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

For a fleeting moment, hope flickered in her eyes like a dying candle flame.

But before she could open her mouth to speak, another figure stepped into view behind him.

She wore a pale peach dress that clung softly to her slender figure, her delicate face framed perfectly by loose, styled curls. She smiled gently at Yueyao, her eyes gleaming with faux concern.

"Yueyao, are you alright?" Bai Zhi's voice was sweet and gentle, like warm honey, but to Yueyao, it sounded like poison.

The tiny flicker of hope in Yueyao's chest immediately dimmed, snuffed out by despair.... Of course.... How could she have been so foolish to think Shen Xiao would come for her? He was only here because of Bai Zhi.

Still sobbing, Shen Xuan ran straight to Shen Xiao and clutched his pant leg tightly, burying his tear-stained face against his father's tailored trousers, "Daddy! Mommy is so mean! She's a bad woman! I don't want her to be my mom! I want Aunt Bai! I want Aunt Bai to be my mommy! You have to divorce that woman as soon as possible!"

Every word fell on Yueyao's ears like a death sentence.

She watched through blurred tears as her son clung to his father desperately, begging him to take away the only title she had left in his life.

Her chest rose and fell with ragged, silent sobs as her vision darkened at the edges.

Shen Xiao's gaze flickered down at the little boy clinging to his leg, his expression remaining calm and unreadable.

He didn't bend down to console his son but instead, his cold eyes shifted to Yueyao, lying there pale and broken on the hospital bed.

"Enough, Shen Xuan," he said in a low, firm voice, "Stop crying, you are a boy...."

But Shen Xuan only sobbed harder, his small shoulders shaking violently, "Daddy, I don't want her! I want Aunt Bai! Please make Aunt Bai my mommy… please… please..."

Bai Zhi crouched down gracefully beside Shen Xuan, her peach dress pooling elegantly around her knees. She reached out and gently stroked his hair, her long fingers brushing through his fringe with practiced tenderness.

"Xuan'er, don't cry," she cooed softly, her voice dripping with sweetness as she dabbed his tear-stained cheeks with a silk handkerchief. "Be good, okay? Aunt Bai is here… Aunt Bai will always love you."

Shen Xuan hiccupped, his sobs quieting as he looked up at her with wide, watery eyes, "Really… Aunt Bai… you will be my mommy?"

Bai Zhi smiled, her lips curving into a delicate crescent like she had won a lottery. "If that's what you want… Aunt Bai will always be here for you."

Yueyao watched it all unfold right in front of her, her chest tightening painfully with each word exchanged.

Her throat felt scraped raw by invisible blades as silent tears poured from her eyes, soaking the pillow beneath her head.

Her body trembled uncontrollably under the thin hospital blanket. Every cell felt like it was shrivelling up and dying as she watched her son reach out to another woman, calling her the title she had given everything in her life to hold.

Suddenly, Shen Xiao's cold gaze flicked to her. His eyes were sharp and unfeeling, the same eyes that once made her heart flutter now felt like blades slicing through her skin.

"What are you doing here, Yueyao?" His voice was low, edged with irritation rather than concern, "Stop with your little sympathy-seeking antics... Don't embarrass me anymore."

Chapter 12; What are you doing here?