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

Yueyao's lips parted in shock, Her tears clung to her lashes as she whispered hoarsely, "I… I was…"

She couldn't even finish her words. Her voice was thin and broken, like cracked glass. He didn't even ask how she was doing!

Shen Xiao glanced around the ward, his brows drawing together in faint disgust at the sight of her hooked up to IV drips, surgical dressings peeking from under her gown, the faint smell of antiseptic and sickness lingering in the air.

He didn't even ask the doctor what had happened to her. To him, it didn't matter. Her presence here was nothing but another inconvenience.

He scoffed lightly, his lips curling in disdain, "Whatever this is… just don't make a scene. You are already pathetic enough with your acts, don't drag my name through the mud with your drama. You should by now know what I'm capable of doing..."

A bitter metallic taste filled Yueyao's mouth as she bit down hard on her trembling tongue to keep from sobbing out loud.

'Yes, I know... You will do anything to keep your image, you will do anything for his legacy...'

She wanted to scream at him, to tell him she had nearly died in surgery, that she had lost a child, their child, that her insides felt like they were rotting from emptiness and grief.

Because she knew… he didn't care.

Finally, he shifted his gaze away from her as if she no longer existed and bent down slightly, picking up Shen Xuan into his arms.

The little boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck, burying his face into his broad shoulder, still sniffling quietly.

"Let's go," Shen Xiao said simply, his tone dismissive and cold.

Bai Zhi rose gracefully to her feet, smoothing her peach dress down with elegant fingers. She cast Yueyao one last glance, her eyes gleaming with victorious satisfaction. Then she turned and followed them out of the ward.

The door closed behind them with a soft click.

Silence fell like a heavy curtain.

Yueyao lay frozen on the bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling above her.

Her tears slipped silently down her temples into her hairline, pooling on the pillow until it felt damp and cold against her skin.

Her chest rose and fell with ragged, shallow breaths as she felt the last remnants of her dignity crumble into nothingness.

In that moment, she realised something with chilling clarity.

There was nothing left for her in this world.

And in that silent, sterile hospital room, Yueyao finally understood…

She had died long ago. She just hadn't been buried yet.

The sterile silence pressed down on Yueyao like a lead blanket. She didn't know how long she lay there, staring at the blank ceiling above her, her tears drying against her temples, leaving salty trails on her skin.

Aunt Mei's familiar, trembling voice broke through the numbness surrounding Yueyao.

The elderly woman hurried inside, carrying a small thermos flask and a folded blanket over her arm.

When Aunt Mei saw Yueyao lying there, pale and motionless under the harsh fluorescent lights, her eyes instantly reddened with sorrow.

"Oh, my poor child…" she whispered, setting down the thermos carefully on the bedside table.

She reached out with her wrinkled hand, gently brushing away the stray strands of hair stuck to Yueyao's damp cheeks.

Chapter 13; Not even her son...