The rain returned that evening — soft at first, then wild, like it remembered every tear she had cried before. Meilin sat beneath the veranda, her hands wrapped around a cup of untouched tea.
The truth was out. The man she had loved, the man who once saved her life, had also built it on lies.
Yet even now, her heart refused to let him go.
The sound of footsteps on wet stone broke her thoughts. Rui stood a few feet away, drenched, breathless, his white shirt clinging to his frame.
"Meilin," he said quietly. "Please don't walk away."
She didn't look at him. "You should've stayed where your secrets belong — in the dark."
"I know." He took a step closer. "But I can't lose you like this. Not again."
She set the cup down, her voice sharp but trembling. "Then why lie? Why make me believe Liwei destroyed everything when it was you all along?"
Rui's eyes glimmered with regret. "Because I was afraid. Afraid that if you saw the whole truth — you'd see me as the monster who let your world burn."
She finally met his gaze. "And what are you now, Rui?"
He flinched. "A man who can't stop loving you even after you stopped forgiving him."
Silence settled again — the kind that carried too many words unsaid.
"I rebuilt myself after that fire," Meilin said softly. "Every scar taught me strength. But you… you built your peace on my pain."
Rui closed the distance between them, the rain now washing down his face like punishment. "Tell me what I can do to make it right."
"You can't undo the past," she whispered. "You can only stop pretending it didn't happen."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a worn envelope. "This is for you. The truth I never had the courage to show."
She hesitated, then took it. Inside was a deed — the land where her old house once stood.
"I bought it back," Rui said, his voice low. "Every piece of it. You can rebuild it, however you want. Without me. Without my lies."
Her hands trembled as she held the paper. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, softly — almost too softly — "Why would you do this now?"
"Because love isn't about keeping you," he said, his voice breaking. "It's about freeing you."
The words cut deep, because they were true. Rui wasn't asking for forgiveness anymore. He was surrendering.
Meilin looked up at the night sky, the clouds parting just enough to let a sliver of moonlight touch the rain.
"Maybe someday," she said, "I'll find it in me to forgive you. But right now, I need to remember who I was before you tried to save me."
Rui's lips parted, but he didn't follow when she stepped into the rain.
Each drop stung like truth — cold, cleansing, relentless. And for the first time, Meilin didn't run from it.
Behind her, Rui stood motionless. Watching.
Loving her enough to let her go.
As she disappeared into the misty night, one thought lingered in both their hearts — love could survive many things, but sometimes, redemption required separation.
And somewhere deep inside, Meilin knew this wasn't the en
d of their story. It was just the moment before dawn.