A Smile of Frost, a Love Laid to Rest

Three months into the torment at the psychiatric hospital where my wife had locked me away, I broke down and smashed my own right hand.

Wen Zhezhi rushed to the hospital.

“Chen Hansheng, I only told them to keep you here so you could reflect on what you’d done.”

“How could you hurt yourself like this just to stop me from bringing Heng and the child home?”

I stepped back, numb. I no longer begged her to believe me.

“I’ve thought it through.”

“You want your illegitimate son added to the Wen family’s household register? Fine. He says I hit him, so he can have this hand in compensation.”

“What else would you like me to do to apologize? Would my life be enough?” I pressed a fruit knife to my neck.

Disgusted, Wen Zhezhi slapped me.

“Who is this little performance for? I won’t let you die. Not until you’re truly sorry.”

After that, she let her childhood sweetheart torment me for his amusement.

He made me pry walnuts open with my bare hands. She wouldn’t let me stop.

He ordered me to wipe wine off his shoes. She kicked me down in front of him while the whole Wen family watched.

On our wedding anniversary, he had me play the violin for their entertainment. Behind a screen, she spent the entire night in his arms.

Only when he finally forced me to jump into the icy sea did Wen Zhezhi panic.

Clutching the critical-condition notice, she choked out, “Hansheng, you don’t have to apologize anymore. Just open your eyes. We can go back to the way we were.”

But on the day I woke up, Jiang Heng suffered acute corneal damage.

Wen Zhezhi covered my eyes with trembling hands.

“Darling, only your corneas are compatible with his…”

“I’ll be your eyes from now on. We’ll never leave each other. All right?”

I nodded. “All right.”

But my mission to win her love had failed.

Soon, I would disappear.