Trapped in the shackles of a lonely marriage. A never ending void of monotony. Charles had her by his side but one thing he didn't have was her heart. Yet, he wasn't bothered. As long as he had her around, he convinced himself that he would one day win her over. Life doesn't always work out though. He never wanted to see his wife's crush come back into her life but it seemed that it was meant to be. Jealousy engulfed him, Charles completely lost all control. Lies, doubt, and desperation gradually filled their marriage. This life was not one to live anymore, she finally divorced him and left. However, her life didn't reset as she expected. Charles came back and he was a man on a mission.
The strong aroma of caffeine pervaded the air. Louie Ling was sitting by the window, drinking coffee with Amelia Fang when she saw the man. He walked towards their table.
She exclaimed, "Nelson! Is it really you?"
The man was dressed in casual clothes. He smiled at them and said,
"Louie, Amelia. Haven't seen you two in three years. You ladies have become more beautiful than ever."
'Beautiful, huh?' Louie Ling thought.
She waved to the waiter not far away from them, and then turned to look at Nelson Ning with a playful smile. "If I remember correctly, that's the word you use to praise every woman you pass by!"
"Oh, yes! I remember it too! He used it once on the old lady in charge of dormitory, and was almost driven out with a broom!"
Amelia Fang recalled with a frown. Seeing the serious look on her, Louie Ling smiled more brightly.
Nelson Ning kept in toe with the two beauties' teasing, and the topic naturally shifted to their past.
It was late autumn and the night was extraordinarily cold; the air around smelled of loneliness.
It was not until dark that Louie Ling returned home. The luxurious, high-end villa was her exquisite prison, where she was kept imprisoned willingly.
Imprisoned in a lonely marriage...
Auntie Zhang was on leave that night, and she was the only one left in the dreary prison. After taking a shower, she climbed into her bed.
The loud ring of the doorbell cut through the silence in the villa. With a frown, Louie Ling reached out for her phone to check the time.
After hesitating for a moment, she got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. She slowly climbed down the stairs. Looking through the living room's mirrored door, she saw the familiar face.
She opened the door and heard the sharp voice. "Took you long enough! Were you trying to freeze me to death?"
Charles Liang's eyes were full of anger, and the pungent smell of alcohol filled the air between them.
Louie Ling frowned without looking into his angry eyes. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and said coldly,
"Why do you have to always come in the middle of the night?"
Saying so, she turned around to leave.
"Stop!"
the man growled and reached out to grab Louie Ling's thin shoulder. Since she had been in bed earlier, she was only wearing a silk pajama. She struggled, trying to get out of the rude man's grasp. She cursed,
"Are you crazy? You are hurting me!"
Instead of letting go, he exerted more strength on her shoulder and dug his nails into her frail skin. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder and Louie Ling let out an involuntary groan before tightening her lips shut.
He forcefully pulled down her hand that was covering her mouth and nose. Charles Liang asked in a cold, hoarse voice, "Do I make you sick, Louie?"
The poor woman trembled and looked up into his mad eyes. His dark orbs made her feel inexplicably cold. But with a sneer on her lips, she said in an indifferent, ethereal tone,
"Please, could you find something new to do? This drunken madness is getting too old, okay?"
A gust of cold wind blew through the open door. A flicker of unidentifiable emotion flashed across the man's eyes, and his condescending gaze was fixed on Louie Ling. Her cold eyes stared back at him in defiance, but this cold woman had been smiling at another man this afternoon. It was exceedingly fascinating.
A surge of pure anger rose from the bottom of his heart and instantly pumped through every cell in his body. Taken over by this whopping feelings of hatred and anger, he pulled the woman into his arms. With a sneer, he lowered his head and kissed her lips.
"Hmm!"
There was nothing but muffled protests. The strong smell of alcohol invaded her nose, and her stomach churned as bile rose up her throat. Louie Ling pushed the drunken man away from her with all the strength she could muster and ran towards the living room.
Charles Liang staggered backwards, losing his balance-powerful push from such a frail woman. He grabbed on to the iron door quickly before falling to the ground.
Looking up, he realized that Louie Ling had already disappeared from his sight. In the dim light, his shadow seemed long and lonely.
When Charles Liang walked into the living room, he heard the vomiting sounds from the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water. The anger in his eyes did not fade at all.
This was the third time. Every time he kissed her while he was drunk, she would throw up rudely to show her disgust. She was a weak woman, but somehow her strength greatly increase during times like these. Tonight, he was prepared for it, but she still managed to shove him.
Exhausted, Charles Liang dropped onto the sofa. Squinting slightly, he counted to three in his mind. The bathroom door opened. Wiping her mouth, Louie Ling walked towards the sofa. Her expression was different, a little better. She looked at him and asked indifferently, "Did you have dinner yet? I'll cook some noodles for you. Auntie Zhang is not home."
Charles Liang slowly opened his eyes; a faint fragrance emanated from her. His deep eyes turned sharp once again. He looked around the house and asked in a low growl, "Did you go out today?"
A hint of doubt flashed across her eyes. Louie remembered the feeling she had had while she was in the cafe that afternoon-the sharp chill she had felt from behind her... 'It was not an illusion after all. Is he spying on me now, or was it really just a coincidence?' she wondered.
"Yes. I was bored at home, so I went to have some coffee. I bought some scented tea from the supermarket. If you want some, you can make it yourself."
Charles Liang frowned and changed the topic. "I don't want instant noodles. I want fried rice with eggs! Put some tomatoes in it. No carrots." After a pause, he continued,
"Prepare some hot water and get me some fresh clothes. I need to take a shower first. I don't want you vomiting in the kitchen."
Biting her lip, she turned around and went upstairs to find his pajamas, ignoring his mockery.
By the time Charles came out of the bathroom, Louie had made the fried rice, just as he had asked.
Under the soft light, he saw that her usual cold face was a little softer. Her plain pajamas didn't reveal anything; it was a size bigger and she fit in comfortably.
He looked around and saw that she was watching TV intently.
Charles whispered to himself, "Stupid woman."
Recently, Louie had been infatuated with the TV play, "I love you". Wallace Chung perfectly performed the overbearing and infatuated Master Murray, and their love was touching, yet distressing.
She had already watched it several times and had cried as many times. Every time she thought of the play, she felt sad and sentimental. There really were so many things in life which were just too late to do, and people too late to love!
"Get me the hair dryer," Charles ordered, languidly walking towards the sofa. He unwrapped the towel to wipe his hair, which was wet and messy. Several strands of short hair fell over his forehead, which gave him an evil, attractive look.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Marriage was a bed of thorns for Stella. She lived like an overworked and unhappy slave for six years in her matrimonial home. One day, her uncaring husband, Waylon said to her, "Ayla will be back soon. You have to move out tomorrow." "I want a divorce," responded Stella. She left without shedding a tear or trying to change Waylon's stone-cold heart. Days after their divorce, they met again. Stella was in the arms of another man. Waylon's blood boiled at the sight of her looking so happy. "So, you couldn't even wait a while before jumping into another man's arms?" he queried distastefully. "And who are you to question my decision? It's my life, so I call the shots. Stay out of my business!" Stella fired at him before turning to look at her new man with shiny eyes. Waylon immediately lost it.
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."