theunknownsoul

The cruelest part of time is that it never waits for anyone. It shatters, it wounds us and then heals us. It did the same for me, but did it really? Just as I thought I had evolved, distinguished, improved, I was pulled back to where it all began. Johnathan Liang hadn’t changed at all either. Same sharp gaze, same unreadable expression. Same man who once shattered me without a second thought. I met his eyes, and for a moment, I wondered if he saw it—the wreckage he left behind, the girl who once begged for his love had now changed. 

So, I smiled. Easy, effortless, like I had never bled for him. I watched his jaw tighten, his fingers curl ever so slightly. He sensed it, didn’t he? The forgiveness that wasn’t real. Because I had moved on. I had won.
So, why did seeing him still feel like losing? And why was my life putting me through the same again? To love him all over again was impossible! I would never do that, at-least not until he was on his knees for me. 

***
She was a nightmare, like the ones in childhood. The ones that seem to have gone away, until they appear all over again one night. A secret of past and the present only you know. 
I for a second thought she’d changed when I laid eyes on her—because for the first time, I wasn’t sure if I hated her or wanted to know what had made her so untouchable. Elena Zhao was putting a great mask, as if she did not care about my presence. In-fact she was calm and poised--too calm and too poised that it irritated me. And I would have been a fool to neglect the resent that lingered beneath her stare despite her small smile. 

I had not chosen her in the past, I would not want to. But the circles life had put me in, it no longer mattered who I had to spend the rest of it with. 
Elena wasn't an exception right?
 There was no reason for her or anyone else to get under my skin. But damn it, she bugged me, like an itch creeping my skin which I couldn't seem to reach. 

(SPICY, DARK, ROMANTIC, INTENSE, TENSION GUARANTEED, CHEMISTRY, POWERCOUPLE)
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[NO CLICHES & NO LONG BORING CHAPTERS GUARANTEED]
I started in 2020 so, makes sense if the story isn't as thrilling. I have tried not to take away the original Idea. Good luck and have a great read. 
Your author- Prabhleen/Theunknownsoul

All that we Buried

Tears stung my vision. I stood rooted to the ground while my fists curled the crisp fabric of his shirt. His scent of musk and wood overwhelmed me. His face, the dark brown eyes and the indifference in them terrified me and yet it enraged me. My lips trembled as I pulled him closer tugging his collar.

"Not again." I whispered, almost brushing my lips with his. He did not flinch, he did not move. His eyes were fixed on my face as if he was staring at a blank canvas.

"Not again what?" He asked pushing my hand away. He took a step back, pulled his tie down and unbuttoned the collar. He held the drink from the counter and gulped it down.

"I am not willing to go through the same pain again for you. I am not going to live a miserable life with someone who doesn't know how to love." My throat ached from silenced words, unexpressed emotions and aching wounds. His unbothered face kept rubbing the salt onto them.

"Then don't." He looked at me. A hint of anger flashing on his face. He took a breath, ran a hand over his face and then his eyes were back to me.

"Run away. You've done it before." He said.

"Why don't you just tell them the truth Johnathan?" I cried, wiping my tears that streaked down my cheeks.

"Truth about what?" He barked back, stepping closer.

"That you do not want this. You do not want to be with me. That you hate me." My voice turned softer with each word. My anger died down into misery.

He closed the distance between us, grabbing my arm with an aching grip. I flinched when his dead eyes lit with something beyond my comprehension. His jaw was tense. His brows furrowed in a perfect alignment.

"Elena, listen to me because I will tell you this first and one last time. You are nothing to me, I don't hate you, I am not fond of you. I don't even care if I have to spend my life alone or trapped in a marriage I never wanted. I have loved, I have lost. All I care about is my family. I will do what they ask of me. If you don't want this, you have options. Stop trying to control something that was never in your control in the first place. I am running thin on my patience with you now. Your decision will be heard if you show up at the altar tomorrow or not." He gave me a slight jerk and pulled away.

I breathed, tears running down my eyes. Why did it hurt so bad? Because what he said was the truth? Because deep down I knew I wasn't afraid of the marriage but him? Because maybe I was never over him not choosing me? Because I knew the deep resent I kept for him would always keep me trapped? Because I knew I had no options?

Prologue