"I couldn't stand by and watch you suffer unjustly," Chen Yifan interrupted gently. "When I heard about your situation, I knew I had to help. A woman as kind and virtuous as you doesn't deserve such treatment."
Maya's eyes filled with tears—the pretty, delicate kind that made her look vulnerable and lovely rather than messy and unattractive.
"You're so understanding. So different from—" She stopped herself, as if realizing she was about to say something inappropriate.
"Different from your husband?" Chen Yifan supplied gently.
Maya bit her lip and nodded.
"My marriage was arranged," she confessed. "I had no choice in the matter. My family forced me to wed an old man I'd never met, someone I could never love. I've tried to be a dutiful wife, but—"
"But you deserve to be happy," Chen Yifan finished. "You deserve to be with someone who appreciates you, who values your intelligence and kindness."
His hand tightened around hers.
"Someone like me," he added quietly.
