The rain had been falling since dusk, tapping softly against
the window like a forgotten melody. I sat by the dining table, watching the candlelight flicker across untouched dishes, the aroma of food long faded into the chilly air.
The table looked perfect with the white roses in a crystal
vase, fine china, two glasses of red wine, everything was ready for him but the only sound I could hear is the sound of the clock ticking. No sound of familiar footsteps in the hallway.
I glanced at my phone for the twentieth time but the screen remain dark and silent. No calls, no messages and the best part, today was our third wedding anniversary.
A small, bitter smile curved my lips. Three years ago, I had
stood before a crowd of strangers in a white gown, believing I'd found the one person who would love me beyond all reason. I had sworn to stand by him no matter what life threw our way and I've been keeping my promises.
But Lu Shenyang, had he ever truly kept his promise, his vow
to me?
The candles had burned halfway down. One flickered weakly
and went out, the wax spilling over the edge like tears. I reached for it absently, straightening the wick, then stopped myself. What was the point of me waiting? I knew he wouldn't come.
He didn't even remembered this date last year, or the year
before that. What difference did it make this year?
There is always an excuse, business dinners, sudden
meetings, urgent negotiations, and every time, I smiled and said it was all right. Because back then, I'd believed him, believed that one day all his hard work would be for us and the nights I spent alone would mean something when we
finally stood on equal ground.
How foolish I had been.
I traced the rim of my wine glass, the dark liquid reflecting my face. A pale, quiet woman in a simple dress. No jewellery except a wedding band that had begun to feel heavier by the day.
The woman in the glass was staring at me looking tired. Not
from work or age, but from waiting, waiting for the love to return and waiting for something that had already died.
My gaze drifted to the framed photo on the wall. It was from
our wedding day, the day he stood tall and confident, smiling like the world belonged to him and I was beside him, my hands in his, my eyes full of trust.
A laugh slipped out before I could stop it, soft, hollow. "How young we were," I murmured. "And how blind I've been."
I rose slowly, leaning on the cane that had long been part of my disguise, every step echoed softly in the silence.
People thought I was fragile, weak and disabled after an accident before my marriage. They pitied me, whispered behind my back about how lucky I was that Lu Shenyang, a rising entrepreneur, still married me despite my "condition."
But no one ever knew the truth.
I wasn't broken, I wasn't poor, I was Su Ruoyan, daughter of
the Su family, the one of the oldest and most powerful clans in the capital. But three years ago, blinded by love, I had chosen to hide that truth.
I gave up my name, my world, and my pride just for love.
I wanted to prove that I could build something real,
something mine and I thought love didn't need wealth or status to survive. Now, I wondered if that was the biggest mistake of my life.
My fingers brushed the smooth surface of the wedding ring.
It should have been a symbol of devotion, yet it felt like a shackle.
Lately, Shenyang had become a stranger. The warmth in his
eyes was gone, replaced by a cold impatience I couldn't understand. He rarely looked at me anymore, just through me, as if I were an obligation he couldn't escape fast enough.
Even when we sat together, it felt like an ocean separated
us and the silence had grown unbearable.
At first, I tried everything to bring him back with cooking his favourite meals, waited up late, wore the perfume he once said he loved, but the more I tried, the farther he drifted.
Now, I wasn't sure if there was anything left to hold on to.
I sank back into the chair, exhaustion settling deep into my
bones. The city lights beyond the window blurred into streaks of gold and grey and somewhere, a car horn sounded, then faded away.
Time moved, but I didn't. Maybe this was what love turned into when it died, not hatred, not anger, just emptiness.
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to breathe past
the ache in my chest. "You chose this, Su Ruoyan, " I reminded myself softly. "You chose to believe him."
And yet, part of me still clung to hope. That small, fragile, foolish hope that maybe he would come through the door and smile again and maybe he'd say he remembered.
But as the clock struck eleven, the last candle flickered out and the darkness filled the room, with it is an undeniable truth.
He wasn't coming home.
The sound of rain outside grew heavier, beating against the
windows like the echo of my heart. I rose and walked toward the window, drawing the curtains open, the street below glistened with reflections, headlights flashing like fleeting stars.
Somewhere out there, Lu Shenyang was living a life far away
from this room, maybe with someone else.
The thought sent a sharp pain through my chest. I bit my lip
hard enough to taste blood, forcing myself not to cry.
I had cried enough. For three years, I gave up everything, my love, my pride, my future, and all I ever received was silence.
Maybe, it was time to let go.