Zac loved exploring the wilderness. While spelunking in an uncharted cave with friends, poisonous gas unexpectedly trapped him. Zac forbade me from calling for help, insisting there was a naked woman inside the cave and we needed to protect her privacy.

I left behind millions of fans at my concert to rescue him alone. That was when I inhaled the gas and lost my voice forever.

Zac knelt and passionately proposed, promising to protect and never abandon me forever. On our wedding day, the naked woman from the cave stood beside me, holding a microphone and smiling gleefully.

Zac comforted me, patting my head gently. "Baby, the bride has to say her vows. Since you can't speak, let her say them for you."

I listened to them finish their vows sweetly, expressed their love to each other and turned around to sign the application for body donation. Seven days later, my poisonous body would be sent to the research institute where Zac worked for dissection.

***

At the wedding ceremony, I sat in a wheelchair, wearing a veil that obscured my face. Carmen stood behind the curtain holding the microphone, her eyes full of tears and her voice trembling. "Zac, I do! I am willing to marry you!"

The audience cheered for the love between Zac and me, chanting for a kiss. Only then did Zac reluctantly shift his gaze from behind the curtain and passionately kiss my lips.

I instinctively recoiled in disgust. Zac was momentarily stunned but then gently caressed my head to console me. "Liz, I know you've always had low self-esteem because your entire mouth is burned and your lips are covered in scars, but don't worry, I will always love you. I'll stay by your side and be your voice forever."

He picked up the microphone and lovingly sang my debut song. A female voice smoothly joined in during the chorus, the two voices blending perfectly, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Zac couldn't contain his emotions any longer and turned to smile tenderly at Carmen behind the curtain.

I used to be insecure about the severe burns in my mouth and on my vocal cords, so I wouldn't let Zac kiss me. However, I recoiled this time because I felt Zac was disgusting. He had promised me a future, only to ruin my life.

After the ceremony, most relatives left early and a few old friends got drunk at the tables. Carmen was happily drinking at the main table after accomplishing her mission. A friend teased her, "Carmen, you should toast Elizabeth! She's your lifesaver, after all!"

Carmen waved dismissively and started shouting, "Why should I? It's her fault for meddling! If she hadn't ruined her future by trying to show off, would Zac have married so early? Isn't it all her fault? Our research institute is so busy; this was our only hobby. She caused such a mess that Zac had to stop exploring with us to comfort her and you're still siding with her!"

Unaware I was behind him, Zac pulled Carmen's arms and tried calming her down. "Alright, Carmen, don't cause trouble on such a happy day. After all, Liz did save us and we should be grateful to her. If you're upset, I'll tell her I have to work overtime and sneak out to be with you next time."

Carmen's face flushed. She turned and leaned against Zac. "That's more like it!"

She met my gaze as she turned her head. Her eyes were clear and sober, also filled with blatant provocation.

Zac also turned and saw me. He hastily pushed Carmen away, gently placed a blanket over me and wheeled me closer to him. "Liz, why aren't you resting? Why did you come out here?"

I shook my head without speaking, focusing on picking at my food. Just moments ago, I had signed a surgical consent form for a private hospital overseas.

Being trapped in that cave for so long had allowed toxins to permeate every part of my body. Not only was I unable to speak, but my vision and hearing were now also failing. My health was in a terrible state.

The hospital advised me to eat well and take in more nutrients over the next few days. They were concerned I wouldn't last until the surgery scheduled in seven days. I needed to eat more, to have enough strength to endure until then, to appear on Zac's dissection table.

Zac's colleagues tried to ease the tension, acting as if nothing had happened. In between the clinking of glasses, they all received text messages. "Zac, the boss said that an overseas partner is bringing in a case of toxic transformation in seven days. The report sounds a lot like your wife's condition."

Zac was taken aback, quickly glanced at his phone and grabbed his coat to leave. "Liz, stay here. I'll visit that overseas facility. The case is similar to yours; maybe I can find a way to treat you."

A colleague stopped him. "The surgery has a 95% failure rate and the patient has already signed a body donation consent form. The surgery is likely to fail and the body will be sent to our research institute that day. You can wait at the institute, no need to go all the way there."

"Besides, aren't you already busy enough taking care of your wife? What if she recovers and tries to take advantage of you?"

Zac clenched his fists, looking tangled.

I curled the corner of my mouth into a wry smile. As I was about to tell Zac to stop pretending sarcastically, Carmen rolled her eyes and spoke impatiently. "Zac, don't forget we have a group assignment next week. If you're not there, how am I supposed to finish it alone?"

Zac pondered for a while before finally relaxing his fists. He crouched carefully in front of my wheelchair. "Liz, I'm sorry. I have too much work. I can't personally go to see the patient but don't worry. Once the body is sent here, I'll find a way to treat you."

I looked into his eyes, but my eyes looked through him to the dark future. "Well, no hurry."

Carmen tapped the edge of the glass impatiently under the influence of alcohol. "How annoying! Talking about work on a day off! Are we still drinking or what?"

Zac gazed at me, his eyes full of sincerity. "Liz, let me take you home to rest."

I saw Carmen's lip print on his shirt collar as he leaned down. That flamboyant, fiery red had once been my favorite shade, but I hadn't worn lipstick since the incident. As if reacting instinctively, I pushed Zac and forcefully wheeled myself away.

I was wracked with pain when I woke up at dawn. Still, there was still no one beside me. The body donation application form remained on the bedside table.

Last night, the pain had overwhelmed me and I had passed out without tidying up. If Zac had returned to our room, he would have discovered everything. A cold realization hit me and I dialed his number.

Zack answered with a heavy, drunken voice. "Hello, who is it? Liz … are you awake? I'm seeing some friends off; I'll be right back. You, wait for me … "

I let out a bitter laugh. What was I so worried about earlier? I had feared he might see the organ donation form.

Last night, he was comforting someone else's sorrow with his new bride. How could he possibly waste such a romantic wedding night on a useless person like me? Zac wouldn't even bother stepping into my room. Even if I plastered my body donation form on my forehead, he wouldn't care.

Carmen's sweet, slightly muffled voice interrupted Zac's panicked explanation as if to confirm my suspicions. "It's freezing! Zac, stop hogging the blanket!"

Even though I had already guessed that Zac would be with Carmen on our wedding night, my heart still ached when my suspicion was confirmed. My throat tightened, making it impossible to speak. I hung up the phone and stared blankly at the beautifully decorated room.

Zac and I met in college. He got my contact information at the campus festival through his roommate and clumsily pursued me for four years. Later, I got lucky and became a singer with millions of fans, while he earned a guaranteed spot at a prestigious research institute with top marks.

Then came Carmen, a lively girl who joined the research institute.

Zac, who had always been steady and reliable, suddenly became obsessed with extreme sports and risky activities like wilderness trekking. I worried constantly about him getting into an accident, especially after a caving expedition where they encountered a mysterious miasma in an uncharted area.

The miasma was poisonous and they didn't have enough oxygen masks. When Zac mentioned that one of the girls in the group wasn't wearing clothes, I didn't think much of it. I assumed it was a life-or-death situation and the girl had used her clothes as a makeshift mask—a perfectly reasonable explanation.

No matter how many times I called the police or fire department for help, they all said there was no danger and warned me that if I kept filing false reports, they would arrest me. I had no choice but to leave the concert halfway through and drive there alone, thinking only of rescuing Zac as soon as possible.

This dangerous rescue prevented me from ever standing on a stage again. It left terrible burn scars on my face and caused damage to many of my bodily functions.

The phone rang again, but it wasn't Zac. "Ms. Silva, I've found what you asked for. That day, the police and fire department did respond several times, but there was no actual danger. What they found instead was … Zac and Carmen having sex in the cave. They even warned the police to mind their own business. Here are the records and photos from that time."

The photos were blurred, but I would recognize Zac's figure even if he were reduced to ashes.

The voice on the other end continued, "Also, the toxic gas samples the police collected were analyzed by the research institute and Zac's signature is on the report. We need more time to investigate, but we suspect that Zac and Carmen intentionally released the gas and the research institute covered it up."

My heart sank lower and lower, my face a mix of tears and a bitter smile.

Yes, that cave was a popular spot for hikers. How could there have been toxic gas only when they went there? How could they have entered so quickly and been unable to get out? How could I be the only one so badly burned while they were completely unharmed?

All the clues pointed to one thing—Zac had released the gas himself. He had no intention of returning to celebrate my birthday that day and made a lousy excuse about being trapped. He didn't expect me to love him so much that I'd risk everything to save him.

Memories and reality blurred as Zac's concerned face appeared before me. He gently held me, softly stroking my back. "Liz, why are you crying like this? Did you have a nightmare?"

He was always so confident, thinking that every clumsy excuse he made could make me believe it without a doubt and I trusted whatever he said. Even though I had just clearly heard Carmen's voice, he assumed I couldn't hear due to hearing loss. He was naturally thinking my tears were from a nightmare, not from him.