disgusts me. I feel like I could kill him when I think about how he ignored my cries and pleas and forced me to do that on that filthy deck."

My body trembled uncontrollably.

Samantha was overwhelmed by intense hatred as she recalled the past. Her gaze seemed to scream that she wanted to crush me to dust.

As I watched her, all I felt was a bitter ache in my heart.

Samantha was my wife, yet she was sure that I was a sinner.

But I wasn't!

Not long after we were married, we boarded a cruise bound for Nystan Isles. Pirates attacked, and Samantha was dragged onto the deck. She was repeatedly violated.

When I finally found her, she was already in shock. Her legs were covered in blood.

The cruise's doctor said she had been violated repeatedly, and her body was destroyed. She would never be able to have children.

I felt immense regret, wishing I could trade my life for hers.

When Samantha woke up, she went crazy and screamed at me. She demanded that I die to atone for what I had done.

It turned out that she had convinced herself I was the one who had assaulted her.

I closed my eyes.

Just like she wanted, I was locked up in an overseas prison by her and her family. It was filled with the worst of criminals, and I was the lowest on the totem pole there.

Three years ago, I started suffering unspeakable abuse.

The night before my release, I was finally free. I died in excruciating pain. I was so badly abused that my body was beyond recognition.

…

Isaac sped all the way to the villa district.

When Samantha got out of the car, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. "It's okay. It's all in the past now."

In the heavy rain, they held each other tightly.

I remembered that I made one last phone call just before I died. "Please… Please pick up! I'm dying. This is my last chance… My only chance…"

If only she had answered.

Even if it was with irritation and impatience, even if she called me shameless and pathetic, accusing me of faking pity to disgust her, I would've held on.

But no one answered.

I died in despair on the day before my scheduled release.

Now, I was just a wandering soul.

My soul followed Samantha home.

I watched with my own eyes as she and Isaac lived like a married couple—feeding each other in the morning and entwined in passion at night.

I remembered once, years ago, when Isaac carried a drunken Samantha home.

Jealousy clawed at me, and I glared at her accusingly.

Samantha slapped me hard across the face. "Isaac and I are just friends! Only someone with a dirty mind sees filth in everything!"

But friends wouldn't share a bed or kiss each other so passionately.

Now, under the warm yellow light of the living room, Samantha carefully laid out Isaac's suit for the next day. She was just like a dutiful wife.

That used to be my job. Before every formal event, I'd select her dresses, coordinate her jewelry, and ensure every detail was perfect.

She'd scoff at me, disdain heavy in her voice. "Only a poor country boy would know these tricks to serve others. You're nothing like the heir of the Henderson family. You're more like a servant!"

And yet here she was, doing exactly that for Isaac. So, this was the difference between love and indifference.

Isaac took her hands and kissed them tenderly.

Samantha closed her eyes and let out a soft moan.

"Isaac, I'll go with you to the Henderson residence tomorrow. You're the true Henderson heir. No one can harm you. I'll stand by your side as you reclaim everything that's rightfully yours."

Upon hearing Samantha's words, Isaac wore an expression I couldn't quite understand.

I suddenly remembered something.

For over two decades, the world knew Isaac as the Henderson family's only son.

Then came the day I, the true heir, was brought back from the countryside. Seeing me all covered in rural charm, my parents, Lewis Henderson and Elsie Green, were filled with disappointment. They almost couldn't believe I was their real son.

Isaac had left the Henderson residence that day with a suitcase behind him. "Mom, Dad, even though I'm not related to you by blood, after spending so many years at the Henderson residence, I've long considered myself part of the Henderson family."

"Whether you choose to acknowledge me or not, I'll always think of you and wish you nothing but happiness and safety."

Isaac and I were switched at birth. The rural family I grew up in was where his real parents lived, and it was where he truly belonged.

But when Lewis and Elsie looked at me with a hopeful gaze, I blurted out, "If you don't want to leave, then stay. Mom and Dad can have one more person to care for them. I'll be happy for them too."

I meant it back then. But soon, I regretted every word.

Isaac clung to Samantha and me like a ghost that couldn't be exorcised.

At every social gathering, as soon as Isaac appeared, Samantha's eyes would lock onto him, glued like a moth to a flame.

Standing beside her, I, the true heir of the Henderson family, seemed like a joke.

…

Samantha opened her eyes, which were brimming with love.

"You've always been the one I grew up with, the one who knows me best. I was supposed to marry you, not him!

"If he hadn't suddenly shown up, we'd already be together, maybe even with kids by now. He ruined everything. My life. My happiness! But it's not too late. I'll divorce Joziah and be with you, no matter what."

As the two of them exchanged a deep, passionate gaze, the tension between them grew.

Soon, their heavy breaths filled the air.

Watching them become entangled before me, I closed my eyes in self-mockery.

I'd known all along that Samantha didn't love me.

She was supposed to marry the Henderson heir. And just as the engagement was announced, I was brought back to the Henderson family.

I was the heir. The engagement was automatically mine.

Samantha was beautiful and proud. I, a country boy, could never dare to hope for her love. I didn't even dare to wish she would spare me a second glance.

I foolishly believed that if I treated her well enough, she might eventually grow to love me—even just a little.

How wrong I was.

After Samantha was violated, her parents, Thomas Langley and Emilia McCarthy, desperately pleaded on their knees, "Please! Samantha is too proud to handle the truth. If she finds out what really happened, she'll take her own life.

"She's completely out of her mind now. She doesn't even remember who hurt her. As long as you take the blame and make her believe it was you, she'll at least be able to accept it. At least she'll be able to survive!"

Self-preservation was human nature.

Admitting to that crime would destroy me. I would become a criminal, despised by everyone.

So when Thomas and Emilia made such a request, I refused to agree.

But I hadn't anticipated what came next.

When I returned to the Henderson residence, Lewis locked himself in his study, refusing to see me. Elsie swallowed a bottle of sleeping pills in front of me.

As she was rushed into the emergency room, I learned a shocking truth from her.

It turned out that what happened on that cruise was connected to Isaac. He'd had shady dealings with the pirates, and when the deal soured, they retaliated.

Crying, Elsie said, "Isaac is my baby. I raised him with my own hands. He's closer to me than my own son. If he ends up in prison because of this, I'd rather die!"

I had no choice. Under relentless pressure from both families, I confessed to a crime I didn't commit.

Then I died. I used my death to atone for my "sins". My soul wandered around in a foreign country.

If my body hadn't been repatriated, I would have found it hard to return to my homeland.

I told myself this was for the best.

If I died, the truth would stay buried. Samantha would never know. She'd never have to suffer.

But no matter how much I lied to myself, the pain wouldn't stop.

After the incident, Samantha developed a peculiar mental illness.

The doctor said she was projecting her trauma onto me. She subconsciously viewed me as her attacker, as an unforgivable sinner.

Her parents didn't correct her. Neither did mine.

I did nothing wrong. But everyone else could be saved as long as I sacrificed myself.

Samantha filed a lawsuit against me, accusing me of marital assault, and hired a team of lawyers.

But the judge wasn't a fool. Due to a lack of evidence, Samantha's claims were dismissed after several hearings.

In the end, the Langley family used their influence to have me sent to a prison overseas.

The conditions in the prison were horrendous—rats, insects, and malaria were everywhere. The place was filled with the most dangerous criminals as well.

Lewis and Elsie personally sent me there.

On the day of our parting, Elsie gently stroked my face and promised me, "Joziah, just endure it for three years. Then we'll bring you back, and you'll still be our precious son."

Lewis patted my shoulder. "When I was young, I went through hell, took countless stabs, and endured all kinds of scorn. Going through a bit of hardship isn't a bad thing at your age."

The prison gates closed behind me.

Through the bars, I saw Isaac walk out from one side and board a plane with my parents.

He seemed to glance back at me.

That glance contained arrogance, disdain, and mockery.

He easily gained everyone's favor—my parents' and Samantha's. And I was left in a dark, forsaken corner, devoured by the vicious monsters lurking in the shadows.

This ending was perfect.

Everyone wanted me to be the one sacrificed.

For the next few days, my soul was tethered to Samantha.

I watched her live with another man in our home, sharing meals and sleeping together, completely immersed in love and affection.

I had decorated every detail in the bedroom, from the furniture to the candle holder in the corner.

Isaac stepped out of the bathroom and kicked the candle holder in the corner to the ground.

"What's going on?" Upon hearing the noise, Samantha entered the room.

Isaac pointed to the broken candle holder. He sounded innocent as he said, "This was something Joziah set up, right? Kind of romantic, actually. Sorry, I didn't mean to knock it over."

Samantha glanced at the broken holder. She paused for a moment, then casually replied, "Joziah always does such things. He's always wasting his time on flashy, useless things, making it seem like he's put in so much effort. He's just trying to impress me. He never thinks about what I actually need."

I felt a dull pain spread through me.

Was I really just trying to impress her?

Samantha must've forgotten that she had allergic rhinitis. Whenever the seasons changed, it would flare up, and when work got too stressful, she could barely breathe.

I hated seeing her suffer, so I found an old remedy for her condition. After a lot of effort, I tracked down an ointment from an old traditional medicine doctor. Every night, I'd place it in the candle holder to steam it.

Once, after she came back from a business trip, her allergies were so bad that she fainted from high fever.

I lit the candle with the medicinal ointment and tended to her with utmost care. But she twisted and turned, cursing at me and refusing to stay still.

Worried I might hurt her, I applied the ointment to my own arm and used a candle flame to heat it. I stayed up the whole night.

The candle might burn her, but I would never hurt the woman I loved.

The next day, she woke up, but my arm was covered in blisters. It was burning with pain.

I thought a man should care for his wife without complaining about his sacrifices.

But when Samantha truly dismissed me, my heart couldn't help but ache.

At this moment, Samantha kicked the broken candle holder and tossed it into the trash. Then, she curled up in Isaac's arms, smiling sweetly.

"Joziah's trash, and so is everything he used. It should've been thrown away a long time ago. He's too scared to even face me. He even went as far as to stage a fake death to try and fool everyone!

"He went to all that trouble because he's too scared to see me. He knows that if I laid eyes on him, I'd force him to divorce me."

"Mr. and Mrs. Henderson are both disgusted with him, and he knows it. His position as the Henderson family's heir depends entirely on our marriage.

"If I leave him, he'll lose everything, and he won't be able to stand in high society anymore. But does he think I'll just let him hide away forever? No chance. No matter where he hides, I'll drag him out and divorce him right away!"

Hearing Samantha speak with such confidence, I could only smile bitterly.

I'd given so much to her. But to her, I was just a coward and a man whose standing in my family relied on her. Not to mention, I was just a hurdle between her and her true love.

At this point, Isaac's eyes flickered briefly. In a strange tone, he asked, "Have the people you sent out returned with any news? Is there a chance that Joziah really is dead?"

"No way!" Samantha suddenly stood up, agitated.

"If it weren't for him, I never would've gone through that horrible experience. Even if he died, it wouldn't be enough to atone for his sins!

"The body I saw in the morgue that day was just a lame trick he pulled. Joziah is probably somewhere, laughing at my misery.

"It would be great if he died somewhere far off. At least I wouldn't have had to pick up the phone to identify his body. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick!"

As she spoke, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed Isaac passionately. "Make it up to me, Isaac. I'm about to lose it from disgust!"

Isaac laughed loudly, swept Samantha up, and tossed her onto the bed. He quickly made up for her with his body.

The two of them tumbled together.

Samantha wrapped her legs around him tightly, screaming and moaning in ecstasy.

I felt like knives were stabbing into me.

I couldn't cry anymore, but why did it still hurt so much?