Chapter 1 In the middle of the night, I received an emergency dispatch to unlock a door. As a firefighter, I arrived at the scene as quickly as possible. It was a couple playing games, and the woman’s handcuffs were stuck. I went through the standard procedure, asking the man if there were any other hazards in the room. The man laughed and shook his head, a playful look on his face. I felt a bit weirded out. That was until I looked down and saw the woman on the bed. She had used her hair to completely cover her face. But exposed on her thigh was a butterfly tattoo—identical to the one on my celebrity wife, who was supposedly out of town on business. I froze. The man raised an eyebrow and continued, “Is something wrong? I’m really sorry for the trouble so late at night.” “It’s her fault, she rarely gets out. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, you know? We just went a little overboard.” I tightened my grip on the hydraulic cutters and snapped the handcuffs. So, her coldness was only reserved for me. I guess I just gave her her freedom back. … The handcuffs snapped with a loud clack. I tried my best to keep my voice steady: “Alright, ma’am, try moving around a bit. Let me know if anything hurts.” The person on the bed mumbled indistinctly: “No.” My heart sank completely. Just from that single syllable, I recognized the voice. It was undeniably Chloe, my wife. Liam suddenly stepped between me and the bed. “Sorry about that. My wife is a minor celebrity, so it’s not really convenient for her to show her face. I hope you understand.” I turned to leave. “Then I’ll conclude the call.” Liam stopped me and shoved a paper cup into my hand. “You worked hard coming all the way out here so late. Have a glass of water before you go.” “No need.” I looked down to decline, but my eyes landed on the diamond ring on his ring finger. My brain exploded. I recognized that ring. It was the wedding ring I had saved up two years of my salary to custom order. It was a one-of-a-kind design. A year ago, the designer who made it passed away. The value of the ring skyrocketed a thousand times over, and it became known as the “Ring of True Love.” Around that same time, my matching ring went missing. I thought I had lost it during a rescue mission. I was frantic, wanting to go back to the fire scene or call the police. Chloe was uncharacteristically gentle that day, telling me it was okay. She said she would always wear hers, and that was proof enough. It made me firmly believe that no matter how cold she acted normally, she still had me in her heart. Now I realize she took it to give to another man. I stood there stunned, and Liam shoved the water cup directly to my lips. “Don’t be polite, drink up.” I couldn’t dodge it in time and swallowed a mouthful. But almost immediately, I realized something was wrong. My vision blurred, and I collapsed onto the sofa. When I regained consciousness, I heard the bizarre sound of splashing water. Liam was laughing. “He’s right outside. Isn’t this incredibly thrilling?” Then, it was Chloe. A hint of annoyance, but mostly the breathy sounds of arousal. “Why did you feed him that drug?” “Don’t like it?” Liam’s voice dropped lower. “Then why are you so wet?” My chest tightened. Forcing my eyes open, I looked through the crack in the door and saw Chloe straddling Liam! Her profile was flushed, her eyes half-closed. It was a look I had never seen before. “I like it. You’re the only one who can give me what I really want.” “If Ethan hadn’t been commended for that rescue back then—right when I was getting canceled online—do you really think I would have married him just to clean up my image?” My whole body trembled. I forced myself to snap fully awake. “But he really is a good man,” Chloe said, smiling without realizing it. “As long as I say no, he absolutely won’t touch me.” Liam’s movements got rougher, and Chloe paused. “Are you jealous? I can count the number of times we’ve actually been intimate on one hand.” “Every time, I just tell him I’m too traumatized and heartbroken over the miscarriage, and he doesn’t dare make a move.” It felt like a knife had been plunged into my chest. The baby! Our baby! How could she? A lump formed in my throat, and I finally let out a cough. A muffled groan came from the other room. “Don’t worry. It’s a strong drug. He definitely just woke up.” Liam wrapped a bedsheet around himself and walked out. “You passed out as soon as you hit the couch yesterday. I couldn’t wake you up. You must be exhausted from work.” I stumbled to my feet, unable to suppress my rage any longer. But just as my fist was about to fly out, my emergency phone rang. Without having the chance to say a single word, I pushed open the door and bolted out, only then realizing it was already morning. They had been doing it right in front of me all night! Enduring the agonizing pain in my chest, I rushed to the scene of the emergency. After putting out the final fire, a message from Chloe suddenly popped up. The content was as short and cold as always:[I’m coming home tonight. Have a bath ready.] I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm:[We need to talk.] Sitting in the firetruck, I kept staring at my phone. My body temperature hadn’t dropped from the fire, but my heart felt ice-cold. Our chat background was the only photo we had together. Scrolling up through the chat history, her messages were always brief, while my replies were always long paragraphs. But they were usually ignored. A teammate playfully slapped my shoulder. “Writing another essay to your icy wife?” In the past, I would have just said that was just her personality. But right now, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Because it wasn’t true. She had endless passion; she just gave it all to someone else. My teammate paused. “Just kidding, we all know she’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside.” “I even saw her post yesterday. She bought a whole bunch of stuff for you while she was on her business trip. So thoughtful.” “You guys have been married for years and keep things so interesting. I’m jealous.” He handed me his phone. It was a video she posted. A high-end men’s massager, an expensive leather belt, and a bunch of “aphrodisiac” supplements. My heart felt like it had been stabbed again. Last night, at that apartment, those exact items were scattered on the floor, their packaging tossed in the corner. The firetruck stopped. I took a deep breath and jumped out. Whatever my teammate yelled behind me, I couldn’t hear it anymore. When I first walked through the door of my home, I stood in the entryway in a daze for a long time. Hanging on the wall straight ahead was our massive wedding portrait. That was the only decision I ever made for this house. Everything else, the entire renovation, was chosen by Chloe. The gray walls and minimalist furniture made the place feel as cold as a hotel. I used to think she just liked that style. Now I think, maybe she just never saw this place as a home. I sat there in a haze for a long time, until the lock clicked. Chloe walked in, ignored me as usual, headed straight for the bathroom, and then poked her head out: “Didn’t I tell you to run a bath?” In the past, even if I had been on missions for three days straight, I would have had everything ready for her. The fridge would be stocked with her favorite food, her clothes laid out, and the toothpaste already squeezed onto her toothbrush. But right now, I just pinched the bridge of my nose. “I forgot.” Chloe paused, glancing at my uniform that I still hadn’t taken off. “Whatever. I won’t hold it against you this time.” A moment later, she walked over and handed me a small keychain. “Brought you a gift.” I suddenly let out a laugh. “Is this the only thing you got?” Chloe froze, a flash of secret smugness crossing her face. “Did you peek at my videos again?” “I gave the rest to the staff. My new movie is coming out, it’s normal to build good relationships.” She sat down as she spoke, and as if remembering something, leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. I stiffened instantly. In public, Chloe would actively link arms with me. But as long as there were no outsiders, she wouldn’t even hold my hand. I couldn’t even remember the last time she kissed me—it had been months. “There’s a new reality show. They invited us to be on it together.” She spoke calmly, while my heart sank. “The producers want to film our daily life. Especially yours.” So that was it. She just needed something from me. I wanted to push her away, but she kept pressing closer, her breasts brushing against my arm. As a young, healthy man who hadn’t touched his wife in six months, my body’s physical reaction was completely out of my control. But I took a deep breath, steadied her, and turned my face away. “I can’t do it. We’re getting a divo—” Before I could finish, Chloe had already stood up. “Another mission? I really don’t get it. Saving cats, dogs, fires… everything is more important than me?” She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, shooting a sarcastic glance at my shorts. “Don’t even think about touching me ever again.” The door slammed shut with a deafening bang, leaving the house dead quiet. In the past, I would have chased after her immediately and coaxed her until she wasn’t mad anymore. But today, I just sat there for a long time. Then, I unlocked my phone, selected her manager’s contact, and sent:[This is the divorce agreement. Have her sign it.] Chloe had put me on “Do Not Disturb” a long time ago. Her manager was the only one who could reliably reach her. Turning off my phone, I looked around the house and realized there was nothing I wanted to take with me. Finally, I walked into the nursery. It was the only place that had any warmth, the only place I felt any attachment to. I had set it up during Chloe’s first—and only—pregnancy. After sitting there for a while, I left. I threw the wedding portrait in the trash on my way out and moved into the firehouse dorms. Two days later, my captain pushed a file across the desk to me. “Think carefully about what we talked about last time.” Not long after, her manager called me, sounding anxious and panicked. “Ethan, you know how Chloe is. She acts tough, but she really cares about you.” “I secretly saw it once. She has an alt account dedicated entirely to documenting your relationship. If you saw it, you’d understand.” After hanging up, I hesitated, but eventually clicked on it anyway. When the page loaded, I froze completely. The very first photo was of our bed in our master bedroom. A man was lying there, wearing my uniform. But it wasn’t me. I had lost a uniform a while back. I looked everywhere for it but couldn’t find it. I ended up getting disciplined by my superiors and stationed in a remote area for six months as punishment. With trembling hands, I kept scrolling. Different scenic locations, sweet captions. In seven years of marriage, we had never taken a vacation together. I kept looking at the photos, one by one, feeling a sharp pain as if someone were violently squeezing my heart. For our second anniversary, she and Liam were at the beach. But she told me she was on set filming and didn’t even have time to answer my calls. On my last birthday, she and Liam were at a bonfire party. But that night she said she was in the mountains with no cell service, so she didn’t even send me a simple “Happy Birthday.” Then came New Year’s Eve, which was also the day after her miscarriage. I had stayed by her bed in the hospital all night, but she insisted I go home and rest. It wasn’t until I got home that I finally broke down and sobbed. Before that, I had to stay strong because I thought she was hurting more than I was. But in the photos, she and Liam were at a hotel that night. I leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down until I sat on the floor, unable to stop shaking. Every single photo was like a needle plunging into my heart. I dialed her manager’s number again. “Changed your mind about the divorce, right? Good thing I haven’t shown her the papers yet,” he said. “Give the phone to her,” my voice was so hoarse it didn’t even sound like me. He hesitated for a second, then handed it over. “I knew you’d agree,” she chuckled softly. “That show is going to be good for you too…” “Sign the divorce agreement,” I cut her off, enunciating every word. “I’m done dragging this out.” “You—” I hung up immediately, terrified that if I heard one more syllable, I would turn into some bitter, desperate ex and start demanding answers from her. The next second, a teammate burst into the room. “Fire emergency! Move out!” I shot up. The firetruck sirens blared the entire way. When we arrived, I realized it was Liam’s apartment building. I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on my gear, and rasped, “Let’s go.” The smoke was thick. My team and I felt our way through and found Liam collapsed in a corner. I hauled him onto my back and dragged him out of the building. While the fire was still burning, I coordinated the team while listening to one of the guys analyzing the situation: “The cause of the fire was a room full of those electronic adult toys! Left them plugged in too long and they caught fire. What an absolute degenerate.” I closed my eyes. Suddenly, Liam’s screams echoed from behind me: “My baby is still in there!” Everyone froze. The next second, a car crashed through the police barricade and slammed on the brakes. Chloe sprinted out. She threw herself beside Liam, wailing hysterically. It was more genuine than any acting performance she had ever given. I withdrew my gaze and pulled my fire mask back down. A teammate asked, “There’s a kid? But the fire’s even bigger now.” I cut him off. “As long as there’s a chance, we don’t give up.” We charged back into the burning building. The heat waves were even more brutal than before, roasting our skin, but we still scoured every single corner. Finally, the commander’s voice crackled over the earpiece from outside: “We got it out of him. The trapped victim is under the coffee table.” The coffee table? Confused, I felt my way to the coffee table, reached under, and grabbed—a doll! It felt like someone had punched me hard in the chest. “It’s just a doll,” I said into the comms. Liam’s screams erupted through the earpiece: “That’s our baby!” A teammate couldn’t help but curse: “That bastard—” Before he could finish, a massive explosion tore through the room. With a deafening BOOM, a colossal shockwave blasted us straight out of the third-floor window. Laying on the ground, looking through my soot-covered mask, I saw Chloe running toward us. The next second, she yanked the doll from my charred hands and yelled to the people behind her: “It’s okay! Our baby is safe!” I closed my eyes.
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