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

His fingers closed around empty air as she disappeared down the corridor without looking back.

Yueyao's bare feet padded softly against the cold hospital floor as she walked down the silent hallway, her thin hospital gown clinging to her frail frame with each step.

The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting her shadow long and broken on the polished tiles.

She didn't know where she was going.

She just knew she couldn't stay there any longer.

She just knew… she couldn't bear to hear his voice… not for another second.

All she knew was that if she stayed there any longer, she would shatter completely.

Behind her, Shen Xiao stood frozen, his hand still outstretched, fingers trembling slightly as he stared at the empty hallway she had left behind.

Bai Zhi walked up to him slowly, her heels clicking rhythmically against the floor. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, her eyes brimming with carefully constructed concern.

"Ah Xiao," she murmured softly, tilting her head to look up at him, "Don't worry about her, she's just overwhelmed by Auntie Mei's situation… she will come to her senses soon enough. Just give her time to digest everything..."

But Shen Xiao didn't respond, his dark eyes remained locked on the corridor, a strange tightness in his chest that he couldn't explain rose gripping him with fear.

Bai Zhi followed his gaze with a small, knowing smile hidden behind her demure expression.

'So she's finally breaking,' she thought silently. 'Good. The weaker she becomes, the easier it will be to erase her completely.'

Later that evening, Yueyao sat by her hospital bed, staring blankly at her trembling hands.

Her fingers were covered in faint purple bruises, her nails cracked and caked with dried blood.

She hadn't said a single word since returning from the ICU.

She refused to eat, refused to sleep. She refused to answer any of the nurses' gentle questions.

She simply sat there in silence, her empty eyes fixed on her lap as if she no longer belonged to this world.

From the doorway, Bai Zhi watched her with calm amusement. She walked in slowly, her peach chiffon dress rustling softly with each graceful step.

She placed a small container on the bedside table, an herbal soup made with expensive black chicken, red dates, and ginseng. The fragrant steam curled into the sterile air.

"Yueyao," Bai Zhi said sweetly, her voice as gentle as silk, "I made this myself. You need to eat to regain your strength… You wouldn't want to die and burden Ah Xiao with funeral arrangements, would you? You should know how busy he is, he is worried, and Shen Xuan is worried too."

Yueyao didn't move. She didn't even blink and didn't react to her presence.

She leaned down until her lips were almost brushing Yueyao's ear, her perfume suffocating her senses.

"Listen carefully," she whispered, her voice dripping with honeyed venom. "From tomorrow onwards, you will move out of this hospital. You will live in a private care facility under my name. Shen Xuan will remain with us. He's already calling me Mommy Zhi… isn't that sweet?"

Yueyao's eyes remained fixed on her lap, unblinking. Did she think she would thank her and move there?

Bai Zhi studied her silently for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"You know," she murmured, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from Yueyao's swollen cheek, "the sooner you accept your fate, the easier it will be. After all… women like us are only useful as long as men find us desirable."

Chapter 35; You know....