Benjamin Shaw and I had been together for ten years, from dating to wedding.

To everyone else, we were the perfect couple.

However, on the day of our tenth anniversary, I got into a car accident.

When Benjamin rushed to the hospital, his eyes were full of worry.

"How could you be so careless? If anything happened to you… I wouldn't want to live either."

I was just about to comfort him when two strange lines of text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[Benjamin, this scumbag! Acting so loving while secretly cheating on Emma Jones behind her back!]

[When will Emma finally realize he's already betrayed her?]

Emma's POV

I stared blankly ahead, wondering if I was imagining things.

Benjamin Shaw reached out and lightly touched my forehead.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you still feeling unwell?"

I shook my head.

"I'm fine now. The company is in a critical expansion phase. You should go back."

He pulled me into his arms.

"What's more important than my wife? I'm staying here with you."

Just then, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and his breathing faltered for a split second.

Then, he looked at me with a trace of guilt.

"Emma, something urgent came up at the company. I have to deal with it. Rest here at the hospital. I'll come back tonight."

Before I could respond, he had already turned and left in a hurry.

The scrolling comments appeared again.

[What company emergency? Samantha Hanson just sent him a photo of herself in a maid's outfit. He's rushing off for a hookup!]

[If Emma Jones follows him now, she'll catch them in the act!]

I took a deep breath, swung my legs off the bed, and quietly followed after him.

His car did not head toward the office. Instead, it stopped outside the exclusive Bauhinia Garden estate, where every inch of land was worth a fortune.

Benjamin knocked on the door of a villa. A slender hand reached out, hooked around his neck, and pulled him inside.

I stood frozen, as if struck by lightning. It took a long moment before my trembling fingers managed to dial his number.

My calls had always been marked as priority on his phone. He never let them ring for more than ten seconds.

However, this time, it rang until the line disconnected.

Benjamin and I had fallen in love at 18. We had walked side by side for ten years, the kind of couple everyone envied.

The vows from our wedding, promises of forever, still echoed in my ears.

Now…he had betrayed me.

Numb, I turned and went home. I did not know how much time had passed before I heard the door open.

Benjamin rushed in, and the moment he saw me, he pulled me tightly into his arms.

"Emma, why didn't you answer my calls? I was going crazy looking for you."

I looked up at him.

"Then, why didn't you answer mine?"

He held me even tighter.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I was in a meeting. My phone was muted. I didn't hear it."

At some point, he had learned to lie so effortlessly.

I pushed him away.

"Benjamin… Do you still love me?"

He did not hesitate.

"Emma, of course, I love you. I swore I'd love you for the rest of my life."

However, he was a man who had betrayed me… I no longer wanted him.

While he was in the bathroom, I picked up my phone and dialed a number I had not contacted in six years.

"Cedric Koss… Have the flowers in Provence bloomed? I want to see them."

His voice trembled with emotion.

"Emma… They've bloomed. I've been waiting for you."

"Alright. In three days, I'll come to Imperia to see you."

Just then, Benjamin stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Who's going to Imperia?"

I ended the call and said calmly, "It's nothing. A friend of mine was talking about going to Imperia."

Benjamin stepped closer and pulled me into his arms. "Emma, if you want to travel, give me a few days to wrap up work. I can go with you in three days."

I gently pushed him away. "Let's rest."

Early the next morning, he left for the office.

However, from what I had already seen scrolling past those strange on-screen comments, I knew he was not going to work; he was going to see Samantha.

The moment he was gone, I went straight to a law firm and had them draft a divorce agreement for me.

That afternoon, Benjamin called.

"Emma, today's our tenth anniversary. There's a jewelry exhibition tonight. You can choose anything you like, and I'll buy it all for you."

He had forgotten.

Our actual anniversary was yesterday.

I forced a small smile. "As long as it's from you, I'll like it."

At the exhibition, Benjamin spent money like it meant nothing: two necklaces, a pair of earrings, two bracelets…

People around us could not hide their envy.

A waitress with a striking figure accidentally spilled tea onto him.

"Sir, I'm so sorry. Let me help you clean it…"

Benjamin shoved her away. "Don't touch me. No woman except Emma is allowed near me."

Back when he had just started his business, he often had to entertain clients. One night, he came home late, carrying another woman's perfume on him.

When he noticed my expression, he swore on the spot that he would never meet female clients again and that he would never let another woman get close to him.

From then on, his reputation as a devoted, almost wife-fearing husband spread across the city. I had become the woman everyone envied.

More of those scrolling comments drifted past.

[Samantha's got some nerve, daring to provoke Emma right in front of her.]

I looked straight at the waitress.

So, she was Samantha.

She ran off in tears.

Benjamin stood up shortly after. "Emma, I'm going to the restroom to clean up. Wait for me here."

The crowd buzzed again with admiration.

"Mr. Shaw is such a decent man."

"Everyone in Helios knows he loves his wife more than anything. As long as they're together, I can still believe in love."

However, the comments kept scrolling.

[The worst one here is Benjamin; that scumbag is already hooking up with Samantha in the restroom right now!]

Before I realized it, my feet were already moving toward the restroom.

From the next stall, sounds spilled out: low, breathless, unmistakable.

"You slut… Moaning that loud? Trying to let everyone hear?"

A soft, sugary voice answered, half-teasing, half-breathless.

"Mr. Shaw, whose fault is that? You're the one who won't let me stop…"

His voice dropped, thick with pleasure.

"Can't stop, huh? Then, why did you dress like that and come here?"

Her tone turned coy.

"Thinking about how you'll be traveling with your wife in two days… It makes me sad. I don't care… You have to stay with me for these two days. You have to satisfy me."

The sounds grew louder.

Something inside me hurt so much it went numb.

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and turned away.

An hour later, the exhibition had already ended when Benjamin finally returned, looking flustered.

"Emma, I'm sorry. I ran into a business partner and got caught up talking with him."

He lied so smoothly.

I simply nodded, my expression calm. "It's fine. Work comes first."

We loaded the jewelry into the trunk, and he drove me home.

Halfway there, his phone rang.

He glanced at it once and then declined the call without a word.

However, the phone kept ringing insistently. In the end, Benjamin picked up the call.

His expression changed instantly, and he slammed on the brakes.

Caught off guard, I was thrown forward, my forehead hitting the hard frame of the car.

He said urgently, "Emma, something's come up at the company. I need to deal with it right away. Can you head back on your own?"

I lifted my gaze to the floating comments above.

[I'm so sick of it. How long is he going to keep using the 'company emergency' excuse?]

[It's obviously Samantha. She called to say she’s been in a car accident. That’s why he’s rushing off.]

Samantha again.

A dull, persistent ache spread through my chest.

When I did not respond, Benjamin grew visibly impatient. He got out of the car and yanked open the passenger door.

"It's really urgent. Once I handle this, I can focus completely on our trip.

"Emma, be good."

He did not even notice the swelling on my forehead where I had hit it. I forced my eyes wide open, refusing to let the tears spill over, and stepped out of the car.

"Go."

The slight tremor in my voice gave me away.

However, Benjamin was already in a hurry. He slammed the door shut, started the car, and drove off without a second glance.

I watched as the car merged into traffic and disappeared. Only then did the tears finally break free, sliding down my cheeks.

Rain began to fall from the sky, as if even the heavens thought I deserved to cry…for the ten years of love we had shared.

I walked alone through the rainy night, letting the downpour hide every tear.

Benjamin did not come home that night.

He only sent a message, saying he had to leave on a sudden two-day business trip. He promised he would be back by the evening of the second day, and then he would take me traveling.

At this point, his lies left me numb.

I used those two days to clear out everything in the house that belonged to me.

The 99 love letters he had written me.

The first gift I bought for him with my part-time earnings.

The promise he wrote on the night of our wedding…

All the things I once treasured ended up in the trash.

Two days later, the house was half-empty.

I sat on the couch, divorce papers in hand. Benjamin did not show up.

Instead, I received a message from Samantha.

[Emma, let's meet.]

At the cafe, Samantha was dressed like a flamboyant peacock.

She was wearing every piece of jewelry Benjamin had bought for me at that exhibition.

There was a smug look in her eyes.

"Mr. Shaw says these suit me better than you."

I stirred my coffee, my expression calm.

"Do you know those pieces are part of our marital properties? If I wanted to, I could make you return every single one."

Her face stiffened for a moment before she forced a smile.

"Emma, what's the point of clinging to the title of Mrs. Shaw?

"When was the last time he even touched you? He's long since lost interest. If you had any self-awareness, you'd step aside for me."

I looked at her and smiled faintly.

"Sure. I'll step aside. Go and tell Benjamin yourself. I'll wait here for him to sign the divorce papers. Do you dare to do that?"

She fell silent again.

Of course, she did not dare. She only had the courage to provoke me behind his back.

She was still too young, so transparent that anyone could see right through her. Yet, Benjamin liked exactly that: her youth, her body.

I picked up my bag and turned to leave, offering her one final piece of advice.

"No one stays young forever. There will always be someone younger. Since you've already traded your body, you might as well get something worthwhile out of him instead of wasting your time picking fights with me."

The comments exploded in approval.

[Emma is absolutely right. A true female lead doesn't stoop to competing over men.]

[Emma, just leave already! We're all waiting for Benjamin's regret arc!]

When I got home, I placed the signed divorce papers on the table.

Then, I took my packed suitcase and called a cab straight to the airport.

Benjamin…

Our ten years…

Goodbye.