Betrayal
Rong Xin placed the medical reports on the table, her eyes focused on Shen Ning. "I couldn't explain everything properly over the phone," she said in a professional tone, "Your hormonal imbalance, caused by PCOS, can also increase the risk of uterine infections. This might make it difficult for you to conceive in the future."
She paused for a moment, then added, "You're married now. I assume your husband might have expressed thoughts about having children."
Shen Ning nodded, her gaze drifting downward as she processed the words.
Rong Xin continued, her tone softening slightly, "Does he know about your medical condition?"
Shen Ning shook her head. "No, I haven't told him yet."
Rong Xin leaned forward, her expression sincere. "I would advise you to tell him. If you keep avoiding the conversation, he may start to misinterprete your reasons for rejecting the topic."
Shen Ning's head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock and a touch of concern.
Rong Xin chuckled lightly, attempting to lighten the mood. "Okay, let's go downstairs. That boy must be waiting for us."
Shen Ning forced a small smile but said nothing. The reports stayed on the table, as they left the room.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong...
Qin Yuheng returned to his suite after a day-long meeting. He dragged himself to the bathroom, washing away the fatigue before stepping out in a crisp white shirt and tailored pants.
He picked up his phone, contemplating whether to call Shen Ning or not. He wanted to call her, to hear her voice.
Call her. Just call her.
But something held him back. Frustrated, he tossed the phone onto the bedside table.
"Other than the perfunctionary "Have you reached?" and "Have you eaten?" texts, the day I left, there hasn't been a single call," he thought bitterly.
He leaned back, his arm draped over his eyes, the memories of Shen Ning's recent behavior flashing through his mind. Her sudden distance, her rejection of intimacy, the birth control pills he'd found—all of it painted a picture he didn't want to see.
Unknowingly he fell asleep, he didn't have a good night's sleep these days, without his wife in his arms.
He found himself walking forward, calling out into the emptiness.
"Ah Ning! Ah Ning!"
His voice echoed in the stillness, but there was no response.
"Wife, where are you?" His throat ached from shouting, and the desperation in his voice cut through the silence.
Suddenly, he froze, standing before a morgue table in a hospital. A wave of confusion washed over him, but his heart clenched with fear.
He walked over and pulled the cover down from the corpse's face. The sight struck him like a thunderclap, leaving him frozen in shock.
"Ah Ning!" he cried out, his voice hoarse with panic.
Qin Yuheng jolted awake, gasping for air, his heart still pounding in his chest. He looked around, disoriented, and the reality of the situation set in. It had only been a nightmare—a horrifying nightmare.
He rose from the sofa, his hands shaking as he walked over to pour himself a glass of water, trying to calm the anxious thrum in his chest. His eyes wandered to his phone, and a thought crossed his mind.
It was 9 PM. She should be awake by now, he thought.
Without wasting another moment, he dialed her number. The phone rang once, then twice, but there was no answer. His worry escalated with each passing ring, and he called again, this time more urgently.
The call connected.
"Hello?" Shen Ning's soft voice came through.
"Hmm. Have you eaten?" he asked, his tone gentle, a far cry from the coldness he'd left her with earlier.
"No... Not yet." She replied.
His concern deepened as he noticed something odd in her breathing. "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"No... I'm fine." She whimpered softly.
"Oh. I will come—" He was about to reassure her, to say that he would return tomorrow, but before he could finish, he heard something that made his blood run cold.
"Ah! Mu Chen, don't...!" Shen Ning's voice trembled as she spoke, though she tried to suppress the sound. Though she spoke quietly, it was as clear to Qin Yuheng as if she had shouted.
"Ning, please... I'll be gentle," a man's voice responded, unmistakably Mu Chen's.
He froze, the phone slipping from his grasp. It hit the floor with a crash. But he didn't move. His mind went blank, his body felt paralyzed.
Be gentle? The words replayed in his head over and over, each one piercing his heart like a knife. He felt a wave of disbelief, fury and heartbreak wash over him. How long are you going to deny it, Qin Yuheng? How long?!
The fear he had always pushed away, the fear of losing her, had finally come true.
His wife, his Ah Ning, the woman he had given his heart to... had betrayed him!
That third party — Mu Chen, succeeded in snatching her away from him!?
He staggered back, his legs colliding with the bed. His vision blurred with rage and pain. His hands trembled, and a lone tear slipped from his eye.
Didn't she promise me forever? Wasn't it supposed to be a lifetime together? A lifetime built on betrayal?!
Or it was the promise that was meant to be broken!?
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"Love isn't fragile. People are. If you don't believe in it, you'll never know its strength."