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?

Samantha sent out a lot of people to look for me, but of course, they couldn't find me.

My body was still in the morgue.

The police and the coroner kept calling her, asking her to come identify and sign off on the body.

But Samantha only trusted her own belief. She was convinced the body was a fake and that I was hiding somewhere, laughing at her.

After yet another call from the police, Samantha snapped. She threw things around the villa, furious.

Lewis and Elsie came by. They didn't know I was dead.

Everyone assumed that my release from prison meant I'd return to Samantha's side—after all, I loved her so much. I was even willing to take the blame for a crime I didn't commit just to protect her.

But every time, it was Isaac who came out to greet them. He offered coffee and shared stories of his upbringing under Elsie and Lewis's care for over 20 years.

Elsie and Lewis quickly became swayed.

They began to think it might be better that I didn't return from overseas. Having Isaac as their only son seemed like a good idea.

After all, even though I was their biological child, Isaac was the one they'd actually raised.

Before leaving the villa, Lewis hugged Elsie, comforting her, "It's normal for a child to grow up and have their own lives.

"Joziah's been abroad for a few years. I guess he has become wild and free like the people there. Let him have a few more years of freedom. When he starts missing home, he'll naturally come back."

I never could have imagined Lewis would say that.

I had been locked up in a prison overseas for three years, bullied by other prisoners, living a hellish existence. But in their words, it sounded like I was just over there, having fun with the prisoners and still not tired of it.

Elsie seemed to be convinced. She nodded in agreement.

"We're getting older. Isaac is here to take care of us. He's a good, humble, and kind child raised with traditional values. He'll take care of us in our old age."

After Lewis and Elsie left, they never asked about me again.

Meanwhile, Samantha grew more and more irritable by the day, almost losing her mind.

During the day, the people she sent out to search for me returned empty-handed.

At night, she would throw herself on Isaac, demanding compensation in a frenzy. It was clear to see that Isaac was being drained dry.

Samantha even posted on her social media, offering a reward for anyone who had information about my whereabouts.

After another passionate and intimate moment, Isaac gasped for air as he pulled Samantha into his arms.

"Samantha, I don't think Joziah is deliberately avoiding you. Maybe he's hiding because he has some kind of unspeakable reason.

"Maybe he didn't want to face people before, but now… maybe he's hiding because of debts? That would explain why he can't show himself."

"No way!" Samantha suddenly screamed, jerking out of Isaac's arms.

"If he was short on money, he'd come back. The Henderson family certainly isn't short on cash! Or he could always ask me for help!

"He loved me so much. There's no way he would just avoid me like this. He's just afraid I'll find him and ask for a divorce. He's too scared to face me, so he's hiding!

"If he won't show himself, then I'll destroy everything he cares about! Doesn't he still have his adopted parents in the countryside? I'll lock them up and starve them. See if he'll regret it, then!"

Isaac's eyes darkened. "Samantha, have you… developed feelings for Joziah?"

To be honest, for a brief moment, hope and a faint sense of unease swelled within me.

"No way!" Samantha quickly denied it. "I just want him to show up so I can divorce him. I need to completely sever ties with that worthless man."

Isaac cupped her face and said earnestly, "You've been acting so strange lately, Samantha. You weren't like this before. Did you change because of Joziah?

"Tell me the truth. If you've started having feelings for him, I'll leave. I'll leave for good, and I won't ever be in the way again."

"Who the hell would have feelings for him? Who in their right mind would pick a country boy like him?" Samantha, emotionally charged, shouting in a sharp voice.

Suddenly, she realized her loss of control and toned it down a little.

She looked at Isaac, who seemed pitiful and kissed his forehead. "I'll prove it to you."

I soon found out how Samantha intended to prove it.

That very night, my adopted parents, Davon Huffman and Matilda Murray, were abducted and brought to the villa.

They were wrapped in black cloth and dumped on the floor like trash.

"S-Samantha..." Mom, who had lived a simple life and always had trouble speaking, trembled in front of Samantha.

"Don't act like you know me!" Samantha snapped. She knocked a cup across the room, hitting Mom's head with a loud crash.

Dad rushed to shield her, protecting her head with his large hand.

Samantha's gaze swept over and lingered on Dad's darkened nails, the result of years of hard labor. Her eyes were filled with disgust, and she spat out words laced with contempt.

She arrogantly spoke, "Your ungrateful son, Joziah, has been avoiding me because he doesn't want to divorce me. Listen carefully. Parents are responsible for their children's actions! As long as Joziah doesn't show up, neither of you are leaving here!"

Dad lifted his weathered face and argued, "Joziah is a good kid. He's always helped us, even working in the fields and cutting pigweed to help make ends meet. I won't let you say such things about my son!"

Samantha stood up angrily. "Joziah is a criminal! He violated me, and I had to hire a team of lawyers to send him to prison for three years to turn over a new leaf.

"His sentence was up, and he should've begged me for forgiveness on his knees. But he's too afraid that I'll bring up the divorce the moment I see him. He's hiding away, too scared to show his face. What kind of man is that? Calling him a man would be flattering!"

"No, you're lying! Joziah isn't like that! I won't believe it!" Dad's face flushed with anger. The humble man, who'd never been a fighter, suddenly lunged forward.

Samantha was momentarily startled, but her bodyguards reacted instantly. They overpowered Dad and pinned him to the ground.

Isaac arrived just then and saw what was happening. He turned to Samantha and asked how she wanted to handle it.

Samantha coldly responded, "These country bumpkins need to have every bone in their bodies broken!"

Isaac hesitated, his face showing concern. "They're Joziah's adopted parents, and they're already old. Isn't that a little too much?"

Samantha was resolute. "They raised a piece of trash like Joziah, so they must be just as bad. Even if I were to kill them today, it would be a service to society!"

"No! Don't hurt my parents!!" Rage and regret surged through me. I was so enraged that my eyes turned bloodshot.

I rushed forward to stop them, but my soul passed right through them.

I could only watch helplessly as Dad was pinned to the ground, his leg joints shattered with sickening crunches. His bones pierced through his skin, bloodied and white, showing the immense pain he was enduring.

Mom screamed and collapsed, blood spilling from her mouth as she passed out.

And yet, Samantha showed no emotion at all. She even instructed her assistant, Billie Shaw, to record the scene of Mom's and Dad's suffering.

I could feel my anger consuming me.

How had I ever hoped for anything from this woman? She had no feelings for me at all.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed in the hall.

"We've got a problem, Ms. Langley! The—"

Before he could finish, the villa's door burst open, and a group of armed police officers stormed in.

"Ms. Langley, we've received a tip from a neighbor about illegal activities taking place here. We've gathered enough evidence. Please come with us!"

Within moments, Mom and Dad were rescued by the police. They were taken to a corner to be comforted.

Dad, gravely injured, was unconscious and rushed to the hospital.

Mom suddenly woke up. She gripped the hands of the officers and shook uncontrollably. "Please bring Joziah back! Please bring my son back!"

Matilda, who usually struggled to speak, somehow managed to say those words clearly.

The Hendersons never told Mom and Dad that I was locked away in prison by both families. They always thought I had gone missing.

I couldn't imagine the depth of despair Mom endured during those years while I was "missing".

After countless failed attempts to seek help, how many times did she repeat those painful words, hoping that one day, a savior would appear and bring me back?

The police officer's face softened with sympathy. "Your son is… already dead."

Samantha's face went deathly pale. "What nonsense are you talking about?"