Days passed, but the unease lingered like a shadow Meilin couldn't shake off. Jiang Rui left earlier for work and came home later each night. He still spoke gently to Xiaoya, still smiled faintly across the dinner table — but the warmth between them had thinned to glass.
Every time their eyes met, she saw the question he wasn't asking. Did you really let him go?
She wanted to tell him everything, to open the wound and show him the truth — but fear kept her silent. Not fear of Jiang Rui's anger, but of losing the fragile peace she'd finally begun to rebuild.
Then one afternoon, while walking home from the market, she saw him again.
Li Wen stood by a silver car at the corner of the street, leaning casually against the door. That same infuriating smile played on his lips as he approached.
"You've been avoiding me," he said.
"I told you to stay away," Meilin replied sharply. "What part of that did you not understand?"
He chuckled, lowering his sunglasses. "You used to like my persistence."
"I used to be a fool," she said coldly.
He stepped closer, voice softening. "You can't erase the past, Meilin. You loved me once. That doesn't just vanish."
Her hands clenched around the basket she carried. "Love? What you called love destroyed my family. You used me, Li Wen. And when everything fell apart, you disappeared."
His smile faltered for a moment, but then he leaned in, whispering, "And yet here I am — the only one who still remembers the woman you were."
Before she could respond, a familiar voice cut through the air.
"Meilin."
Her heart stopped. Jiang Rui stood just a few feet away, his expression unreadable. He'd seen them — too close, too familiar.
Li Wen straightened immediately, his smirk returning. "Ah, Rui. Still following her around, I see."
Jiang Rui's jaw tightened. "Leave."
Li Wen only shrugged. "You can't protect what doesn't want you."
That was the moment Meilin's hand flew — a sharp crack echoing through the quiet street as her palm met Li Wen's cheek.
"Don't you dare," she hissed, trembling. "Don't you ever speak to him that way."
For once, Li Wen was silent, his arrogance fading into something darker. He gave her a long look — half surprise, half fury — then turned and walked away.
When he was gone, the silence that followed was heavier than any words.
Jiang Rui looked at her, his voice low. "Why didn't you tell me he was still around?"
Tears filled her eyes. "Because I didn't want him to come between us again."
He stared at her for a long moment, then finally said, "He already has."
And before she could say another word, he turned and walked past her — leaving her standing in th
e fading light, her heart breaking all over again.