Kim_Li_0078

#DARK ROMANCE 
Lin Yueyao spent five years of her youth married to Shen Xiao, a man whose heart was as cold as steel. She believed that her gentleness would eventually melt his indifference, but the only thing that melted was her own dignity.

Every night, she endured his cruel touch, his words like blades, and his silent disgust. But no matter how much it hurt, Yueyao clung on – for the sake of their son, Xuanxuan, and for the sliver of hope that someday he might see her.

That hope shattered completely when his first love, Bai Zhi, returned from abroad. The very night Bai Zhi came back, Shen Xiao left Yueyao alone to dine with her. His gaze, once cold and dismissive, turned tender only for Bai Zhi.

Then, just as Yueyao discovered she was pregnant again, Shen Xiao handed her divorce papers. Abandoned while carrying his child, betrayed by her husband, and discarded like a stain on his life, Yueyao’s world collapsed.

Even their son, Xuanxuan – the little boy she’d nearly died giving birth to, the one she raised with unwavering devotion – rejected her, clinging instead to Bai Zhi with innocent adoration.

But fate was crueler still.

Kidnapped straight from her hospital bed by men demanding ransom, Yueyao realised no one was coming to save her. Her husband hadn’t even noticed she was missing. As she lay in that abandoned factory, trembling in pain, all illusions crumbled.

She was done waiting for love from a man who treated her like dirt.

This time, she would save herself. And when she returned, it wouldn’t be as the pitiful Mrs. Shen, but as a woman reborn from ashes – with a heart no longer beating for Shen Xiao.

But will he realise her worth only when it’s too late?

Love After Divorce: Her Second Chance

But Shen Xuan blinked up at her with those clear, innocent eyes and said, his voice as calm as if he was reciting from a textbook, "But if you don't divorce Dad, how can Aunt Bai become my mom?"

For a moment, Yueyao's entire body stiffened. The harsh beeping of the heart monitor beside her seemed to echo in the silent room. Her mind went completely blank.

"...What did you just say?" Her lips trembled as the words slipped out. She would rather believe she had misheard than accept that those words had actually come from his mouth. That he was asking her to divorce his father so another woman could become his mother.

But Shen Xuan repeated himself, his childish voice piercing through her chest like countless shards of glass, "I want you to divorce Dad so Aunt Bai can marry him and be my mom. I want you to divorce Daddy."

A child's words should have been pure and innocent, but right now, they felt like poison seeping into her veins.

This was her son. Her own flesh and blood, the child she had carried inside her for nine long months. The child she had risked her life to give birth to.

"If Bai Zhi becomes your mom… then what about me? What about me? I gave birth to you!" she asked, her voice trembling violently.

Tears blurred her vision as she struggled to keep calm, but the devastation in her chest felt unbearable, like her ribs were cracking from within.

Her own son wanted another woman to take her place. How was she supposed to accept that? How was she supposed to react?

Shen Xuan lowered his head, his fringe falling over his eyes as he fiddled with the hem of his little uniform shirt. His silence was deafening.

No… this wasn't like Xuan'er. He wouldn't say something like this out of nowhere.

Her breath came out ragged as panic rose within her chest. She grabbed his small shoulders, her grip trembling with desperation and frustration, "Tell me, Xuan'er. Did someone tell you to say this? Who told you? Who is poisoning your mind?"

He didn't answer. The silence between them felt like a chasm that could never be bridged.

"Who was it?" Yueyao's voice cracked as tears streamed down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably, "Was it your grandma? Was it… was it Bai Zhi herself? Tell Mommy… tell me… who was it?"

Still, Shen Xuan kept his lips sealed. His tiny shoulders hunched under her grip as he stubbornly refused to utter another word.

"I'm asking you!! Talk to me…!" Her voice rose in anguish as she shook his little body, overwhelmed with devastation and panic.

Suddenly, Shen Xuan burst into tears, his cries sharp and panicked, "You are so mean! I don't want you! I want Aunt Bai! I want Aunt Bai! I want Aunt Bai to be my mommy!"

Yueyao's breath caught painfully in her throat. Her vision blurred completely as her tears fell like rain, soaking the thin hospital sheets.

Her son didn't want her. The pain was sharper than a thousand blades piercing into her chest.

"What are you doing, Yueyao?" A cold, sharp voice suddenly cut through the tense air.

She froze for a second, her eyes widening as she turned her head towards the doorway. Shen Xiao stood there, his tall frame casting a long shadow into the ward. His handsome face was frosty and stern, while his dark eyes were unreadable.

She blinked in confusion, her tears dripping silently onto her hospital gown. Shouldn't he be with Bai Zhi at this hour? Why was he here? Did he… did he come for her?

Chapter 11; Did he come for her?