Mark never believed love could hurt. Not the way razors cut, not the way fire burns, but he found himself wishing for physical pain than whatever this pain was. He believed in love wholeheartedly without pulling back at all, maybe that’s why he fell for Kemi, naturally, without resistance. He was an artist and she loved his art, or at least, that’s what he thought. She sat for hours in his small studio, watching him sketch, tracing his paint-stained fingers, whispering, “Your gift will take you far oooooo and I want to be there when it happens.” She became his muse. He painted her like with such depth, he painted her like the mona lisa. He sold small pieces to pay for dates, bought her earrings from the market, framed her in colours he couldn’t even afford. His father grumbled, “Art won’t feed you,” but he only smiled. Kemi believed, and that was enough. Months passed, and she convinced him to host a small exhibition. “Let the world see what I see,” she said.
She helped him hang canvases, chose the venue, invited people. The night of the exhibition, He felt like he was stepping into his destiny. The hall glowed with warm lights, and his paintings stared back at him proudly. People admired his work, and took photos, some even asked for prices and there, in the center of it all, was Kemi smiling. But the victory wasn’t his. By the end of the night, every painting had been bought not by strangers, but by one man a wealthy art collector. A man who, halfway through the event, held Kemi’s waist as if they shared more than just business. The truth hit Mark before words were spoken. She had been courting him for his work. Not his heart. When he confronted her outside, voice trembling, she didn’t even look sorry. “You have something valuable, Mark,” she said. “Use your head. That’s how artists grow.”Those words hit him harder than betrayal. Not only had she used him, she wanted him to keep bleeding for her success. She didn’t love him. She loved what his love could produce. It felt like a stake, not through his heart, but through his art