Chen Ze's thin lips parted slowly, his dark eyes tracing every flicker of emotion on the woman's face, unwilling to let even the faintest shadow pass unnoticed. "What a pity," he murmured, his tone edged with ice, "that you brought this upon yourself by choosing me. For the rest of your life, you are bound to me—unable to live freely, unable to die in peace."
Du Yue finally faltered, her soft lips trembling as she gazed at Chen Ze with a depth that seemed to pierce through him. "Chen Ze…" Her voice wavered like fragile glass about to shatter.
"I need to ask you something," she whispered, her words barely audible. "What does my affection mean to you?"
She already knew the answer—or rather, she had long understood her place in his world. Yet, despite herself, she couldn't stop herself from asking, desperate for some semblable truth or perhaps seeking final confirmation of her own despair.
Chen Ze hesitated for a brief moment. What did it mean?
The next second, a cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What does it mean? Does it disgust me enough to count?"
Though his voice remained low and gravelly, to Du Yue, it felt as if a blade were slicing through her chest, shredding her heart into unrecognizable fragments. Tears spilled uncontrollably down her cheeks, and she collapsed against him, gripping his collar with trembling hands. "Chen Ze, I didn't hurt Shen Ya—I swear I didn't! Why won't you believe me? Why!"
Five years of devotion, reduced to nothing more than revulsion in his eyes. Was there anything more devastating than that?
She was drowning in pain, suffocating under its weight. Was this what he wanted—to see her utterly destroyed?
If not for the mention of Shen Ya, Chen Ze might have continued to stand there frozen, lost in thought. But at the sound of that name, it was as though a bucket of icy water had been dumped over him. His black eyes hardened, regarding Du Yue now as little more than a hysterical madwoman.
"Enough," he snapped, his voice laced with disdain. "You are unworthy of even speaking her name. Everything that has happened to her is because of you—and your father."
"What… happened to her?" Du Yue's lashes fluttered wildly, and then, unexpectedly, she laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. "Under your protection, she went off to Country A to live happily ever after. Isn't she doing just fine?"
But what about her? Two years of torment had left her clinging to life by a thread. All she wanted was to survive, to escape the endless suffering. Was that too much to ask?
"Shut up!" Chen Ze's eyes flashed with disbelief, quickly overtaken by a bloodshot rage. He grabbed her chin, forcing her silence. "How dare you speak her name? A heartless, cruel woman like you will never understand anyone else's pain. She deserves better!"
She deserves happiness!
"And what exactly do you want from me?" Du Yue shot back, causing his grip to loosen slightly.
"To kill me? To strangle me?" A bitter smile twisted her otherwise calm expression as she stared at him quietly. "Go ahead. Do it now. That way, you can have your revenge."
Chen Ze's lips pressed into a tight line. From the moment he'd stepped out of the mental hospital, numb and devoid of hope, he'd only wanted one thing—to die. And yet…
It had to be Gu Yifan's fault. She must have rekindled her feelings for him! Always professing her love for him, but in reality, she was no different from any other fickle woman. Du Yue was nothing but repulsive.
"To strangle you?" Chen Ze tightened his hold on her chin until she winced in pain, his smile growing colder still. "To send you straight to hell where you can reunite with your father? Don't worry—there'll be plenty of opportunities for that. But before then, you're still useful to me."
"I won't let you off so easily," he growled, his lips brushing against hers in a brutal mockery before he shoved her into the car. Slamming the door shut, he turned to Li Zheng outside. "Take her back. If she tries to run or harm herself, bring her to the cemetery immediately. Let her watch as this unfilial daughter condemns her parents to eternal unrest."