The divorce papers

A forlorn dejectedness had taken over Luo Ruolan's face when her husband, who she had been married to for the last 10 years, threw those divorce papers at her face. His expression remained unchanged when he mentioned that he had been planning on it for quite some time but didn't have the proper necessities to do so. But now that, Luo Lifen, her sister, had finally returned, he had no time to waste around with a woman he didn't give a damn about.

"This is not real...right?" the voice that contained so many of those unexpressed emotions, came out even weaker than Luo Ruolan had expected, "You don't actually mean this...you're playing a joke, right?"

"Tch. So noisy." the man who still carried a heartlessly cold expression turned towards the wine stand and poured himself a glass of some exquisite red wine. Bringing the glass near his lips after giving it a shake, he paused, turning back again and giving her another one of those 'looks'.

Luo Ruolan flinched, as her knees felt like giving up while she took a few steps back. She had been receiving that 'look' from her husband for the last 10 years now and she knew very well what was waiting for her if she didn't mend whatever wrongdoing she committed. "B-But we've been together for...for 10 years..."

With that, the man in front of her broke into a fit of hysterical laughter. "Just because we've been together for so long, by any chance you don't actually believe that I love you, right?"

"Liang Fang, I..." she paused, her mind over brimming so many emotions that she didn't know could've existed all together. Was that fear? Fear of losing the one you've loved for so long or was that relief? Relief that the one who had never missed an opportunity to humiliate you and insult you in public was willing to break it off, setting you free? "...I love you...Liang Fang. J-Just give me another chance...I'll do anything for you..."

It was fear.

It was something Luo Ruolan had seen a long time ago, but she was desperately holding on to the fact that he might change her views on her someday. She had loved him for more than 14 years now and all she had ever wanted was for the man in front of her to show her at least one per cent of the love she held for him. That would've been plenty. And even if that's not something he was willing to offer, just getting to stay by his side would have been enough. But a divorce?

"You love me? Someone like you, are you even worthy!? Love!? What a joke! If you had loved me, you would've let me marry the one I was in love with, your sister! Luo Lifen was everything to me and you chased her away! You even put your family's long term relations with the Liang group on the line, to get what you want! And if that is your definition of love, I don't know if I should call you a sl*t or blame my wrongdoings from my previous life to give me a fate like this!" Liang Fang had shattered the wine glass he was holding to the floor.

Then, pulling out a tissue from his pocket he wiped his fingers as he walked towards her, finally standing side-to-side. "You better sign those papers as soon as possible, or you'll regret it. And clean that mess up!" He simply stated, referring to the wine-glass that remained shattered on the cold floor.

His intimidating tone and the obvious cruelty and hatred in his voice sent a chill down Luo Ruolan's spine. She shivered at the very thought of what he would do if she didn't comply with his request. She couldn't help but tremble, as she clutched her right arm tightly, as if relieving an unhappy moment.

Liang Fang was about to walk out of the room, when his phone rang up. Though Luo Ruolan couldn't see the caller, she had already guessed who it could've been.

"Hello honey ~ How are you doing? Do you miss me too much? ~" came a loud sultry voice from the other side of the phone.

And at once, the condescending demeaner that Liang Fang was carrying, turned to an awfully chummy and affectionate bearing, that he had only showed her sister, Luo Lifen. "You know I do ~ I missed you a lot when you were away."

"Aw, I knew it ~ So, did you tell her about it? The divorce, I mean. What did she say? Is she okay with it, 'cause after all, you're going to marry me, right?"

Liang Fang giggled as his expression once again smoothened, as he closed his eyes for a moment, "Relax kitten, what's the hurry? ~ I've told her that and she'd be coming to terms with it sooner than later. You're probably tired, right? Go to sleep early. I'll come visit soon."

"Mm, okayy ~ Good night, honey ~"

"Night, sweetheart."

And with that said, he hung up. Maybe he had expected Luo Ruolan to leave while he was talking to Luo Lifen but feeling that her presence still occupied the room, he sighed. Then pretty angrily he turned back, just about to say something even harsher, like something along the lines of her being a shameless b*tch, but paused immediately and his eyes widened at what he saw next.

Tears streaming down her cheeks without any constraint, her eyes dilated and carrying an unspoken emotion, whilst her lips were curved upwards in somewhat of a bittersweet smile, "So, this is finally over, huh? Y-You and me...are we actually d-done...?" her voice quivered as if she was putting her everything into uttering those last-minute-hopeful words to make him stay. "If you've ever loved me...even if it's just a little....you won't walk out that door...please, don't walk out that door..."

Liang Fang had never seen an expression like that on her. Previously, there had been many instances when he had hurt her, be it slamming an insult right at her face in front of a lot of people or hitting her with whatever item he could find around when she became annoying or raping her at nights when he had a little too much to drink. But all that time, he had believed that she deserved it. So then why...why did this time, for a fraction of second, the thought of him being in the wrong flashed into his mind.

He didn't say anything. Rather, he couldn't; he was still contemplating what this cunning woman was planning. Were the tears even real and what was up with that smile?

Being greeted with nothing but an infinite silence, that perhaps would've lasted longer, Luo Ruolan realized what his answer was going to be and that he was going to leave. She wiped away her tears as she looked up at the man, her eyes carrying only the last bit of light, and said. "If I say...If I tell you t-that...that I'm pregnant...I'm pregnant with your child...would you consider stayi-"

"LUO RUOLAN!!"

Before she could even finish her words, a furious Liang Fang had slammed his fist on the photo frame that hung on the wall, shattering the glass on top of it to pieces, as he continued, "This is what you're gonna do now!? Since you find yourself incapable of letting me go, you're gonna use a fictional, made-up child to force me to stay!? For all these years, 10 years to be precise, we couldn't have a baby and now you're that desperate that you're even wagering a child on our trifle!? What do you even want from me!!?"

'I just want you...to stay.' her heart yelled out, but her mind didn't let her speak. 

"Just answer the damn question! What do you want from me, do you hate me that much that you'd rather compel me to stay stuck in this disgusting marriage forever with someone like you!? Don't you have a single shred of dignity left to walk away when the person you claim to love, loves someone else and wants to be happy!? And you'd even go as far as creating a non-existing child for your schemes!?"

'But, I really do love you... and I am pregnant...'

"You know what, since you 'love' me that much..." he marched towards Luo Ruolan and grabbed her wrist tightly and dragged her to the adjacent room and threw her on the bed. "I'll give you what you want!"

Horror-struck Luo Ruolan squirmed under his tight hold, trying desperately to break free but in vain. Liang Fang had seized both her arms by the wrists on top of her head, as he tore down the buttons of the shirt she had been wearing.

"D-Don't..." she begged but her voice fell on dead ears.

"This is what you've wanted, right!? Then have it your way!!" he unbuckled his belt and slid down the bespoke trousers he was wearing.

'No...this is not what I wanted...' she thought as she still made attempts to break free but Liang Fang had already pulled down her skirt and underwear along with it.

"Don't do this...not for me, but for the child...I'm really pregnant..."

And that did it.

There was no foreplay, no consent, not even kissing. It was pure animalistic, like a wild beast just letting out his frustrations. Liang Fang, at that moment, probably forgot that his wife was still human and not some toy to break over and over again to calm your emotions down. Well, she didn't deserve to be called that anyway. He went on for hours. The first half of an hour, Luo Ruolan continued to resist as if she was trying to find the little bit of compassion that existed in her husband, if there was any to begin with, but gradually, her eyes were drained of that last bit of light as well.

With her eyes turned dead, she laid still, decided not to put up a fight anymore and letting him do what he was doing. It wasn't the first time anyway.

With the corner of her eye she glanced at the moonlight, that was seeping into the room through the gap between the curtains, falling on the bedsheet.

Ah, this was the same bedsheet that she had bought from the district fair that Liang Fang had taken her to on her 19th birthday.