During lunch, Tian Yuo ordered Karen's favorite dishes and soon, the table was covered by plates of mouthwatering sweet and sour entrees and appetizers.
"Wahhhhh, I love these so much! I knew Brother Yuo would know me best! Mmmmmm, this taste so good!" Karen groaned as the taste of sweet and sour ribs melted in her mouth. She felt like she was tasting heaven.
During her stay in Paris, she couldn't find a good restaurant that served high-quality dishes like the ones in front of her right now. She missed her favorites dearly and wanted to pack some to go.
Tian Yuo smiled seeing her eat comfortably without a sense of awkwardness, "Slow down. Nobody is competing with you. By the way, where did you go? You didn't contact me ever since that night..."
She swallowed a spoonful of rice and drank a few mouthfuls of soup before responding, "I was heartbroken when I thought of you and sister being together. I knew that under the pressure of your parents and my father, you would eventually give in and marry my sister. I really couldn't go on with living if I had to witness your wedding, so I left. I decided to leave and try my best to start a new life."
When she looked up to meet his eyes, her top notch acting began as tears filled her eyes. She purposely wiped it using a napkin and continued, "But it was so difficult. I just couldn't find someone else to love because I only loved you. It's so hard, Brother Yuo. You don't understand how much I wanted to run back to your embrace when I heard your voicemail. You told me to give you time, and you'll marry my sister for our future."
His heart softened when he saw the tear stains on the napkin, "Karen... I'm sorry. Other than sorry, I really don't know what else to say. It's supposed to be us who got married a year ago, but it became Yin Susu..."
"No, Brother Yuo. You don't have to apologize to me. You were trying your best, but I was too weak to stand by your side. I couldn't stand the sight of you and sister being together, so I left. While I was in Paris, I gained some recognition, so it wasn't a bad trip. I randomly doodled while walking in a mall one day and one of the professors at Paris Fashion Institute saw my work."
"Ah, that famous academy...."
"Yep. I was personally invited by Professor Luo Xia to attend the school. For the past months, I've studied there, but because I missed you terribly, I ended up giving up the upcoming fashion event. Even though I love designing, I realized that nothing would matter if I don't have you by my side to share the glory with me. So, I came back." Her words sounded sweet and pleasant to his ears.
"Sigh, Karen, you've done so much for me. You even gave up your dreams to be with me. Whereas, I, I'm just here waiting for a year to be up. Don't worry, as soon as I could divorce Yin Susu, I'll marry you. I'll give you the grandest wedding and a proper title. I promise that I won't ever abandon you. I love you."
He held her hands tightly and watched her eat for the remaining meal. 'It's been so long since I've seen her eat so well. Don't worry. A year's time is almost up.'
-Tian Residence-
Shen Wen was trimming her plants when she received the text message from housekeeper Xu that Karen was back. When she read the message, the plant in front of her was instantly ruined. Her scissors cut too deep into the plant and ruined its figure.
"That wench came back?! I swear if this stupid son of mine makes any kind of bold ass move, I won't let him off. Su..susu! I hope she takes this well and not ditch Tian Yuo's dumb ass after hearing about Karen...."
Her mood was indefinitely ruined for the mean time, so she went back into the house to brew some tea for herself. To her surprise, Susu seemed to have read her mind or something because a fresh pot of fruit tea was prepared and already set on the living room table for her.
Susu baked some sweets for Shen Wen to eat along with the tea, "Mother, welcome back from the garden. Here, I thought you'd be tired, so I made you some tea and baked goods."
Shen Wen took a seat and smiled after sniffing the fresh from the oven snacks and brewed tea, "Susu, come over here." She patted the area next to her on the couch.
"Hmm?" Susu sat down and turned towards Shen Wen.
"Child... Mother really doesn't know how to break this to you. So please be strong when you listen to my following words." Shen Wen didn't really want to tell Susu that her good for nothing stepsister has made an appearance in front of Tian Yuo. Worst of all, she went straight to his office, a place where Susu never properly stepped into even though she was his legal wife.
Susu's gentle smile and voice interrupted her, "Mom, did you want to tell me that Karen came back and that Tian Yuo was having lunch with her?"
"You... you already know?"
"Mmm... I made Uncle Xu tell me, but it's alright. It's just lunch anyways. I already knew from the start that Tian Yuo doesn't love me, so I never forced or hoped for anything out of this marriage. I only married him to take care of you, dad, grandpa, and grandma. If our marriage does reach an end, I hope that you will accept things as it will be."
"What are you saying? Tian Yuo, that child is just confused. He will realize that you're the good and best fit for him one day." She didn't like the sound of where the conversation was going.
"Mother, there are some things that shouldn't be forced. It is a pointless marriage if two people don't love each other because nobody is willing to move forward to try and make this relationship work out. I once loved him deeply, but I've already set my heart to giving him up because feelings are complicated matters that won't easily change." Susu patted Shen Wen's hand as if she was trying to comfort her.
"So, if this marriage falls apart later, please don't force him anymore. If he loves Karen, then time will tell. It is a special type of fate to bring two people together to form a family. As for us, our timings were never right. Don't feel like you owe me anything, okay?"
Shen Wen's eyes and nose reddened as she hugged Susu and rubbed her back, "It is our Tian family that didn't have the good fortune to have you as our daughter-in-law. If your marriage ends, mother promises to not meddle in his affairs anymore. At the same time, I will still treat you like I always did. You'll always be my daughter. I'll always be on your side."
"Mmm.. Thank you, mother. I knew you would understand." Susu felt relieved when she heard Shen Wen's words. Sooner or later, this topic must be mentioned. Since it was a conversation that was inevitable, Susu wanted to address things earlier to make it easier in the future when she leaves.
That night, Tian Yuo went home after dinner and walked straight to his room. When he entered, Susu was in the shower. He took a few deep breaths and looked around the room, hoping to find some excuses to say that she broke their ground rules.
While looking for evidence that she broke some rules, he realized that everything remained untouched since he left. Not only was things in the same position that he left it, there wasn't even a tiny dust particle in the corners of the furnitures. She actually cleaned the room every day.
After walking around and looking through stuff, he saw a slightly opened drawer and smirked, "Yin Susu, I knew you would have done something while I was gone." His hands dug into the drawer and took a few bottles of pills out. Seeing the pills, his brows knitted slightly. "Pain relievers? Fever relief? Why would she hide these things here?"
Just as he wondered why these pills were hidden inside her drawer, the bathroom door opened and a light vanilla fragrance filled the room as Susu stepped out with her dripping wet hair and an oversized hoodie covering half way down her thighs.
He gulped at the view of her dripping wet hair trailing down her pale neck. Her cheeks were still flushed from the hot shower and slim legs were oddly attractive. Actually, her figure was not bad at all. 'Why did I never notice how...cute.. she was..?'
Susu gasped when she saw him standing with her pills in his hands, "Phew, haven't seen you for a while. May I ask why you are roaming around the room? Digging through my stuff?"
"Y..You... are you sick?" He didn't understand why his first question was actually about her health.
"What would my health have anything to do with you? If you're finished inspecting my pills, will you be a doll and place it back in its original position where you found it?" She acted coldly and plugged in her hair dryer.
"I was asking you a question! Why are you acting rudely for?" He scoffed when he heard her attitude towards him.
"If what I said just now is considered rude, then I don't know what we should call your behavior for the past years. Anyways, whether I tell you or not about my health, it is my choice. I have my own privacy. You also haven't answered my question about why you were digging through my stuff." Her voice was sounded strained.
"What? I can't come back to my own room and look for something?"
"Of course you can. You're more than welcomed to stay too since it is the Tian residence." She mocked as she continued blow drying her hair.
He rolled his eyes and went to take a hot shower. When he came out, Susu was already asleep in her portable bed. 'That bed looks so small and uncomfortable. How could she stand sleeping there? Is she stupid? When I wasn't here, she could've slept on the bed and I probably wouldn't even have noticed.'
That night, he twisted and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. His mind focused on the pills that he had found earlier. He also noticed an emptied cup on her dresser. 'Is she ill? Did she take the pills? Why wouldn't she tell me? Tch. Women are complicated creatures.'
He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep. A few minutes later, he heard some light pants and groans coming from the other side of the room. Annoyed by the noises that Susu was making, he switched the lamp by his bedside and shouted, "For the lord's sake! It's this late and you're disturbing my-"
His eyes widened when he saw perspiration dripping down her forehead. "Yo.. If this is an act, you better stop now before I become mad." He approached her pale figure and flicked her forehead.
Her eyes opened half way and she supported herself up, "You can go back to sleep." She wiped her forehead and used the wall for support as she took fever relieving pills. Seeing her pale expression, he suggested calling for a doctor. A weak laugh came out of her mouth, "These pills were prescribed by a doctor. I'm fine. It's not like this is the first night this happened."
When she said these words, he felt an odd pain stabbing his chest as if he felt guilt towards her. 'Forget it. I'll just go back to sleep.'