When I Stopped Acting Spoiled, My Arranged Husband Fell Apart - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The banquet ended soon afterward.

Once we were home, I went straight to the dressing room and began removing my necklace in front of the mirror.

Behind me, a hand hung suspended in the air, trembling uncontrollably.

I raised my gaze. The instant Zhuo Zhishu met my eyes in the mirror, that hand dropped to his side and clenched into a fist.

After an entire drive spent in silence, he finally opened his mouth.

“I’m going out,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Okay.”

I looked away and began taking off my earrings.

“I’m going drinking with Lin Xiao. I’ll stay out until after midnight and drink myself senseless.”

“Fine.”

“Actually, I’m not coming home at all.”

“All right.”

“…”

The room fell so quiet I could have heard a pin drop.

Several seconds later, his reflection wheeled around and marched out without another word.

At least the violent slam I expected never came.

Was Zhuo Zhishu angry?

I couldn’t understand why. I was changing exactly the way he wanted me to.

If anyone was suffering from restraint, it was me.

God knew how jealous I had been when that woman with designs on him stood so close. How badly I had wanted to lose my temper when he announced he was going out to get drunk. How much it hurt whenever he slipped away to meet the woman who kept calling him.

But never mind.

We would be divorced soon anyway.

I removed my makeup, showered, and crawled under the covers. Instead of waiting for a message from Zhuo Zhishu, I went to sleep early.

This time, I turned out the light.

I never expected him to come back.

Hurried footsteps sounded outside, as if he were rushing here to verify something. They stopped dead when the bedroom door opened.

In the darkness, I blinked awake and tried to decide whether the sound had been real or a dream.

Breathing drew closer.

The mattress dipped beside me. An arm tightened around my waist, and ragged breath scorched the side of my neck.

Then Zhuo Zhishu began to cry.

They were quiet, stifled sobs, but in the silence, there was nowhere for them to hide.

I swallowed, unsure how to react.

Zhuo Zhishu lifted his face from my neck and sniffed. “Sorry. I woke you.”

“It’s all right.”

I didn’t get angry the way I once would have. I only answered softly.

His sobs stopped at once.

Without warning, he reached over and switched on the light.

The glare made me squeeze my eyes shut. Before they could adjust, a mouth heavy with the taste of alcohol forced mine open.

He kissed me until my lips hurt.

I pushed him away with a frown. “You stink. Go shower.”

“No.”

Zhuo Zhishu pressed his lips together. An unreadable darkness filled his eyes.

Ignoring my resistance, he tried to continue.

I hated any kind of intimacy when he reeked of liquor. I wanted to slap him, then kick him into the bathroom.

But suddenly I remembered: a woman preparing to divorce him had no right to do that.

So I closed my eyes, let the strength leave my hands, and accepted whatever he wanted.

Zhuo Zhishu released me.

He went completely still.

Something warm struck the corner of my eye and slid down my skin.

I opened my eyes.

Zhuo Zhishu was braced over me, staring down as tears spilled from his eyes in fat drops. He looked utterly pitiful.

“You don’t want me anymore, do you? You don’t want me. You don’t want me!”

The accusation made no sense.

I was baffled.

Zhuo Zhishu sucked in a ragged breath.

“Why didn’t you make me come home? Why didn’t you stop me? Why don’t you scold me? Why have you turned back into this person?

“Are you planning to divorce me?”

He had hit the mark. My mind stalled for a fraction of a second.

Zhuo Zhishu caught the hesitation. He ground his back teeth together and accused me, “Shen Zhi! You have no heart!”

I laughed in sheer anger.

“I have no heart? Then what do you have—two of them?”