Lin Xiaowan received a photo.
In the photo, a tall man could be seen holding the slender waist of the woman next to him. His head was slightly lowered as he spoke to the woman with a gentle expression on his face while the woman leaned into his arms with a faint smile on her face.
The man in the photo was Lin Xiaowan's husband, but she was not familiar with the woman. Although she was not familiar with the other woman, this was not the first time she had seen the woman. After all, she had been receiving photo after photo of this woman with her husband, and the photos, which stung her eyes, were accompanied by provocative messages with a smug undertone.
Lin Xiaowan had recognized the woman the first time she had received the photo. The woman was the ex-lover of Huo Zheng, her husband, and that woman was someone her husband could not forget.
Lin Xiaowan switched her phone off and acted like nothing happened.
…
When Huo Zheng finally came home, it was already late at night. It was winter so the temperature was very low, especially when it was late at night. He stood at the door and rubbed his hands together to keep warm after he removed his coat. After he felt a little warmer, he looked at Lin Xiaowan, who had fallen asleep on the couch, before he slowly walked over and bent down to carefully pick her up.
As soon as Huo Zheng picked Lin Xiaowan up, she woke up. Although he had already removed his coat, she could still smell an unfamiliar and subtle fragrance on him. She felt a sting in her heart, but she did not say anything. Instead, she raised her arms and wound them around his neck before she pressed herself closer to him in a very dependent manner. Then, she asked softly, "Why did you come back so late? Have you eaten dinner?"
Huo Zheng lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead before he replied, "I've already eaten. Don't wait for me and fall asleep on the couch next time. It's so cold now, and it's easy for you to catch a cold."
Huo Zheng was very strong. He walked steadily as he carried his wife upstairs to the bedroom.
Lin Xiaowan enjoyed the chance to snuggle in his arms. She said in a coquettish manner, "Then, come back earlier next time. I'll wait for you no matter what."
"I'll be less busy in a few days. At that time, I'll accompany you."
Lin Xiaowan lowered her gaze and asked, "Can we go to the North Pole? I want to relax and see the northern lights."
"Alright."
Huo Zheng placed Lin Xiaowan on the bed and carefully covered her with the blanket. Then, he lay next to her and patted her gently, coaxing her to sleep, as he said, "In two days, I have something to tell you."
Lin Xiaowan panicked upon hearing this. She turned to the side and hugged his waist before she said, "Don't forget about the day after tomorrow. I want two gifts!"
Lin Xiaowan's birthday was the day after tomorrow. It was also their third wedding anniversary. She was afraid of what Huo Zheng wanted to tell her so she quickly said, "Can you tell me after my birthday?"
Huo Zheng lowered his head again to kiss her before he said, "Alright. Don't talk anymore. Sleep."
Lin Xiaowan yawned and rubbed her face against Huo Zheng's expensive suit as she said, "One more thing. The gift I prepared for you this year is really amazing. You definitely won't be able to guess what it is."
Huo Zheng did not say anything. He only looked at the woman in his arms gently. After she fell asleep, he got out of bed as gently as possible, afraid of waking her up, before he went to wash up and change his clothes. After that, he went to his study to deal with some unfinished work. Earlier, it had gotten quite late, and he was worried that Lin Xiaowan would be waiting for him at home so he rushed back.
…
The next evening, Huo Zheng still did not return for dinner. Similarly, Lin Xiaowan received new photos.
One showed Huo Zheng protecting the woman carefully as she got out of the car while the other showed Huo Zheng and the woman walking hand in hand to a jewelry store.
Lin Xiaowan stared at her phone for a moment. After she finally made up her mind, she put on her clothes and went out. She decided to go to the address that was sent along with the photos.
…
Lin Xiaowan stood in the distance, but thanks to the glass door, she could easily see what was going on inside the store.
There were a few people in the store. One of them was Huo Zheng. He was picking out a ring with the woman. The woman stretched out her hand to him as she chatted happily. He held her hand and helped her put the ring on.
No matter how many photos Lin Xiaowan had seen, they were not as impactful as witnessing it with her own eyes.
At this moment, Lin Xiaowan felt her heart sink. She stood there in a daze; her mind was empty, but her heart was eerily calm. After a while, she brought her phone out and sent a message to Huo Zheng. The winter chill caused her fingers to tremble as she typed the message, resulting in quite a few misspelled words.
[Lin Xiaowan: Are you coming back for dinner today?]
Lin Xiaowan's phone rang, and she received a reply almost immediately.
[Huo Zheng: I have work to do. Sleep early. Don't wait up for me.]
Lin Xiaowan pursed her lips. Her eyes turned red immediately as tears fell. At this time, she finally knew the reason for Huo Zheng's long hours at work and overtime, and she also found the owner of the unfamiliar scent she smelled on him.
Lin Xiaowan had long known about Huo Zheng's first love. She had found out when they had just gotten married. At that time, she was bored so she went to Huo Zheng's study and found a book to read. When she flipped the book open, a photo of a girl fell out of the book. There was a love letter written by Huo Zheng to his first love along with the photo.
Lin Xiaowan did not know when the letter was written, but she could feel his love, tenderness, and sincerity in the words. At that time, she felt her heart turn cold. Huo Zheng had never said such touching words to her before.
In fact, Lin Xiaowan's meeting and marriage with Huo Zheng were very sudden. She still did not know why he married her. He had never told her that he liked her, let alone loved her. Nonetheless, he treated her very well. They had been together for almost four years now, and they had never quarreled before. He would also celebrate Valentine's Day, birthdays, and all kinds of anniversaries with her. However, the downside was that she spent a lot of time waiting for him. Although he treated her well, he was extremely busy. He rarely spent a lot of time with her. As such, she spent most of her time waiting for him… only to be confronted with such a result today.
Lin Xiaowan could not hold back her tears at all; her heart was in turmoil. She cried as she walked, wiping her tears away as they fell. By the time she stood at the intersection to wait for the traffic light to change, her sleeves were already wet with tears. She was aware of the sorry state she was in at this moment, but she really could not control her emotions and her tears. She rarely cried, and now that she was crying, she was doing it in public.
At this time, a little girl carrying a school bag stuffed a packet of tissue into Lin Xiaowan's hand and kindly comforted Lin Xiaowan. She said, "Don't be sad. No matter what happens, things will get better."
Lin Xiaowan shook her head and thanked the little girl.
The little girl smiled at Lin Xiaowan before she quickly ran to the other side seeing that the light had turned green.
After a few moments, Lin Xiaowan walked forward in a daze when she heard someone shouting, "Move!"
Lin Xiaowan instinctively stopped in her tracks and looked up blankly. The light had changed. Following that, her vision blurred, and she felt pain all over her body.