I Gave Up on Loving Her

My wife is the most renowned genius artist of our time, but she suffers from emotional detachment disorder.

When I accidentally fell down the stairs and called out to her for help, she asked me, Why do you always bother me?

Then she stepped over my body in her high heels and left gracefully.

That's when I finally understooda heart you can't warm is not worth warming anymore.

After she proposed divorce for the ninety-ninth time, I said, "I agree."

My wife froze for a long moment.

"What did you say?"

I handed her the signed divorce agreement.

She stared at the papers, then looked up at me for a long time, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"You don't even want our daughter?"

I nodded.

Right. I didn't want any of it anymore.

In the divorce agreement, I willingly gave up custody of our daughter.

I had only one conditionHannah Smith had to agree to let my mother continue receiving treatment at the hospital under the Smith family's name.

The Smith family owned the top medical team for bone cancer treatment in the country.

Only there did my mother have a chance of recovery.

After we got our divorce certificate, Hannah's face remained calm and distant as always.

"So what will you do now?"

I knew this was just Hannah being polite.

She had never truly cared about me.

I gave a perfunctory answer. "Travel."

Hannah didn't ask any more questions.

Leo put his hand on Hannah's shoulder and smiled at me. "Thanks for being willing to let Hannah go and give her freedom."

I instinctively glanced at Hannah.

Facing Leo's closeness, her expression was relaxed and naturalnone of the discomfort she showed when facing me.

Hannah suddenly spoke up. "Travel costs money. I'll transfer some to you."

Her tone was still that flat, cold indifference, as if we were complete strangers.

This divorce left me with essentially nothing.

Hannah and I had signed a prenuptial agreementwhatever we earned after marriage would belong to each of us individually.

All our expenses after marriage followed an AA system.

There were no property disputes.

But the key issue was that our daughter had poor health and high needs.

I had quit my job long ago to stay home and take care of her full-time.

If I couldn't take on freelance work from home, I would have starved.

Leo interrupted Hannah with a teasing tone. "Hannah, I'm sure he has savings. Besides, he's a grown manhow could he have the nerve to take your money?"

"Plus, the art exhibition is about to start. We need to manage our funds carefully."

As he spoke, Leo kept patting Hannah's shoulder, his manner intimate and natural.

Hannah nodded thoughtfully, looking at Leo with approval and admiration.

"You're right."

Leo seemed satisfied with this answer and smiled at me. "You better not go anywhere too remote on your travels. These past few years, quite a few solo hikers have gotten into trouble."

Hannah frowned and replied flatly, "What could happen to him?"

I took a deep breath.

See? That's how little Hannah cared about me.

Hannah had severe emotional detachment disorder.

To put it bluntly, she lacked the capacity to love.

When Hannah was young, her grandfather died.

At the funeral, she showed no expression, like it had nothing to do with her.

Everyone said she was a monster.

I was afraid Hannah would be hurt if she heard them, so I covered her ears and comforted her. "Don't listen to them. You're not wrong. I know you're sad tooyou just don't know how to express it."

But Hannah looked at me seriously and said, "Why should I be sad? Everyone dies eventually, don't they?"

I was stunned.

As an eight-year-old, I couldn't understand why Hannah would say something like that.

Later, Hannah's condition got worse.

She even began self-harming and showing signs of nihilismHannah didn't love anyone, including herself.

But only when she saw me did Hannah's condition improve.

To save her, the Smith family made a deal with methey would treat my mother's bone cancer if I married Hannah.

Hannah even looked at me with pleading eyes, like an injured young animal. "Don't leave. Stay with me forever, Jasper."

I had no choice.

We did have a period of affection once.

During that brief time, we had our daughter.

Our daughter was born with a congenital heart condition and needed constant care.

Hannah couldn't even take care of herself, so I certainly couldn't count on her.

I had no choice but to shift all my focus to our daughter, caring for her with everything I had.

Without realizing it, Hannah and I grew further and further apart.

Hannah was a famous genius artist online with a massive following.

When her fans found out I was a stay-at-home husband, they all said I wasn't good enough for her.

[Hannah's husband is just a useless pretty boy living off her. And he's supposed to be some elite graduate? What a disgrace.]

[How can the husband of a genius artist be such a worthless kept man?]

[I heard their families go way back and arranged their marriage when they were kids. Feudal thinking ruins lives.]

I asked Hannah for help, begging her to explain things to her fans.

After all, nobody cared what I had to say.

But Hannah was different.

Yet Hannah looked at me with a strange, confused expression. "You're so weird. Why do you care what strangers think?"

"Besides, they're not wrong. You are a stay-at-home husband."

What did I say back then?

I can't remember.

I only remember feeling completely lost and on the verge of breaking down.

Should I have blamed Hannah?

Everyone around me kept telling me that Hannah was just sick, that she was incapable of love.

As her husband, I should be understanding.

I used that excuse to comfort myself countless times after that.

Our daughter had poor healtheven a little breeze would give her a cold and fever.

I couldn't sleep through the night, keeping watch by her bedside.

Meanwhile, Hannah, her mother, never showed up once, completely absorbed in her paintings.

I confronted her, asking why she didn't care about our child.

Hannah looked up at me. "Would it help if I went? I'm not a doctor."

Days of exhaustion and mental torment made my vision go dark, and I fell down the stairs.

Blood pooled beneath my head in a spreading stain.

Before I completely lost consciousness, I called out to Hannah for help.

She stood there, looking at me coldly. "Why do you always bother me?"

Then she stepped over the pool of blood in her high heels and strode away without a care.

In that moment, I truly understood for the first time what people meant when they called Hannah a monster.

Hannah didn't care whether I lived or died.

But she was different with Leo, her young assistant.

Around Leo, Hannah seemed to become normal.

Like a wooden puppet suddenly growing flesh and blood, suddenly having warmth.

At a press conference once, Hannah said, "Leo makes my withered soul grow wild with life."

"Because of him, I can feel that sunlight is warm and flowers are enchanting."

When we got home that day, I questioned her like a madman.

"Hannah, do you even know what you're doing? This is cheating!"

"Jasper, you shouldn't use the word 'cheating' to define my relationship with Leo."

Hannah's expression didn't change.

As she spoke, she didn't even lift her head once, continuing to work on her painting.

The studio was filled with sketchesall portraits of Leo.

Him laughing, him deep in thought, him frowning...

Every stroke seemed to pour out all of Hannah's energy and devotion.

As I left in despair, Hannah called out to me.

"Jasper, you've only ever been a passerby in my life."

"But Leo gives me a soul. He's the wellspring of my artistic inspiration."

Suddenly, I lost all desire to argue with her. Utter exhaustion and powerlessness consumed me.

I finally understood that Hannah wasn't incapable of loving everyone.

I just wasn't the person she was willing to understand or accommodate.

I thought my life was already as desperate as it could get.

But then even my daughter started calling Leo "Dad."

Our daughter, just like Hannah, constantly fawned over and praised Leo.

"Daddy Leo, you're so handsome."

"I wish you were really my dad."

"I don't want a useless father. My classmates all make fun of me."

Even my mother-in-law came to lecture me, telling me I should be grateful.

"My Hannah is the best artist now. You should feel honored to be her husband."

"So what if she doesn't love you? Love doesn't put food on the table."

...

As my memories flooded back, I turned to leave. "Goodbye, you two."

If I could help it, I never wanted to see Hannah again for the rest of my life.

But someone grabbed my wrist.

Hannah stared at me, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.

"Why... why are you doing this?"

"Let go."

My voice was cold.

Leo glanced at me, then gently coaxed Hannah. "Hannah, could you let go first?"

But Hannah acted as if she hadn't heard him, her brow furrowed tight.

When she spoke again, her expression was still innocent and clumsy. "Is this because of when you fell down the stairs? But you... you were fine, weren't you?"

I laughed bitterly.

The only reason I was still standing here was pure luck.

I yanked my hand back forcefully and looked at her coldly. "Get lost."

Hannah had never been treated this way by me before.

She looked at me helplessly, clearly not used to it.

Leo stepped forward in time to hold Hannah's hand, saying somewhat helplessly, "Come on, calm down. Hannah doesn't mean any harm. She just doesn't know how to express what she's thinking."

"Don't keep forcing her. Hannah isn't your property."

Hannah nodded, clearly agreeing with Leo's words.

I laughed out loud.

How utterly pointless.

"Goodbye, Hannah."

I waved my hand and strode away.

Hannah stood frozen in place, her fingers trembling unconsciouslya sign she was nervous.

Leo didn't notice anything wrong and gripped her hand tighter. "Let's go, my great artist."

Hannah stared at Leo in a daze.

She tried to ease the discomfort in her chest.

But found she couldn't fill that hollow, lost feeling no matter what.

Hannah wasn't good at conversation and couldn't express her thoughts precisely.

To explain it in terms Hannah understood bestit was like a work she'd poured her heart and soul into had suddenly been destroyed.

It made her heart skip a beat.

When people learned about our divorce, many came to talk me out of it.

My usually arrogant former mother-in-law, Mrs. Smith, came to find me with her daughter.

At the time, I was pulling my suitcase, preparing to leave.

Mrs. Smith grabbed my suitcase, her eyes smiling. "Oh, you don't need to move out."

"You haven't worked in so many years. Can you even support yourself out there?"

"Besides, you've done our Smith family a favor. If you starve to death out there, people will say we repaid kindness with cruelty."

My daughter, Riley, stood beside her, looking at me sideways and muttering, "Stingy jerk. You're just jealous that we like Daddy Leo more."

Mrs. Smith pretended to scold Riley a few times, then turned to speak to me.

"Good boy, Mom knows you've been wronged."

"But you know Hannahshe just doesn't understand social niceties. But you're the one she likes most."

Her tone was familiar and affectionate, as if nothing had ever gone wrong between me and the Smith family.

I sneered. "Mrs. Smith, didn't you always want us to divorce?"

I cut straight to the point.

The smile on Mrs. Smith's face nearly cracked.

She forced a dry laugh. "What are you saying? Your mother and I are such good friends. Of course I'm very satisfied with you as a son-in-law."

She looked sincere.

But I only found her hypocritical.

I couldn't forget that after I fell down the stairs and was sent to the ICU, just as the operating room doors closed, I heard Mrs. Smith's extremely cold voice: "It would be better if he died. The Smith family doesn't need such a useless son-in-law."

In private, Mrs. Smith often told people, "Jasper doesn't deserve my daughter at all. He's worthless."

I looked at Mrs. Smith coldly. She must have had ulterior motives for coming to find me today.

Sure enough, the next second, Mrs. Smith spoke, her tone turning cold and hard. "Hannah is at a critical point in her career. If news of your divorce gets out now, it won't look good."

"So you can't publicly announce the divorce yet. Can you do that?"

Before I could respond, Riley pushed me. "Just agree already."

"Daddy Leo was right. You're so selfish, always only thinking about yourself."

Riley's words were like countless silver needles piercing my heart until it bled.

I stared at her in a daze.

My daughter used to cling to me the most.

She would hug my leg and say over and over, "Daddy's the best. I love Daddy most."

But she carried Hannah's blood in her veins after all.

Just like Hannah, she would immediately abandon me the moment Leo appeared.

I hardened my expression. "Riley!"

Riley stuck her neck out stubbornly, not thinking she was wrong at all.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

Hannah and Leo walked in side by side.

Riley's eyes instantly reddened as she rushed toward Leo.

"Daddy Leo, I hate Jasper so much. He's always yelling at me. Can you help me get rid of him?"

Leo looked at me with disapproval in his eyes. "That's going too far, don't you think?"

"Even if you're Riley's father, you can't bully her."

"An irresponsible father like you would have custody taken away in other countries."

Hannah's displeased gaze fell on my face. "Jasper, you're getting more and more unreasonable."

"Go see a doctor if you're sick."

I coldly dropped one sentence and left with my suitcase.

As I got on the elevator, Leo caught up.

He looked me up and down with a challenging expression. "You're really never coming back, right, Jasper?"

"Hannah's pregnantwith my child."

I was somewhat surprised.

I thought someone as proud as Hannah wouldn't go that far.

Leo's mouth curved into a wide grin. "Hannah said she wanted to have a child with me, connected by blood."

"That's between you two. It has nothing to do with me."

My expression didn't change.

But Leo wouldn't let it go.

He stepped closer and closer, lowering his voice. "Hannah also said that only with me does she feel alive, only with me does she understand passion."

"And you? You're utterly boring."

As he spoke, he backed up step by step, showing me a strange smile.

Then he fell backward.

The next second, a force hit me.

I saw Hannah rush over like a madwoman, trying to catch Leo.

But it was futile.

"Bang!"

Leo fell heavily down the steps.

His head hit the railing, and blood gushed out.

The bright red blood stung my eyes, making my whole body shudder.

Not long ago, I had just experienced something exactly like this.

Behind me came Riley's wailing cry. "Daddy Leo!"

"Leo, are you okay? You can't... you can't be hurt..." Hannah screamed desperately.

She knelt helplessly in the pool of blood, gripping Leo's hand, her voice nearly breaking. "Don't be scared. I'll get you to the hospital right away."

Hannah called the property management with trembling hands.

When the staff arrived, several people worked together to get the unconscious Leo into the elevator.

Hannah followed behind.

Before getting on the elevator, she suddenly turned back, her eyes filled with hostility.

"Jasper, I won't let you get away with this."

The instant before the elevator doors fully closed, I saw Hannah press her forehead against the back of Leo's hand.

That kind of care, deep to the bone, was something I had never received in the nearly thirty years Hannah and I had known each other.

Riley rushed over, hitting me repeatedly and glaring at me viciously. "You should just die! You hurt Daddy Leo. I never want to call you Dad again."

Hannah's revenge came quickly.

That evening, I received news from the hospitalmy mother was about to be kicked out.

"Mr. Reed, you have to understand that this hospital answers to the Smith family. We have no choice."

"Maybe you could ask Miss Smith? After all, you're husband and wife..."

The hand holding my phone was shaking.

My mother's condition had been well controlled.

Victory had been within reach. Transferring hospitals now would undo all our progress.

And my mother's body couldn't handle that kind of upheaval.

Just to be safe, I quickly contacted other hospitals.

But without exception, not a single hospital was willing to accept her.

Either they feared the Smith family's influence or thought my mother's condition was too severe...

I had no choice but to beg Hannah.

In the hospital corridor, Hannah leaned against the wall, her demeanor growing colder.

"You want to beg me to save your mother?"

"Yes. According to the divorce agreement, you should let my mother continue treatment at the Smith family hospital until she recovers."

My voice was tight.

Hannah sneered but didn't respond.

I took a deep breath and explained, almost humbly, "Leo wasn't pushed by me. You can check the surveillance. He did it himself..."

I was becoming incoherent.

Hannah walked toward me in her high heels, step by step, her tone utterly cold.

"Does it matter?"

"What?"

"Does the truth matter?"

Hannah's expression was haughty, carrying the air of a judge passing down sentence.

"Either way, Leo fell down the stairs because of you."

I stared at Hannah in shock, the last thread in my mind snapping.

I broke down and shouted, "That's a human life, Hannah! Are you really going to watch my mother die?"

"Using your mother's life to pay for Leo's injuries seems pretty fair to me."

A nearly cruel smile rose in Hannah's eyes.

I had no choice but to fall to my knees and kowtow to Hannah.

"Please, please spare my mother. I'll use my life to atone if I have to. I'm willing to die..."

Hannah's expression didn't soften in the slightest.

She looked at me like I was insane.

"Jasper, you really look like a dog begging for scraps right now."

Right after Hannah left, I got a call from the caregiver.

"Mr. Reed, I'm sorry for your loss. Your mother has passed away."

"The hospital was completely unreasonable. They just pulled the plug on her ventilator..."

Boom

My world plunged into complete darkness.

I handled my mother's funeral simply, then carried her ashes to the seaside...

Meanwhile, Hannah was at the hospital keeping Leo company.

Leo looked at her, clearly preoccupied, and suddenly asked, "Are you worried about Jasper?"

Hannah shook her head.

Leo lay in the hospital bed, gently taking Hannah's hand and speaking persuasively, "Trust me, nothing will happen."

"That serious illness was just Jasper's act. His mother's illness was cured long ago."

Hannah murmured in agreement.

But her heart was still anxious.

Until Mrs. Smith burst into the room, looking panicked. "Quick, quick, you need to issue a statement saying Jasper's death has nothing to do with you."