002

In the world of emotions, those who are loved take it for granted.

After having my stomach pumped, I stayed in the hospital for three days.

Those three days were filled with endless rain. I lay in the hospital bed, staring out at the flowerbed outside the window, lost in thought about my relationship with Yang Xue.

The sun rose and set, darkness and light alternating.

By the time I was discharged, the sound of cheerful birdsong filled the air outside. A ray of sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the entire courtyard in warmth. My numb body slowly began to feel some of that warmth.

I slowly looked up at the sky after the rain, where a rainbow had appeared.

In that moment, it felt as if all the gloom in my heart had dissipated. A thought that had been buried deep within me suddenly surfaced, becoming crystal clear.

The woman I had loved deeply for five years—during those three days in the hospital, every moment of pain and suffering felt like a scalpel, slowly carving away the love I had for her.

As I walked out of the hospital gates, bathed in the golden warmth of the sunlight, the image of Yang Xue in my heart dissipated like smoke.

It felt like a rebirth. I spread my arms, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief. My once bitter face broke into a long-lost smile.

Five years. What's the point of holding onto a stone that will never warm up?

Just then, I received a text from Yang Xue.

[Pick me up at the airport at 8 PM.]

During the three days I was in the hospital, Yang Xue, as usual, had blocked my number every time she went to spend time with her first love. She claimed it was to avoid endless arguments and to protect our marital relationship.

Once she had fulfilled her duty of accompanying her first love, she would suddenly remember my existence and send me a text, as if offering me an olive branch.

[I'm back. Let's go home.]

Then Yang Xue would give me a symbolic hug, demand an apology from me, and after I reluctantly said "I'm sorry," she would take me back home.

She always held herself above me, claiming that marrying me and letting me hold the title of "husband" was the greatest expression of her love.

As a man, I was supposed to be magnanimous, not dwell on trivial matters, as it would severely damage the trust in our marriage.

For three years of marriage, whenever her first love was involved, I was expected to remain silent.

That marriage certificate was Yang Xue's greatest act of charity toward me.

During those three days in the hospital, I dissected my relationship with Yang Xue and realized that I had been a fool from start to finish.

A laughable, pitiful fool.

When Yang Xue's presence finally faded from my heart, I suddenly faced a harsh truth.

When you stop caring about someone, even speaking to them feels unnecessary.

In the past, Yang Xue had treated me the way I was treating her now.

It was unnecessary.

I just glanced at the text message, and the image of Yang Xue's cold, arrogant face flashed in my mind, ruining my good mood. I ignored the message entirely and took a taxi home.

When I returned to the meticulously designed house, the dinner on the table had already gone moldy, and the living room was filled with a foul smell.

A layer of dust covered the floor, a clear sign that Yang Xue hadn't been home for three days, too busy accompanying her first love.

Exhausted, I sat on the sofa and looked around the house. Every detail of the decor had been chosen to Yang Xue's taste, all in an effort to make her feel the warmth of home.

But when my gaze landed on the master bedroom, a wave of nausea washed over me.

When we were renovating, Yang Xue had given me a design layout for the master bedroom.

Thinking it was her preferred style, I had put in a lot of effort, consulting numerous designers to perfectly replicate the layout.

When I proudly showed Yang Xue the finished master bedroom, hoping to see a happy smile on her face, she dropped a bombshell.

She told me that after we got married, we wouldn't be sleeping in the master bedroom. Instead, we would sleep in the guest room.

I thought I had misheard and kept asking for an explanation.

But Yang Xue impatiently cut me off, threatening to break up if I didn't agree to this condition.

For her sake, I swallowed my pride and agreed to sleep in the guest room with her.

As for the master bedroom, it had remained locked from the day we got married until now.

Later, I learned from Yang Xue's best friend that the beautifully decorated master bedroom wasn't something Yang Xue disliked—it was reserved for someone far more important.

Her first love.

Yang Xue had promised her first love that no matter what happened in the future, there would always be a room for him in her home.

Staring at the locked door of the master bedroom, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. I had loved Yang Xue too much, placing myself in the most卑微 position. But for Yang Xue, it was never enough. Every time she abandoned me to run to her first love, it felt like she was slowly cutting me apart with a knife.

Now that my heart was broken and I could no longer love her, I finally realized how foolish I had been.

If you want someone to love you, shouldn't you love yourself first?

From today onward, I would love myself.

My chaotic thoughts swirled in my mind, and combined with my weakened state from just being discharged from the hospital, I leaned back on the sofa and unknowingly fell asleep.

In my drowsy state, a cold sensation enveloped my body.

I suddenly opened my eyes to see an angry, beautiful face and a pot of scalding coffee being thrown at me.