237 Adultery

The sound of glass and porcelain shattering onto the marbled tiles could be heard, accompanied by loud arguments. Tables were upturned, curtains yanked onto the floor, hundred-year-old vases were broken into pieces, and a frame with a couple's picture tumbled onto the floor and cracked.

"So what if I did?!" A shrill voice pierced through the air, a complete contrast to the angelic voice she was known for. Tears streamed down her face, accompanied by black streaks of mascara. Her throat was hoarse from all of the screaming she had done in the past couple hours, but she still did not relent — something she had always done when it came to him.

"He's only a friend! Why can't you trust me?" Xia Mengxi erratically wailed, the sound clenching at Zheng Tianyi's heart. She sounded so heartbroken yet it frustrated him that he could only react to it in anger.

"All we did was meet up, that was it!" She screamed, picking up the nearest object and tossing it towards his head, missing as she always did. The priceless picture frame shattered onto the floor causing the glass shards to fly everywhere.

She was panting, her eyes rimmed red like her cheek which had been violently struck. The mark remained there and, even if it faded, would leave a permanent scar on her heart.

Zheng Tianyi did not believe her. He could not find it within himself to do so. His Mengxi was found on the outskirts of town with a man she swore was only a friend, but it was so evident he did not see her as one. He had forbade her from seeing him on multiple accounts, but she continued to do so, provoking his possessive and brutal behavior towards her.

"I made it clear you were not to see him, EVER!" He snarled, storming over to her and manhandling her when he slammed her against the wall, his arms painfully gripping her frail arms. They were so thin, it was practically like skin and bones. Her flawlessly white skin, like the first touch of snow, was beginning to turn into a shade of dark green from his harsh pressure.

"And what did you do?!" He hissed, angrily grabbing her chin, forcing her to look at him, "You went behind my back to meet up with him. Did you think I wouldn't know?" His voice boomed off the walls. He was so loud, it resembled the almighty roar of a lion.

"Did you think I was stupid?" He asked, "DID YOU?!" He raised his hand, punching the wall, just mere inches away from her head.

Xia Mengxi flinched, fearing for her dear life. Her entire body was trembling, her sobs racking her body.

"You have to calm down." She whispered, her voice cracking towards the end as her quivering eyes connected with his. She nearly lost all control back there, allowing her true nature to come out.

"Why was there an enormous withdrawal from the bank? Were you planning on running away with him?!"

"Please." She begged him, placing one hand over his rough, calloused ones that were digging into her skin, leaving behind an ugly mark. "You have to listen to me."

"Listen to you?! Why should I?" He hissed, tossing her back against the wall again as he released her. His eyes were filled with pure animosity as he glared at her, accusing her of adultery that she dare not commit, but he had convinced himself into doing so with the pictures brought to him by Chen Xing.

After the embarrassment back at Yang Enterprise, he had stormed to Zheng Corporation only for those promiscuous pictures to land upon his desk thirty minutes later. And all of it showed Xia Mengxi in the arms of another man who was hugging her for dear life. His little Mengxi was not responding to the hug and it looked like she was walking away from him, but the stubborn man had hugged her as his last effort to prevent her from leaving.

Of course, how could she become a female lead if she didn't have strings attached to her? Naive by nature, too kind for her own good, she left behind a line of men willing to wait upon her, a line long enough to wrap around Shenbei at least once.

She wore her damn heart on a sleeve, did not know how to reject the advances of men, or even be wise enough to differentiate amicable friendliness from one that wanted to start an intimate relationship.

"Because I did not do anything with him aside from having a talk." She meekly whispered, struggling to stand up as her entire body burned from the harsh impact. She always knew he was a violent man seeing as he never hesitated when he struck Zhao Lifei, but never in a billion years would she expect him to hurt her like this.

"I know I shouldn't have, sweetheart, but I needed to have that talk." She hobbled her way towards him, purposely stepping hard so that her body would involuntarily wince in pain, something he quickly noticed.

His eyes softened at her state, so pitiful, he could feel his heart being squeezed to bits.

"He wouldn't leave me alone." She whispered. When she was close enough, she hugged him, burying her face into his chest, holding onto him for dear life. "I-I had to tell him in person."

Zheng Tianyi was beginning to come around to her words.

"He wouldn't listen if I simply texted him or wrote him a letter. He was not willing to stop until he got his response." She let out a pained cry when he wrapped his arms around her body, the sound stabbing straight into Zheng Tianyi's chest that was becoming riddled with guilt that he had hurt her — something he swore to never do.

"I told him my heart is true to you and that no one in this world would be able to shake that up or convince me otherwise." She raised her head to peer up at him, her eyes moist with unshed tears. They glistened when the champagne-gold chandelier lights shone down on them, reminding him that he was the one who drove her to this point.

"I did not go there with any intention to cheat. It did not cross my mind and it never will." She grasped his face, forcing him to look at her. "I have always and will continue to be faithful to you, Zheng Tianyi, until death do us apart." She whispered, bringing his forehead to hers, "Just as the vows we swear to utter in the future, nothing will separate us. Nothing."

Zheng Tianyi was silent for the longest time until he finally said, "You better stay true to your words." He threatened before pulling his face back and slamming her to his body in a bone-crushing hug that terrified and delighted her at the same time.

- - - - -

Yang Feng gently placed the sleeping lady onto the bed, bending his body to an uncomfortable position just so he would not wake her up. He walked into the bathroom and came out with a wet towel to clean her feet and legs before tucking her into the bed.

He went back into the bathroom and spent the next ten minutes in search of the weird cotton wipes she always used on her face to wipe off the make-up.

The entire bathroom was tossed upside down into a horrendous mess just so he could find the damn things to clean her face. And after searching for what felt like an eternity, but was in reality, just thirty minutes, he found it and brought it with him outside.

He helped her take off her make-up before finally taking off his clothes, taking a shower and then stepping outside in his pajamas which finally consisted of a shirt for her sake.

She was sleeping on her side, her back facing towards him when he strolled towards the bed. He did not want to disturb her sleep and did not plan on pulling her into his arms.

When he climbed into bed, it dipped and when he settled in his position, she suddenly rolled her body towards him. It was an automated response. She tossed one leg over him and buried her body into his sides, one arm hugging him like a teddy bear, whilst her head laid on his chest, her ear pressed against his fiercely thumping heart.

Yang Feng could feel his entire body buzz with euphoric bliss. He tenderly kissed her upon the head, whispering sweet and loving words to her before he fell asleep. As the two were enjoying a blissful sleep in the arms of each other, a couple on the other side of the city was beginning to tear apart.