Chapter 4

Ryan didn't come home that night.

Early the next morning, he woke me up, his face flushed, carrying a bag of breakfast.

"Aria, I'm taking you out today. Eat something first to line your stomach."

Baguette, bacon, coffee - all things Amber loved to eat.

I gave him a cold look.

"I'm intolerant to coffee. It makes me dizzy when I drink it."

Ryan's face showed a flash of embarrassment before he quickly covered it up.

"These foods are healthier than the steamed buns you like. Eating more of this is good for the baby during pregnancy."

Good for the baby?

Unfortunately, this child had already left this world forever.

I nodded.

There was no point in arguing with him anymore since I was about to leave anyway.

Ryan took me to a wheat field.

This was where we first met.

I had snuck down from the mountain, disobeying my mentor to find inspiration for composing. Ryan had come here with his easel to sketch the scenery.

The moment our eyes met, my heart began to race, and a thousand fireworks exploded in my mind.

After we got together, nourished by love, I created many acclaimed musical pieces for a time.

Ryan once said:

"Aria, you're my muse. Just looking at you fills my mind with endless inspiration."

It was so beautiful back then.

But now, I hadn't composed anything in six months.

And Ryan had started to frequently mess around with Amber to get greater stimulation and inspiration.

The wheat field was beautiful, but Amber was standing in it.

She was dressed particularly formally, in a shimmering gold gown that complemented the golden wheat.

"Amber is not only a model for my studio now, but also my personal assistant," Ryan signed to me.

We spent the whole day together, with Amber following us the entire time.

Until it was completely dark.

I heard Amber shouting:

"Three, two, one!"

In an instant, fireworks burst into the sky, illuminating the entire night, gradually forming four large words - MARRY ME.

Ryan's eyes were shining as he knelt before me on one knee, holding out a red velvet box with a ring inside.

"Marry me. I'll be good to you and our baby for the rest of my life."

I once told Ryan that instead of man-made fireworks, I wanted him to propose to me in a field of peach blossoms.

Who really likes these showy fireworks?

It must be Amber, who was squealing with delight behind us.

"It's so beautiful! I love it!"

"Ryan, I do! I do want to marry you!"

Ryan's proposal vows didn't specify a name, so the person he was proposing to could be me or Amber standing behind us.

"I don't," I said softly, my voice quickly drowned out by Amber's screams.

Ryan suddenly stood up, his eyes red, and hugged me tightly, as if a wanderer had finally found a home to return to.

But behind my ear came the sound of heavy breathing.

It was Ryan kissing Amber.

He was hugging me, but his heart was elsewhere.

"Ryan, let's do it in the wheat field tonight. I love it here so much."

"Don't be silly, Aria is still here. What if she finds out?"

The first thing Ryan thought of wasn't guilt, but fear of me discovering them.

"There's a B&B next door. Just send her there. It'll be so exciting to do it with the baby, out in the open! You enjoyed it yesterday too, didn't you?"

Ryan's breathing became ragged, and he quickly agreed. After driving me to the B&B, he didn't even notice anything wrong with my expression. He made up a quick excuse and left with Amber.

With trembling hands, I opened the surveillance app on my phone and watched as the two of them clung to each other inseparably.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that they finally stopped.

When I got home, I left the engagement ring on the coffee table in the living room and turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Amber had rushed to the hospital because Amber had been bitten by an insect while sleeping on the wheat straw.

"It's just a minor injury. The insect wasn't poisonous, and the fetus is stable," the doctor said.

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, the doctor who had been treating me burst in, looking panicked.

"Mr. Collins, according to the last examination results, Ms. Wells' hearing has already recovered. She might have heard everything we said. And, and on that same day, Ms. Wells went to the gynecology department and terminated her pregnancy!"