Xie Weiwan did not respond. She had become numb to his outbursts as she heard a variation of the same sentence everyday.
She regretted it. She regretted everything.
Why was she so stupid? Why did she leave her lovely family and elope with a wolf in sheep's clothing?
She was deceived by the tenderness and attention Chu Ningtian showered on her. They worked at the same IT company, and he made her feel on top of the world. Where Li Chuanmo only took care of her physical needs, Chu Ningtian was like a soulmate. He understood her and made her feel special.
But it was all a lie, a facade. If she knew then what she knew now, she would have cherished Li Chuanmo's bumbling way of showing affection, instead of falling for Chu Ningtian's slick deception.
But as the idiot that she was, she could not see past his honeyed words and caresses.
Now, he had succeeded in stripping her of every ounce of pride, dignity and beauty she once had, and she was now a hollow mess. She was also penniless, and looked no different from a beggar. She was a shadow of herself.
She shifted till she was close to the wall, using it as a support in order to stand up. Her ankle was swollen because of the chair he threw at her, but she tested it and she could still walk, albeit slowly.
She hobbled to the bathroom to wash her face. Through the cracked mirror, she saw her appearance and winced. She looked as terrible as she felt.
She touched her burst lip slightly, wet a clean towel and dabbed at it. She also dabbed at the bruises on the rest of her face.
Her head hurt as well, but she couldn't rest yet. She had to clean the house and make dinner before Chu Ningtian returned, else she would suffer another round of beating.
She only hoped whatever he went to do would go well, so that he could be in a good mood. Else, she would be subjected to more battering and worse humiliation.
She shuddered to remember the day he violated and beat her until she lost consciousness. When she came to, he beat her again till she passed out once more. She truly almost died that day.
But, she couldn't leave him. Apart from the fact that he seized her passport and important documents, he also threatened her.
She had no choice.
Even death was a luxury she could not enjoy.
It took her about two hours to clean the house, not because it was very dirty, but because it hurt her to even move about.
As she took up one of his trousers to fold them, a piece of paper fell out. She picked it up to put it back, but she inadvertently glanced at it and saw it was a flyer from an insurance company advertising their new life insurance policy.
She paused. Life insurance?
After reading it carefully, the wheels of her brain began to turn. An idea started to take root in her mind.
If she could execute it successfully, perhaps she would finally be free.
She was determined. It was either it worked, or something else did. She could not continue this hellish life any longer.
She had a smartphone, but there was no internet connection. Chu Ningtian forbade her from contacting others, and she was essentially cut off from the world, except from her closest neighbors and the people she saw when she went grocery shopping.
She cleaned the house with renewed vigor and speed. She iced her cheeks to reduce the swelling, showered and wore one of her presentable clothes. She put on a pair of sunglasses and scarf.
She then went to the kitchen. She reached into the old blackened range hood and pulled out a small black parcel. After unwrapping the three layers, she pulled out the money hidden within.
There were a lot of notes, but they were mainly one and five jiao notes. There was also a twenty yuan note as well as one ten yuan note. Altogether, it added up to about one hundred and forty-five yuan. That was the entire sum she had been able to save up in over three years.
Chu Ningtian was very strict with money. Even this sum was saved from the little he gave her for groceries.
In the early days when they first eloped, she quit her job and quickly found another, but Chu Ningtian convinced her to leave country F and come back to their native land. She couldn't get a good job as quickly as before, so she did odd jobs here and there, and Chu Ningtian coaxed her out of her wages.
By the time she noticed that he was turning her into a dependent housewife who could not do anything without his permission, it was too late. When she complained or argued, he would abuse and assault her.
Months and years had gone by, and she was now at her breaking point.
She set out limping to the internet cafe in her neighborhood. 'Hope my skills are not too rusty', she thought.
*****
Late at night, There was a knock on the door. When she called out permission, the door opened.
The first thing to come into sight was a hand holding a huge bouquet of daffodils, the petals looking fresh and luscious as they swayed slightly.
Pei Yueran smiled brightly.
Then Li Chuanmo stepped into the room, looking sheepish.
"You learn fast, don't you?"
"As a matter of fact." He replied.
"So tell me, what do you think it means?"
"New beginnings. I wanted it to mark the start of our new ... relationship."
"I see." She noticed his slight hesitation and the neutral word, but she didn't mind. It was better to go slow after all.
He came forward and gently dropped the bouquet in her arms. She bent to take a deep breath.
"They are so lovely. Thank you."
He was very happy she liked them. His research did not go to waste then. "You're welcome. How do you feel today?"
"I feel better. The wound still aches a bit, but it's bearable."
Concerned, he asked, "Should I ask the doctor to prescribe stronger painkillers?"
"No, no. It's fine." To change the topic, she asked,
"Since you have refused to go to the company, what are your plans for today?"
He wanted to go back to his study and work on the company matters, but looking at her, he impulsively changed his mind.
He directly climbed into her bed, sat beside her and covered their legs with the blanket.