1 After Happily Ever After

It was nearly sunset when a woman sauntered onto the rooftop of the tallest building in the palace. From there, she could see the layouts of the cities in a golden color from the glow of sun. She stood there without movement as her eyes stare into space and her lips pressed together. When the hour passed, dark clouds covered the sun and the sky darkened to gray. Waves of chilly wind passed by, but the lady in black remained unaffected as her eyes locked with the sky.

When she was born, she was named Li Wei. Her mother wanted her to grow up into a beautiful refined lady. Too bad, nothing in her name matched her character. In this life, she was nothing like a lady. In this story, she defined destruction. Instead of the leading lady, she's the villainess. Yes, she was an evil woman who stopped at nothing to get the man she loved and she shamelessly admitted to doing so.

But here's the thing with villains, they never get a happy ending. Destruction is the reason for their existence...

With elegance, her fingers reached out to the cup of tea on the ceiling and carelessly tipped the rest of the liquid onto her waiting mouth. As she drank, some escaped and trailed down her neck onto her silver necklace. Her lips curved upwards as she took a last glance at the sky before she walked away.

When the clock stroke seven, she appeared at the doorway of Hundreds Garden, the largest and most popular garden in Hai'an. A stone walkway connected the gate doorway to the main house door way. On both sides, hundreds of different flowers covered the ground in countless colors. It was July so all the flowers were in full bloom and filled the air with a nice fragrant scent.

From the doorway of the main house, a young boy stood waiting. Although he was only five, he carried an air of royalty and maturity that were rare in children of his age. When he saw her at the entrance, Khan Bohai's strong aura immediately disappeared, now replaced with innocent happiness. He ran out as fast as his adorably short legs could go, shouting, "Imperial Mother!"

Li Wei watched as her son came running to her. Khan Bohai was a great boy, one could say he was a genius. When he smiled, his dimples showed, just like his father. And for being so similar to him, she found it hard to love her son.

She didn't have time to think as he stumbled when he almost reached where she stood and she immediately bent down to catch him into her embrace. A pair of small round eyes looked at her, almost as if asking for permission, before his arms wrapped around her neck. "Imperial Mother, you came…"

"Of course, why wouldn't I? Didn't you leave a rose in mommy's room this morning to remind me to come here?"

"Imper—mommy?" His voice tested out the word carefully. "Imperial Mother, I can call you mommy now?"

Li Wei nodded as she gently pinched her son's small nose, "Of course. From now on, you can call me mommy."

"M-mommy, thank you. I'm so happy right now. Actually, daddy is waiting inside. It's a secret, but let me tell you," Khan Bohai's voice lowered even though no one was around. His eyes lit with excitement as he gives a spoiler to his mommy. "Daddy's going to give you a big gift, he said it's even better than gold!"

Laughter filled the air as she watched his innocent expression, fully believing in his father. "Tell mommy, how big is it?"

"Daddy said it can fill the whole world, mommy!"

"Mommy has a gift for daddy and you too. Let's go meet your daddy then, shall we?"

Khan Bohai gladly nodded as he slipped his hands into his mommy's. Mommy seemed to be in a good mood today, so he took the risk of boldly holding her hand. He must take advantage of his mommy's good mood before she changed her mind.

This moment of happiness didn't last long. The mother and son could only took a step before Li Wei crumbled onto her knees in pain and her hand slipped from his. All the strength in her body dissipated as she clutched her stomach. Khan Bohai screamed as he saw blood on the ground when he turned around. "Mommy! Mommy, what's wrong?"

"Bohai, go get your daddy…" she managed to spoke as she fell onto the ground. Her heart broke as she watched her son cried out loudly, "Daddy! Daddy, something's wrong with mommy!"

From the ground, Li Wei watched as Khan Bojing flew from the doorway in panic upon their son's words. From inside, he was able to witness the mother and son's rare interaction. Without knowing, a smile formed on his lips as he saw Li Wei cared for their son. He rarely smiled genuinely, but that smile didn't last long as it disappear as soon as it came, when his wife fell onto the ground.

Khan Bohai's face was stained with tears as he held his mommy's hand. He prayed she would be okay. If his mommy was okay, he promised he wouldn't ask for much anymore. He wouldn't make her spend time with him anymore, he would study hard and listen to daddy. He wouldn't sneak into her courtyard anymore, he would wait until she came to see him. He promised he'd be a good boy if his mommy was okay.

"Mommy, please wait daddy is coming soon. Mommy, your necklace is dirty now. I will ask daddy to buy you a new necklace tonight. Mommy, I will be a good boy so you have to be okay, okay?"

At her son's words, her eyes traveled down. The silver necklace she had on had turned black. That's when the realization hit her; she had been poisoned. She almost wanted to laugh if she had more energy.

For a villainess to die from poison, it was ironic.

Honestly, she secretly knew she'd die one of these days. When the time came, she had always imagined that she'd feel relieved, but that feeling was no where as she was filled with regrets. Blood dripped from her lips as her body paled. She hadn't cried for years, but as she laid there hopelessly, tears came streaming down her face. Li Wei had spent all her years hating Li Zhilan who took everything she desired, but at this moment the person she hated most was herself.

She barely managed to squeeze Khan Bohai's hand gently as she spoke her last words. "Bohai, listen to mommy okay? I'm sorry, baby. I'm really sorry… Promise mommy that you will be a good boy. If mommy leaves, you have to take care of daddy. After mommy leaves, tell daddy to find a better mommy for you. I'm really sorry. I was not a good mommy to you..."

I never loved you, I could never love you for I hated the person whose blood run in your veins. How I wish to have more time so I can properly love you, sweetheart. You didn't deserve to be the son of a villainess... These words were left unspoken, left hidden in her heart.

"Mommy, don't say that. Only you're my mommy!"

Oh how Li Wei wished to hold her son in her arms one last time, but she had no strength left. When Khan Bojing's dark figure reached them, she gave him the gentlest smile he's ever seen as their eyes met. He was handsome and righteous as always. They met when she was nineteen. Both of them had someone else in their hearts but fate played with them. One night entangled them together for a lifetime.

Now she wanted to tell him, to say those words she hadn't found enough courage to speak aloud. After all these years, she saw the efforts he put into their marriage, trying to make it work when she constantly pulled it apart. He had no love for her, but he took care of her. For their son, he became a loyal husband who stood by her side. She wanted to tell him that she was going to change. She wanted to build a family with him, a bigger and happier family. It's been a while now and no one knew, but every time she saw him, her heart sped up in excitement and a smile was always at the tip of her lips.

However, when she open her mouth, only blood came out and there was no sound.

Then, her eyes close into darkness.

As she took her last breath, strong arms wrapped around her body and carried her away from the cold pouring rain.