To fulfill her childhood friend's dream of becoming a painter, my wife, despite being three months pregnant, insisted on modeling naked outdoors for him.

I strongly opposed it, but all I received was a heartless slap from my wife.

"The theme of his painting is living in harmony with nature, the only way to reflect the closeness to nature."

"You know nothing, so don't desecrate art with your dirty eyes!"

Took six hours the entire painting, she fainted due to heatstroke and had a miscarriage.

But the first thing she was worried about when she was conscious, whether she had delayed his childhood friend's painting progress and simply not worried about her child's fate.

Moreover, she insisted on completing the rest of the painting despite her weakness from her current miscarriage.

"I'll definitely help Kilian fulfill his dream of holding an art exhibition!"

But when she finally helped him hold the exhibition and saw everything on display, she cried and begged for my forgiveness.

——

"Hurry! The patient has lost too much blood! Prepare blood packs!"

With a rush of shouts, the words "in operation" stood out on the door of the operating room.

"What's wrong with you? Three months is the most unstable time for a fetus! How could you let your wife do this!"

The doctor was very angry at my irresponsibility and scolded me immediately.

I gritted my teeth, endured the scolding and begged humbly.

"Sorry, it's my fault, but please, please save both my wife and baby."

But even with all my pleas, the moment the lights went out in the operating room, the doctor's first words when he came out still made me fail to stand still.

"Sorry, Mr. Arnouts, we've tried our best, but we still couldn't save your baby."

I only felt a blackout in front of my eyes.

I had been married to Heidi Muller for five years and always wanted to have a child.

Even when she tested pregnant, I had already started setting up the baby room.

Thinking of the little clothes and toys in our house, I couldn't help but burst into tears.

My long-awaited little life unexpectedly died so early.

"I offer my condolences."

The doctor, who had just scolded me, sighed and patted my shoulder.

"Your wife will wake up soon, go check on her."

I responded hoarsely, sitting next to the hospital bed, watching Heidi's pale and unconscious face, instinctively feeling heartbroken.

Though it was she who wanted to be a model and we had a huge argument about it.

It was she who lost the child, after all.

I wondered, if she would be able to accept her child's death as soon as she woke up.

"Water ...."

No long after, Heidi opened her eyes in a daze.

I quickly handed her the water with the straw and as she took two sips, I was about to talk about the child when she spoke first.

"How's Kilian's painting? Did my fainting delay his progress?"

My eyes widened in shock, couldn't believe it.

"The first thing you ask when you wake up is about Kilian's painting? Where's our baby, don't you care at all?"

She closed her eyes exhausted, her voice cold and indifferent.

"Why worry? Leave it to fate. Only the fittest survive. Losing him proves it wasn't meant to be ours."

I forze and for a moment, I felt incredibly ridiculous for trying to comfort her.

But her, ignored me, simply grabbed the phone next to her pillow and called Kilian right there and then.

The call connected and her voice changed from cold to gentle.

"Kilian, I'm sorry, I fainted. Have you finished your painting? Still need me to go?"

I still had good ears to hear Kilian on the other end of the phone hesitate for a long time before saying.

"I did, but I still have other scenes. If I don't finish it today, I won't be able to make it to the exhibition ...."

I felt furious, reached out and snatched my wife's phone, hanging up and demanding a question.

"Heidi! Our baby is gone, gone! You woke up and asked about thay guy's broken painting? Do you even care about me or our family!"

Her ears buzzed from my vibration and just as she was about to speak, I interrupted her.

"You called him and did he even bother to show any concern for you! He didn't even come and visit you in the hospital when you fainted!"

She propped herself up on the bed, her face brimming with impatience.

"Ronan, you know nothing. Kilian is an artist and is about to hold an exhibition. He can't let me delay his progress!"

"Our relation doesn't need all that hypocrisy. He definitely cares about me, too! I can't hold him back!"

I just found her stubbornness absurd.

"Really? So that's why you're becoming a nude model?"

Heidi's face showed an obvious impatience.

"How many times do I need to tell you? The theme of his painting is living in harmony with nature, the only way to reflect the closeness to nature."

"I have nothing to say to someone like you, with your dirty eyes and dirty heart!"

She made me laugh and before I could say anything else, she pulled out the needle.

"He hasn't finished his painting yet. I have to go help him. Ronan, if you dare stop me, our matter won't be over!"

"I'll definitely help Kilian fulfill his dream of holding an art exhibition!"

With this roar, she struggled out of bed, swallowed two painkillers and staggered out the door.

A three-month miscarriage was also a major blow to the mother's vitality. Why could she do this for him?

Heidi's emotionless expression left me stunned.

Back then, I fell in love at first sight with her during a trip to a foreign country.

We had many sweet moments.

She used to have me in her heart and eyes and even on our wedding day, she couldn't help but cry for a long time.

She was even more attentive to me in daily life.

I thought we would live a life of such warmth and happiness forever.

But since her childhood friend, Kilian Dubois, returned from abroad, everything had changed.

Looking back now, when she got married and cried for a long time that day, was it because she was moved or because she thought of her childhood friend?

I dared not dwell on it further, but I knew, after her childhood sweetheart returned to Celestia, she'd been indoctrinated with all sorts of so-called artistic concepts, fantasizing about his meteoric rise to fame.

Now, even the loss of her own child wasn't a concern.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I drove to a Blue Island Resort in the outskirts, the place where Kilian swept his brush on the canvas.

When the waiter led me to the resort, I happened to see him undress my wife!

"You son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing!"

The suppressed anger erupted, I rushed up, grabbed Kilian's collar and threw a punch on his face.

Kilian cried out in pain and Heidi screamed.

No care, no hesitation, the next punch landed.

"If it weren't for you, you beast! How could Heidi have been tricked into having a heatstroke and a miscarriage? I'm going to fucking beat you to death today!" I roared.

"Ronan, stop it! Are you crazy?"

To protect him, she stepped forward and gritted her teeth at me.

"Try hitting him again? I'm not done with you!"

Seeing her pale face, still trying to protect him, I suddenly felt bored.

Hung my fist down and twitched my lips in mockery.

"You're still protecting him?"

But Kilian, on the side, played the good guy, looking incredibly aggrieved.

"Ronan, it's my fault, about her having a heatstroke and a miscarriage."

"I'll find another model. Just take Heidi back, her body can't handle it."

"I don't want to affect your relationship because of me. Let's call it a day."

Upon hearing this, I let out a short, cold laugh.

"You're quite good at pretending."

His appearance couldn't fool me, but made her feel extremely heartbroken.

"Kilian, how can you say that? We're already halfway through the

progress and you won't have time even if you find a model!"

She then turned her head and glared at me.

"Ronan, get the hell out of here right now! I'm modeling of my own free will, it has nothing to do with him!"

My eyes slightly reddened as I gritted my teeth and asked her.

"Heidi, I'll ask you one last thing, are you coming with me or not?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Don't you understand human language? I'm telling you to get out! Get out of here right now! Or we're getting divorced!"

She helped Kilian up from the ground, her tone suddenly gentle.

"Kilian, are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"If you're okay, we can continue your painting, didn't you say that you couldn't catch up with the schedule?"

He responded with concern, but his eyes were actually mocking me.

Heidi's obvious double-standards made me feel particularly frustrated.

Suppressing my raging anger, I turned and left.

Back in the car, I lit my first cigarette and took a deep puff.

Then the second, the third ....

Nicotine and tar soothed my throbbing nerves and I let out a long sigh.

I thought I still had a hard time divorcing Heidi.

I was planning to have a good talk with her about modeling after she got home today.

But as I opened the car window for some fresh air, I overheard two middle-aged women passing by chatting.

"Oh, you didn't see a couple in the resort over there, vulgar and immoral?"

"That's right. Though this place is remote, they can't be so careless, right?"

"Those two, shameless fellows!"

My heart skipped a beat as I listened to their description.

I slammed the car door and hurried back, to witness a scene that made my scalp tingle.

The two people who were just at odds with me were now kissing deeply behind the bushes.

Amidst confusion and ecstasy, Kilian whispered.

"I'm sorry, Heidi. It's my fault you had the miscarriage. Can your body handle it?"

Heidi's eyes were filled with deep affection and her response was out of my expectations.

"Kilian, my miscarriage isn't your fault, I did it on purpose."

"I never planned to give birth to this child from the beginning, now I've just freed up my belly for you."

"I've always liked you all these years, Kilian. As long as it's you, I'm willing to do anything."

"Heidi."

He was deeply moved and when he reached out to her, he didn't forget to remind her.

"By the way, Heidi, I always feet something isn't right with Ronan. Do you think...?"

She didn't quite grasp his underlying meaning at first and spoke nonchalantly.

"Whatever he likes, Kilian, let's not mention him."

Kilian shook his head and said, "Let's not make things too awkward, shall we? After all, we still need his approval for the exhibition venue."