Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

She moved but could not say a word. That kind of love was indeed very pathetic, and she had no guarantee that she could do it, especially being intimate with another man.

She kept shaking her head as her face paled. She was not a vicious woman. Between love and moral, it was a tough choice for her.

“Miss Li, I beg you. Please leave him. You will meet someone better, more suitable for you. You are so young and beautiful; whereas for me, I don’t have any more chances.”

Xia Ruoxin reached out with her left hand and held onto Li Manni’s hand tightly. She knew she was moved, that she was not a bad person. She could only beg for her to leave, not destroy her marriage, and take Chu Lui away from her. She was not in the capacity to compare herself with her.

He loved Li Manni but loathed Xia Ruoxin. As she looked up, Li Manni could see her pain and hopelessness.

She held onto her hands very, very tightly. Xia Ruoxin had not scolded her. She had not accused her of being the third party in her marriage. If she had, maybe she would have felt better and accepted it. After all, love was something one had no control of. Right now, she was pleading with her, and it put her to shame. As if someone had slapped her in broad daylight.

“I’m sorry. Can you… give me a few days to consider…?” Li Manni stood up hastily, grabbed her purse, and ran out. She seemed to be unable to look at her, not even a second.

Xia Ruoxin gripped her fingers tightly. They felt numbed. She stared dully as her eyes misted with tears.

She took out some loose change from her pocket and left them at the table. Then, she stood up and made her way out. Her steps felt heavy, as did her heart.

She stood at the door and allowed the mild sunlight to shine on her face. It stung her eyes. She started walking slowly, not taking the car, and made her way back home step-by-step with her feet.

Could she still call that place home?

She opened the door and walked in with her heavy feet. At the sight, Xiao Hong dropped the rag in her hands and exclaimed, “Madam, you are back.”

Xia Ruoxin nodded lightly with her dull eyes and made her way to her room. The door closed with a bang. Xiao Hong looked at the door weirdly as she placed her hand on her forehead. “What an odd family. Did Madam and Master have a fight? It has been a few days since he has returned, and Madam behaved like a walking corpse. There was no life in her.”

She continued staring for a long time before picking up the rag and resumed the cleaning. She was only a maid. It was not her place to question what happened with her bosses.

There was a repressed silence in the whole Chu villa. Xiao Hong opened her mouth and took a deep breath. It felt awful, and she wondered how it could feel so heavy.

She shook her head and made her way into the kitchen.

A ray of light shone in from the window but fell short at the tightly shut door. Like a ray of hope, it never made its way in.

Xia Ruoxin took out her sketchbook and flipped through the pages as if she was reading everything about him: his cruelty, his ruthlessness, his heartlessness, his passion, his doting, and lastly the destruction.