Chapter 2: Running Away

Normally, this would be the point where I should have stopped, quietly helped him get dressed, and slipped away without making a fuss.

But I was never exactly normal.

With a gorgeous man lying right in front of me, not taking advantage of the situation would practically be a crime against myself. So I temporarily sent my brain on vacation and got back to “work.”

Later, I secretly checked his medical records at the hospital—and nearly froze when I saw the truth.

Jiang Yanshi’s legs had recovered.

So that meant I couldn’t do whatever I wanted anymore?

I was still mourning the loss of my freedom when I heard my in-laws talking in the hallway.

Apparently, they hadn’t chosen me because of love. They’d chosen me because my birth chart was supposedly “auspicious for bearing children.”

Mother Jiang sighed anxiously.

“If Yanshi’s legs are really healed, with his personality… he’ll probably divorce her. He already shut himself off after what happened with that Su girl.”

That was when I started to get seriously nervous.

I remembered the strange things scattered around the house, along with the threat he’d made the night before:

“Lin Xiyue, I’ll find a cage and lock you in it.”

My childhood best friend, Qu Ze, cracked sunflower seeds beside me and gave his verdict.

“I don’t think you two are one of those love-hate couples. You’re both just a little insane. When he couldn’t walk, you had the upper hand. Now that he’s healthy, you’d better run while you still can!”

I nodded decisively.

“Exactly!”

The next morning, I dragged Qu Ze onto a private jet, planning to escape the country.

Once we were in the air, I happily rubbed my belly and announced,

“Jiang Yanshi is never going to catch me!”

I turned to ask Qu Ze why he’d suddenly gone quiet.

The smile vanished from my face.

Jiang Yanshi was sitting right there.

Calm. Cold. Completely unbothered.

One hand held a gun pressed against Qu Ze’s back, while his eyes were fixed on my belly.

His voice was low and chilling.

“You’re planning to take my child away and have someone else be his father?”

Oh.

I was screwed.

When I came to, I found myself locked inside a dark underground room filled with all sorts of… equipment that probably shouldn’t be described in detail.

Jiang Yanshi stood outside the cage, looking at me like a victorious hunter.

“Still want to run?”

I pouted.

“We’re married. Do you really have to take it this far?”

He stepped closer and grabbed my chin.

“Lin Xiyue, you finally fell into my hands.”

I lightly licked his finger.

He startled and immediately let go, the tips of his ears turning red.

I blinked at him innocently.

“So what are you planning to do with me now that you’ve tied me up?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Obviously, I’m going to make you pay for everything you’ve done.”

I immediately switched into helpless-girl mode, swearing that I’d loved him faithfully for the past two years and had never betrayed him.

His expression flickered.

Seeing my chance, I pressed on.

“Why don’t you just let me out? This cage is huge. It’s boring playing in here all by myself.”

He turned away coldly.

“Dream on.”

“What a shame.”

I sighed, then quietly pulled a tiny stun baton from inside my clothes.

Zap!

Jiang Yanshi collapsed.

I leaned close to his ear and whispered triumphantly,

“Hubby… looks like you’re still not as twisted as I am.”

I’d known for a long time that his legs were close to recovering.

Everything had been an act—from pretending to be scared, to obediently listening to Qu Ze, to the whole escape.

If I hadn’t put on a performance, how would I have gotten to see the panic on Jiang Yanshi’s face?

How would I have uncovered all the secrets hidden in that underground room?

Even the private jet had been deliberately booked under his name, just to leave a trail.

I rested my chin in my hand and looked at the man tied tightly to the chair, smiling brightly.

“Hubby, it may look like you have the upper hand right now… but the truth is, everything is still in my hands. Watching you get so furious you could kill me, yet being unable to move an inch…”

I grinned.

“It’s honestly pretty fun.”

Jiang Yanshi gritted his teeth, the metal restraints clinking with every movement.

“Untie me!”

I reached out and lightly touched his wrist, then leaned down to kiss him.

He turned his face away.

He gave me a cold laugh.

“I thought you were nothing but a pretty face. Who would’ve guessed…”

I glanced at myself in the mirror and nodded approvingly.

Yep. I was gorgeous.

Then, without warning, I gave him a light kick in the chest.

I climbed onto him, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look straight at me.

“Jiang Yanshi, do you love me? I’ll let you go if you tell me you love me.”

“I hate you.”

He didn’t hesitate for even a second.

I let out a disappointed little “Oh.”

“What a shame. Two years of training, and this stray still refuses to learn.”

I sighed.

“Well, I’m bored now.”

Under his stunned gaze, I pressed a light kiss to his lips before announcing,

“I’ll find someone else to play with. Jiang Yanshi, I’m returning you to your old flame.”

I moved to Switzerland.

I had money. Beautiful scenery. Clean air.

And just like that, a year passed.

My time with Jiang Yanshi began to feel like some strange, distant dream.

Qu Ze had been right.

I was far too obsessed.

My mother died when I was young, and I grew up watching my father swallow his pride while other people trampled all over him. Ever since I was little, I’d craved power.

To me, love meant possession.

Clinging.

Making sure the other person belonged to me—even if I had to squeeze them until they broke.

A doctor once told me I had an “obsessive attachment” style and suggested I try having a normal relationship for once.

So I went out to dinner with a blond guy.

As he tried to make me laugh beneath the moonlight, I suddenly found myself wondering:

Is this what normal love is supposed to feel like?

Getting to know each other. Understanding each other. Falling in love…

Qu Ze was right.

Jiang Yanshi and I had gone through the entire process backward.

I was still lost in thought when a pair of headlights suddenly shone straight into my eyes.

A car came barreling toward the man beside me, stopping dangerously close.

The window rolled down.

Jiang Yanshi lit a cigarette and looked at me as casually as if nothing had happened.

“Tell him to get lost.”

Before I could even react, he hauled me over his shoulder and carried me straight into the house.

His arms tightened around me, his voice cold enough to freeze blood.

“Who is he?”

“My date.”

I looked at him calmly.

“We’re divorced. Moving on and dating someone new is perfectly normal.”

He slammed his fist into the wall.

I curled my lips into a mocking smile.

“I told you. You’re not interesting anymore. Of course I had to find someone new.”

I expected him to lose his temper.

Instead, he lowered his head and kissed me hard enough that I tasted blood.

He slowly licked his lips and gave me a cold smile.

“Lin Xiyue… you really are talented at driving me insane.”

I jumped down and looked at him with a detached expression.

“I don’t play with the same dog twice. You can leave now.”

He stood perfectly still, his expression complicated.

“What if I don’t?”

I slapped him across the face.

The entire room went silent.

A few seconds later, he slowly turned his other cheek toward me.

“Don’t you like it?”

His voice was strangely calm.

“Go ahead. Hit this side too.”

What the hell is wrong with him?

Back then, he’d hated me so much he wanted to kill me.

And now he was putting on this ridiculous lovesick act for whom?

I opened the door and shoved him outside without another word.