Strawberry and Chocolate

"I… today is…" Xia Ruoxin held on lightly to the front of her clothes. There was a dull ache in her heart. She was unsure of what explanation should she be giving him. He did not love her like before. "What were you doing here?" That was the only thing he said. One sentence. Such cold indifference.

He knew. He had to know that she was waiting for him.

"Today is Yixuan's birthday." Chu Lui walked to the table and looked at the cake. There was sarcasm in his eyes. "I never thought that you would remember your sister's birthday.

"I believe she must be grateful to have a good sister like you." He emphasized the word 'sister'. The hidden meaning behind that word caused her eyes to redden.

Excellent. She was in pain. This was what he had wanted.

"No. Today is my…" Xia Ruoxin shook her head, still stubbornly trying to explain.

However, she stopped when she saw the look in Chu Lui's eyes. It was the same look he had on their wedding day: hatred.

He had changed. Or was he always like this? The man who had treated her with love; was it her hallucination? The days they spent in harmony seemed like a dream to her.

"Ah Lui, what is wrong with you?" Xia Ruoxin walked up and pulled at his sleeve. She looked up helplessly with her long eyelashes. She was afraid. No, terrified that this was happening. She could not take the blow.

Do not bring her hope and destroy it. She has nothing but him.

"What could be wrong with me?" Chu Lui smiled faintly and asked her in return. Unknown to him, his hands had clenched so tightly into fists by his side.

"Ah Lui, was it because of what happened at the hotel? Actually, we did…" Xia Ruoxin was trying to tell him that nothing happened between her and that man at the hotel that night. Her conscience was clear. She had done nothing wrong.

"I'm tired." Chu Lui cut her off coldly. "I will sleep in the guest room tonight. Do not disturb me. And, that cake. Yixuan's favorite was chocolate, not strawberry."

He walked over, took the cake, and released his hand. The cake fell into the trash bin. Just like that, the cake landed inside the trash bin.

With his hands by his side, he walked in the direction of the guest room without a back glance at Xia Ruoxin. His back spoke volumes of indescribable heartlessness and indifference. If only he could just turn around and glance at her, then he would have seen the woman with her broken heart. If only he could take one more look at her, he would have seen the woman behind him in tears. Alas, he did nothing.

Xia Ruoxin stared at Chu Lui's back until she heard the door closed. As her eyelashes quivered, she felt her eyes warmed, and tears blurred her vision. However, her tears were cold.

She turned back, looked at the cake that he had discarded in the trash bin, and shook her head silently. Tears flowed down her chin like a river. Endless and unstoppable.

No, Chu Lui. Xia Yixuan's favorite was chocolate. Then again, Xia Ruoxin's had been strawberry. She had always loved strawberry.

She sat numbly at the sofa and stared at the cutlery on the table. The knife was to be used to cut the cake. Except now, there was no use for it.

She had spent a few hours preparing, a day of waiting, and a few days of expecting. In the end, this was the result she got.

What really went wrong with them?