The Princess Who Divorced Her Husband - Chapter 2.2

The bridal room fell silent for a while. Yanmei sat on the bed, puzzled and a little annoyed that Zuo Shengxing still hadn’t turned around to look at her.

Finally, he turned. Yanmei lifted her head and watched him take slow steps toward her.

“Princess…” he called.

“You’re calling me ‘Princess’?” she glared at him. “I’m already your wife. Why be so formal?”

“Princess, I…”

“There you go again?” Yanmei frowned. She stood up, but the heavy phoenix crown on her head made her scalp hurt. She looked at him and said, “Can you help me take this off?”

Zuo Shengxing said nothing and gently removed the headpiece.

“Thank you.” She felt the softness in his movements, like he was afraid of hurting her. A sweet feeling rose in her heart.

“Princess, I have something to tell you…”

“You—” She was about to scold him again for calling her “Princess,” but before she could, he continued, “I know this isn’t the right time or place, but I can’t lie to you. I don’t want to deceive you…”

“Wait, wait…” Yanmei was confused. “What are you trying to say?”

“I have to be honest with you.” His handsome face turned serious. He took a deep breath and said, “There’s already someone in my heart.”

“…What?” Yanmei was stunned. She stared at him in disbelief. After a moment, she forced herself to speak. “You… already love someone else? Is that what you’re saying?”

Seeing the hurt on her beautiful face made Zuo Shengxing feel unbearably guilty. When he lifted her veil earlier, he had been momentarily lost. The rumors were true—she was more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen.

Her curved eyebrows, lively eyes, delicate nose, and rosy lips made her look like a painting come to life. Her skin was fair as snow, her waist slender… In that instant, he had felt a strong urge to hold her, to touch the skin under her red bridal robe…

No! He couldn’t! His reason pulled him back. He couldn’t betray Xiao Xue. And he didn’t want to hurt Yanmei either. So he had to be honest. Even if it caused pain, he had to make it as bearable as possible.

“The person I love is my personal maid, Xiao Xue. She’s seventeen and has served me for seven years. We’ve been together every day, and… she is already mine. I have a responsibility to her…”

SLAP!

A sharp slap landed on Zuo Shengxing’s face. He looked shocked, while Yanmei’s face was wet with tears.

“Zuo Shengxing, you’re horrible!” she cried in pain and anger, her tears falling uncontrollably.

“If you and that Xiao Xue are so close, why did you marry me?” she shouted before turning to leave.

“Yanmei, don’t go!” Zuo Shengxing grabbed her without thinking. He held her tightly, guilt and sorrow weighing down on him.

“Please listen to me!” he pleaded. “I told you this because I didn’t want to lie to you. If I wanted, I could’ve hidden it and waited for the ‘right moment’ to tell you…”

Yanmei shoved him away. “Did you just say ‘right moment’?” she trembled with rage. “So your plan was to keep it from me and sneak around with your Xiao Xue in secret?”

“Enough! Don’t insult Xiao Xue!” Zuo Shengxing shouted.

Yanmei’s eyes widened, her chest rising and falling with emotion. “You’re yelling at me now? You already love someone else, and you still married me? What does that make me?”

“You are my wife,” Zuo Shengxing said, forcing himself to stay calm. “You are my rightful wife, chosen through proper marriage. No one can deny that.”

Yanmei wiped away her tears with her sleeve. “So what? Even if I’m your wife, your heart belongs to someone else.”

“You don’t know that I won’t fall in love with you.”

A flicker of hope flashed in Yanmei’s dark eyes—but only for a second.

“I don’t want to share my husband with another woman!” His selfish thinking made her angrier than ever.

Zuo Shengxing gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said softly, “Yanmei, I know this is hard for you. But I can’t abandon Xiao Xue. I really hope you can understand us and give me a chance to love you too. Maybe I’m too greedy, but I want to take care of both of you and make you both happy.”

“How could that ever make me happy?” Yanmei shook his hand off and whispered hoarsely, “A husband who doesn’t belong to me alone… I don’t believe any woman could accept that.”

“Xiao Xue can accept it!” Zuo Shengxing answered in his heart, but he didn’t want to upset Yan Mei any further, so he didn’t say it out loud.

“In short, you just want to have your cake and eat it too, right?” Yan Mei said weakly, exhausted from anger.

“I’m sorry,” Zuo Shengxing said sadly. “I didn’t mean for things to turn out this way.” He looked at her full of remorse. “Yan Mei, what do you think?”

“I…” Yan Mei’s heart ached so much she couldn’t speak. She wanted to tell him she wanted his love all to herself, that she didn’t want to share him with anyone. But she couldn’t say it.

Because if she did, she would lose him forever! No! She didn’t want to lose him! What should she do? She never imagined she’d end up in a love triangle—and to think she’s the third party? How could she endure this?

“Yan Mei…”

“I don’t know…” Yan Mei sat weakly on the bed, her mind in chaos. “I don’t know what to do. I need time to think this through…”

“I understand.” Zuo Shengxing didn’t want to push her anymore. He would give her time to figure things out. He didn’t beg for forgiveness, he just hoped for a chance—not to be denied completely because of this.

“I’ll sleep in the study. Until I have your permission, I won’t do anything that might hurt you.”

He held her hand apologetically for a moment, then left.

“How did things end up like this?”

Tonight was supposed to be her wedding night! But where was her husband? God, why did she end up in such a miserable state? Her husband was in love with another woman!

Why? What had she done wrong for fate to mock her like this?

The more she thought about it, the sadder she felt. The more she thought, the more pitiful she felt, until she finally broke down crying, clutching her head in despair.