Vows in Vain, Ten Years, One Betrayal - Chapter 13

By the time he sped all the way to the school, it was already past midnight.

The lights in the reception office were long extinguished.

Without thinking much, he got out of the car and pounded on the door.

A sudden chill brushed against the tip of his nose.

Zhou Xuyan instinctively raised his hand to touch it, only to feel the icy coldness of snowflakes.

It was the first snow in Jing City.

It was also during a first snowfall like this that he and Lin Bihan had fallen in love.

Zhou Xuyan stood dazed in the increasingly dense snowfall.

For a long while, he couldn’t snap out of it.

It wasn’t until Uncle Song called out to him several times that he finally came back to his senses.

What was handed to him was nothing more than a simple brown envelope.

The moment he took it, it felt like he was holding a burning coal. Instinctively, he wanted to throw it away.

Perhaps he already knew what was inside.

Perhaps he simply didn’t want to face it.

But in the end, he opened it.

The first thing that caught his eye was the bold title: “Divorce Agreement.”

On the last page was her handwritten signature and fingerprint.

Below that were some printed-out chat logs.

Other than that, she left him no words.

And yet, it seemed that everything that needed to be said and done had already been made abundantly clear.

Zhou Xuyan only glanced at the chat logs before crumpling the paper into a ball.

He handed Uncle Song a cigarette, apologizing and thanking him with a polite tone.

Then he got in his car and drove straight to Tao Yuan’s place.

When the door opened, Tao Yuan, still groggy from sleep, lit up with joy and rushed to embrace him.

But she was met with a slap that left her stunned.

Zhou Xuyan said nothing, his face cold as he delivered several more slaps.

Tao Yuan’s face swelled, her lips split and bled.

She couldn’t stand anymore, collapsing to the ground, clutching her abdomen as she cried and begged for mercy.

Zhou Xuyan stood over her, looking down with cold indifference.

Then, without the slightest hint of pity, he kicked her hard in the stomach.

Tao Yuan writhed on the floor in agony, nearly passing out from the pain, clutching her abdomen as blood gushed from between her legs, staining the white carpet in large patches of red.

But he still wasn’t satisfied. He bent down, grabbed Tao Yuan by the collar, and nearly lifted her off the ground.

“What do you think you are?”

He gripped her swollen face so tightly it seemed her jaw might dislocate.

His handsome face was twisted with rage, almost unrecognizable.

Yet his voice remained cold and calm: “A woman who sells herself, and you dare to trouble my wife?”

“I let you keep the baby only because I didn’t want my wife to suffer.”

“You think being pregnant makes you special? Tao Yuan, who gave you the audacity to upset my wife and make her angry?”

Tao Yuan felt waves of darkness clouding her vision.

Her stomach felt like it was being torn apart by knives. She was terrified, filled with regret.

Why had she been so greedy? Why had she dared to covet Mrs. Zhou’s position?

If she had just quietly given birth to the child, would she not have enjoyed a life of wealth and luxury?

“I won’t dare anymore, Zhou Xuyan… I really won’t dare anymore.”

“Please, save the baby. The baby won’t make it…”

“It’s too late.”

Zhou Xuyan shoved her away with disgust.

“Tao Yuan, you’d better pray to the heavens that my wife forgives me and comes back to me.”

“Otherwise, your life is truly over.”

“Zhou Xuyan, this is your child too…”

Tao Yuan convulsed in pain, writhing helplessly on the floor.

Her bloodied hands desperately reached out to grab Zhou Xuyan.

But he stepped back, watching coldly as she fainted from the pain.

Only then did he make a call: “Send someone to the hospital. Just make sure she doesn’t die.”

Zhou Xuyan didn’t spare Tao Yuan another glance as he turned and left the room.

By the time he reached the ground floor, the ground was already covered in a layer of white.

He was only wearing a shirt and trousers, but he didn’t feel the cold.

He dialed Lin Bihan’s number again, but there was still no answer.

Zhou Xuyan lowered his gaze, staring at the wedding ring on his finger.

Suddenly, he remembered-several days ago, Lin Bihan’s hand no longer bore a wedding ring.

So, that day at the hospital.

She must have seen and heard everything, hadn’t she?

Yet at the time, she hadn’t questioned him.

Not even a single tear had fallen.

How disappointed must she have been in him?

Zhou Xuyan didn’t dare to think about it, didn’t dare to imagine how Lin Bihan must have felt at that moment.

Just as he couldn’t find the words to describe how he felt now.