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

She straightened up, smoothing her dress with delicate fingers. "Eat your soup before it gets cold. You will need your strength to sign the divorce papers later this week."

Without another word, Bai Zhi turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the floor like a countdown echoing through Yueyao's hollow chest.

Yueyao lowered her gaze to the steaming soup beside her. Her hands shook violently as she picked up the porcelain spoon.

But instead of bringing it to her lips, she dipped it into the soup, watching the dark herbal liquid swirl around the white porcelain.

Then, with trembling fingers, she tipped the bowl over.

The soup spilled across the pristine white bedsheets, soaking them in a dark, bitter stain.

Her lips twitched into a small, cold smile.

Her empty eyes glimmered with a faint, dangerous light.

'If you want me gone so badly… then I will disappear completely.'

The cleaners came in and cleaned the room and the sheets.

She drifted in and out of a fevered sleep, her wounds throbbing under the tight bandages, her body aching each time she shifted slightly on the narrow hospital bed.

When dawn finally broke, Yueyao woke to the sound of muted voices outside her room. The nurse walked in with a soft smile, her hair tucked neatly under her cap.

"Good morning, Madam Lin," she said gently. "The discharge process has been finalised. Your husband has arranged for you to be taken home today."

Yueyao stared at her blankly for a moment, her mind foggy with exhaustion. Home…?

Before she could gather her thoughts, two maids arrived with a wheelchair. They helped her sit up, ignoring the wince of pain that crossed her pale face.

As they guided her arms into a light cashmere shawl, she caught a glimpse of herself in the room's small mirror.

Her reflection looked like that of a ghost, hollow eyes, cracked lips, fading bruises still painted across her cheekbones and neck.

One of the maids tucked her hair behind her ear with forced gentleness.

"The car is waiting downstairs, madam."

The cold morning air bit into her skin as they wheeled her through the hospital's lobby. Outside, Shen Xiao's black Bentley waited silently by the curb, its polished surface reflecting the pale gold sunrise.

The driver opened the back door without a word.

They helped her into the backseat. The leather was cold against her thighs through the thin hospital gown.

As the car pulled away, Yueyao leaned her forehead against the tinted glass, watching the city drift by in blurred shades of grey and pale orange.

She didn't know how long the drive lasted. Her mind drifted in and out, anchored only by the sharp pain radiating from her bandaged hips each time the car hit a bump.

Finally, the familiar iron gates of the Lin Mansion came into view, gliding open with a mechanical whirr.

The sun was already setting by the time Yueyao was wheeled out of the car and helped into the sprawling mansion she once called home.

The towering crystal chandelier glittered above her, illuminating every corner of the marble foyer, but the cold, sterile beauty of it all made her stomach twist with nausea.

She clutched the discharge file in her trembling hands, her eyes dull as she walked past the living room.

Chapter 36; The room fell silent..