To temper my attitude, Frederick Burke throws me into the mountains.

What he doesn't know is that this mountain lies deep within a high-radiation zone.

Five months later, he finally shows up with a group of people to bring me back. However, my body is already starting to rot from the radiation.

"Anastasia, if you hadn't pushed Colette down the stairs, I wouldn't have punished you like this. I wouldn't have left you to rot on this godforsaken mountain. Do you admit your mistake now?"

I kneel on the ground and prostrate myself before Colette Reeves.

Frederick freezes and instinctively reaches out to help me up. "Alright, there's no need for this…"

I say nothing. I just quietly watch as he grabs my arm. Unbeknownst to him, my body is already soaked in radiation after months in this mountain.

Anyone who touches me will slowly begin to rot, too...

Frederick Burke's grip made the skin on my arm ache, but I didn't pull away.

As I tried to stand, a wave of dizziness hit me. I was about to collapse when Frederick caught me, steadying me in his arms.

"You've gotten so thin. Didn't I have food sent to you every week?" he asked.

But in truth, no one had brought me a single thing during the five months I had been stranded in this godforsaken wilderness. To survive, I had eaten worms, bugs, and even rotting animal carcasses.

Compared to Colette Reeves, standing by Frederick's side, I was unrecognizable. I looked like a homeless woman, my hair a tangled mess.

Colette was his secretary and the one in charge of delivering my food.

When Frederick turned to her, she bit her lip and put on a wounded expression, saying, "Ana, I know you've never liked me, but you can't accuse me just because you're upset Freddie left you out here.

"I spent so much time every week picking out food for you. Look! I even kept the receipts."

Having said that, she pulled out a stack of printed invoices. Each one listed a different set of items, week by week.

Then, she flipped the narrative, painting me as a manipulative woman. "Ana, are you starving yourself just to make Freddie feel sorry for you? Oh, come on. He's not going to be mad. Just eat the food you've been hiding, okay? Your health matters more than anything."

The second Colette finished speaking, the way Frederick looked at me changed. He had always despised deceitful women, so he immediately let go of me.

With that, I crashed to the ground.

It had been ages since I last ate. I had scavenged every edible plant and animal in the area. On top of that, months of radiation exposure had left my body unhealthily weak.

That fall made it nearly impossible for me to stand again.

Frederick looked down at me with a frown and spat, "Enough with the act. Get up!"

Colette stifled a laugh. "Yeah, Ana, come on. Weren't you the one who always said women should be strong and independent?"

Unable to watch any longer, someone nearby stepped forward. As soon as he crouched beside me, Colette let out another giggle.

"Ana, you're still the pageant queen, huh? Even looking like this, you've got men falling over themselves to take care of you. I'm jealous!"

Three years ago, I was the beloved daughter of the Sherman family. I was adored by everyone, and it was Frederick who had pursued me with relentless passion.

In the end, I fell hard.

Even after we got married, he'd come home every night without fail, no matter how busy he was. He bought me rare, beautiful things just to see me smile. Once, he lit up the entire city skyline with fireworks for my birthday.

However, all of that changed the moment Colette returned from overseas.

Frederick—once so strict about keeping work and his personal life separate—hired her as his secretary. He even paid her a ridiculous salary. Worse, he'd spend the night away from home every time she called.

I cried, fought with him, and did everything I could to make him see how much it hurt me. All my efforts were meant to show him how much I hated how close he and Colette were.

Unfortunately, all I did was drive him further away. Eventually, he grew tired of me.

After that, Sherman Group went bankrupt, and my parents threw themselves in front of a train.

I barely made it back home in one piece, only to find Colette standing in my bedroom in nothing but lace lingerie. Meanwhile, Frederick stood before her, his shirt half unbuttoned.

Furious, I shoved her. I didn't even push her that hard, yet she fell right out of the second-floor window.

The very next day, Frederick dumped me in the middle of nowhere. And just like that, I was left to survive five months alone.

Now, the same man who had abandoned me stood there with an icy expression.

"What's wrong, Anastasia? Planning to become a prostitute now that you're not an heiress anymore?" he mocked.

At Frederick's remark, Colette covered her mouth to suppress a laugh.

I clenched my teeth and pushed myself to my feet.

The mountain trail was steep. Before long, we were making our way down.

I lagged far behind the rest of the group. It had rained the day before, leaving the ground slick. I could barely keep my balance and fell four times. Each time, the pain was so intense that it nearly knocked me out.

The last slip almost sent me tumbling over the edge of a cliff. In that split second, Frederick yanked me back and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

I looked up at him. At that moment, I caught a flash of fear in his eyes.

It reminded me of the Frederick I used to know. Back then, even the smallest scrape on my hand would leave him riddled with guilt.

Those days had been beautiful. That was why I never imagined love could be this fragile and fleeting.

"Anastasia Sherman, are you an idiot? Can't you watch where you're going?" Frederick asked sharply. "You've lived in these mountains for five months, and you still don't know there's a cliff here?"

His voice snapped me out of my reverie. I stared down at the abyss below and remained silent.

A second later, he crouched down, muttering in frustration, "You're such a klutz! Get on. I'll carry you the rest of the way."

Right then, a startled scream rang out ahead. Colette had slipped, too, and her body was tilting dangerously toward the cliff's edge.

Without hesitation, Frederick sprang up and dashed forward. I couldn't grab him in time and hit the ground hard, my head slamming against a rock.

As soon as he reached Colette, he pulled her into his arms. She looked petrified, so he gently reassured her.

After that, he turned around and lifted her onto his back.

Someone asked if I was okay. I nodded in response. However, when I moved, I felt something trickle down my head.

I reached up to wipe it away, only to realize it was blood.

If this were the old me, I would've panicked and screamed for Frederick to take me to the hospital. I would've whined just to make him worry. But now, the pain meant nothing to me.

I figured I had about five days left. The effects of the radiation were already starting to show.

…

By the time I staggered down to the foot of the mountain, Frederick was helping Colette into the front seat of the car.

The moment he saw me, he froze. He furrowed his brows before asking, "Why are you bleeding so much? Cat got your tongue, Anastasia? Why didn't you say you were hurt?"

"You were too far ahead. I couldn't call out to you," I replied.

I hadn't spoken in so long that my voice came out hoarse.

Back then, I had taken vocal lessons just because Frederick once told me he liked my singing. I even got certified.

On top of that, I stopped eating spicy food. Even though I loved it, I had to protect my voice. But now, none of it mattered anymore.

Starving, I reached for a bag of chips in the car. They were spicy enough to make my eyes water, yet I kept eating.

Frederick looked like he was about to scold me. Yet, the words got stuck in his throat. He looked at me with a conflicted expression, his frown deepening.

"That's enough. Stop eating, or your stomach will act up again!" he snapped.

Having said that, he snatched the food from my hands and threw it to the floor.

Then, without another word, Frederick pulled me into the passenger seat before turning to Colette, who was still standing outside the car.

"Colette, take the back seat," he instructed.

Colette bit her lip and lowered her gaze, masking the jealousy flickering in her eyes. Then, she obediently opened the car's back door.

Frederick had originally planned to take me to the hospital. But out of nowhere, Colette piped up from the back seat, "Ana, when I fell out the window five months ago, I was bleeding from the head, too. I still get headaches now and then. If you're feeling unwell, make sure you tell the doctor everything."

In an instant, Frederick's expression turned cold. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel before making a U-turn.

"Anastasia, if it weren't for Colette's mercy, you'd already be behind bars!" he snapped. "I don't think you need to go to the hospital anymore.

"She's been dealing with headaches for five months because of you. So, to make things fair, you should suffer through five months of pain as penance."

…

In no time, we pulled into the driveway.

After five months away, the house no longer felt like mine.

The yard I had poured my heart into, once full of lilies, was gone, replaced by a bed of red roses—Colette's favorite. Beside it, the swing I had built now carried a sign that read, "Reserved for Colette only".

Inside, Helen Kerr, the housekeeper who had watched me grow up, was nowhere to be found. In her place stood a stranger.

The new housekeeper didn't even acknowledge my presence. Instead, she went straight to Colette, took her bag with both hands, and practically lowered her head in reverence.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Burke. I made your favorite spaghetti."

Colette's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Even so, she put on an innocent act just for me.

"Ana, this is Karen Walker. She only started recently, and since you were away in the mountains, she mistook me for the lady of the house," explained Colette. "Don't take it personally, okay?"

I ignored the smugness beneath her words. All I could see was the bracelet on Karen's wrist.

It was the only keepsake my mother had ever left me. I had locked it in the bedroom safe, and only Frederick and I knew the combination.

Before he left me out in the wilderness, I had begged him to give it back. However, he told me I'd get it once I realized my mistake.

But now, the bracelet that should've been safely locked away was wrapped around someone else's wrist.

Colette followed my gaze and noticed what I was looking at. She covered her mouth, then let out a chuckle.

"That was a gift from Freddie. But I think it's a bit old-fashioned."

As she spoke, she unclasped the bracelet and handed it to me. "Ana, if I'd known you liked it, I wouldn't have given it to Karen. Here, it's yours."

I was about to take it when Colette let go. In the next second, the bracelet shattered on the floor. Just like that, the last thing my mother had left me was gone.

I took a deep breath, then raised my hand and slapped Colette hard.

Frederick immediately caught her before striking me just as hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Anastasia?" he barked. "It's just a damn bracelet! It broke, but so what? I can buy you ten more just like it!

"Five months ago, you didn't hesitate to push Colette out the window. She was seriously hurt because of you. Even now, she still gets headaches! What's so wrong about me taking her in to look after her? Why do you hate her so much?"

If this had happened before, I would've thrown a fit the moment Frederick started defending another woman. But this time, I just held my burning left cheek and looked at him with cold indifference.

It was Frederick who stared back at me in surprise.

"Why aren't you making a scene?" he asked.