1 Betrayal
"Mei-Mei. Be careful" an apparition warned. Mei Xialing looked around to see nothing but darkness. She walked cautiously towards the apparition.
"Who are you?" Mei asked.
"Be careful." The apparition repeated.
Mei was close enough to see the apparition's face to see...
"Jia!" Mei called out as she sat up straight in her bed, having just woken up from the most vivid dream she'd had in years.
"Seriously? You're still not over her? Your sister has been dead for five years. Move on." Her husband, Buxing, scoffed.
Mei bit back a retort and instead got up to prepare breakfast.
"Bring me some coffee." Buxing called out after her.
Mei hurriedly scrambled eggs and made crispy bacon while the rice was still cooking. Once everything was done she prepared two plates and poured hot coffee into two mugs.
She went into the bedroom "breakfast is ready" she said sweetly.
"I thought I told you to bring me coffee." Buxing said.
"I thought that we could eat together..." Mei trailed off.
"I am a busy man. I don't have time to sit around and play husband and wife with you, where is my damn coffee?!" Buxing yelled, irritated.
Mei held back her tears and left the room as quickly as she could. She got the coffee and breakfast that she prepared for him and brought it back to their bedroom.
"You were so slow. Be faster next time." Buxing said, accepting the mug from her.
Mei laid the plate of food next to him and Buxing stared at it.
"What the hell is that?" Buxing demanded.
"Your breakfast." Mei replied.
"Throw it away. I'm having breakfast with my associates." He said coldly.
"You'd rather have breakfast with your associates than with your own wife?! I spent most of my morning preparing that for you!" Mei exclaimed, hurt.
"Stop being so dramatic. I didn't ask you to make me breakfast, you're the one who assumed that I didn't have any plans. " Buxing said as he stood up to change into formal wear.
"I didn't think that I'd have to. Shouldn't a husband want to spend time with his wife?" Mei cried.
"You're suffocating me. Stop crying." was all that Buxing said.
"Fine, I'll eat alone." Mei said tearfully and stormed out of the room.
A few moments later Buxing emerged fully dressed. He went up to Mei who was still upset.
"Are you still pouting you big baby?" He teased. Mei sat unresponsive. Buxing wrapped his arms around her "can you admit that you may have overreacted just a tiny bit?" He murmured. Mei bit her lip "I...may have overreacted a little..." she admitted.
Buxing kissed her on the forehead "I forgive you. I'll be back home late, don't wait up" he said.
"Goodb-" Mei started but the door had already slammed shut before she could finish.
Mei stared at the plate full of untouched food and decided to call the one person she knew would appreciate it.
-----
"I heard that there's bacon and eggs with my name on it" Yan Jing, Mei's best friend since college, said as soon as Mei opened the door for her.
"Come in, right this way." Mei said, leading Yan towards the kitchen table.
"Mmm, smells delicious Mei!" Yan grinned.
"Eat up!" Mei said.
As soon as the food hit her tongue Yan moaned with delight. "So good! It's been a long time since I had a home cooked meal, I wish that I could have your cooking every day." Yan groaned.
"Really?" Mei asked, insecure.
"I would marry you in a heartbeat if you weren't married already." Yan said in a serious tone.
Mei blushed "my husband doesn't seem to share your sentiments I'm afraid." she sighed.
"What?! In what world would anyone turn down good food!" Yan exclaimed with disbelief.
"My world." Mei muttered.
"Oh...Mei..." Yan said sympathetically.
"No, no...it's my fault. I'm the one who assumed that he would want to eat breakfast with me." Mei said.
Yan looked stunned, then angry.
"Mei it's not your fault! If anything it's his fault. Who wouldn't want to spend their morning with someone as beautiful as you? He's an imbecile for making you think otherwise." Yan raged.
"You're kind for saying that...but please don't speak of my husband that way." Mei said.
"Mei..."
"Please...just enjoy your food. Let's not discuss such things anymore." Mei said.
Yan had more to say, but one look at May's sad face made her bite her tongue.
The sat in silence as Yan finished her food.
-----
"Happy birthday honey!" Mei greeted Buxing through her phone. The night before he told her that he planned on having a "night with the boys" to celebrate his 30th birthday.
"Thanks." was the reply. Nothing was mentioned of when he planned to go home or if he planned on spending his birthday with her.
"When are you coming home? I want to celebrate your 30th with you" Mei texted.
"Late night at work. Don't wait up."
Mei stared at her phone for a few minutes too long after that final message. Over the past year it felt like Buxing was drifting further and further away from her the more that she desperately tried to fix their relationship.
Mei was on a sinking ship and she knew it, but she didn't want to admit defeat and let the past 5 years of her life go to waste. She took the wine bottle on the counter, poured herself a glass and gulped it down to give her the courage to surprise her husband at his office.
-----
"Yan, would you know any good bakeries?" Mei asked once Yan picked up her call. She stumbled on the way to her car and coughed.
"Are you okay?" Yan asked, concerned.
"I will be if you answer my question." Mei joked.
"I think there's one nearby your house...why?" Yan asked.
"It's Buxing's 30th today and I want to surprise him at his office" she explained.
"Oh...why don't you just celebrate at home or at a restaurant?" Yan said.
Mei fell silent.
"Mei..."
"Just text me the address Yan. Thanks for your help." Mei said before ending the call abruptly.
Yan sent the address with the message "you deserve better."
"If I did, then I would have better" Mei sighed before driving towards the address that Yan had forwarded to her.
-----
Mei entered the office, cake in hand. She noted that the whole floor was eerily empty but heard a noise coming from Buxing's office.
She opened the door to find Buxing hunched over the desk, his pants on the floor, thrusting into his extremely naked secretary. Mei gasped at the sight, Buxing turned towards where she stood and smirked. Without missing a beat he continued defiling the woman underneath him.
"We're getting a divorce." Mei said, feeling a burning in her chest, coughing loudly.
"Oh, but we're getting something much better. The poison should already be working" Buxing laughed cruelly.
"Poison? You poisoned me?" Mei said, wondering how he could get to this point.
"You're the only daughter to a wealthy family. I knew that the past five years would be worth it after I killed your sister off, now I just needed to marry you and then eventually get you out of the picture. Happy birthday to me indeed."
Mei stumbled, her vision blurring with each passing second. "You won't get away with this" she rasped.
Her final words fell to deaf ears as Buxing had already returned his attention to his secretary, not even having the decency to listen to his dying wife.
-----
Darkness. The last thing that Mei saw before she died was her husband betraying her. Was this really how she deserved to die? Had she done a terrible deed in her past life that warranted her with such a terrible end?
"Mei. Mei! Wake up! You're going to be late to your date with Buxing!"
Mei's eyes fluttered open. She was alive! Her younger sister was shaking her awake, but how? Jia Xialing had been dead for 5 years.
