Forced by fate – Destined to be his Wife

“Your father remarried quite quickly after she passed and she was saved a lifetime of unhappiness with that man. I know the marriage between you two was forced but I always hoped some affection would grow. Knowing YuZhi’s character and hoping you had the same sweetness of your mother…. I placed my faith in the fact you were like Lui and YuYan. Two souls that belonged together. I may be an old stern dictator to many, but I am a soft romantic at heart.” He grinned at that, a wily ear to ear kind of smile and YuZhi chuckled at him, shaking his head.

“Old scheming miser more like. A man who keeps secrets close to his chest. You could have told me about all of this a long time ago you know.”© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

“It wouldn’t have changed your attitude or mind. You believed in your relationship with the Cheng girl, and I knew it was all kinds of wrong.”

YuZhi fell silent hating to admit that in that he was right. After years of refusing to acknowledge them or approve of them, and here they were. He was even right about falling head over heels for this He girl beside him and he sighed as he looked down over the top of her head. She was cradling a picture of two women in her hands and staring intensely at it. One of them seemed to be her mother, and the other was his aunt who made him screw up his face and look again.

“RuiZi and YuYan were close?” he pulled the picture from her hands carefully and held it up for his grandfather to see.

“Yes, for a while. Until YuYan married and broke Lui’s heart and then she refused to ever forgive her. Blaming her and hating on her for doing that to her brother. Your Aunt was young, more so than YuYan was, so we never shared any of the truths about the marriage with her for fear she would march into the Lei house and cause mayhem. RuiZi can be a complete volcano when riled and there was nothing we could do to change anything.”

“They were friends….. And …. Does she know I’m her daughter? Is that partly why she hates me?” TangShi burst out in a rushed fashion, an incoherent thought passing through her brain like a knee jerk reaction.

“I never thought of it, but maybe. She knows you are her child, yes. We’ve never discussed it though.”

“Maybe you should. Tell her everything…. and I think maybe it’s time you told her the truth about Rhea too. About dad. Why you were so against Rhea being part of this family. She’s not a kid anymore and her attitude to TangShi is based in misunderstanding and being kept in the dark. It’s not fair to TangShi.” YuZhi implored him, hating that all these years he had shouldered secrets with his grandfather and never been able to offload to the woman who was like a second mother to him. He wanted nothing more than for his Aunt to accept TangShi and start over, showing her the side that he knew growing up who did possess a heart and affection.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind.” TangShi immediately thought of how it might turn Aunt against Rhea and lately, she was beginning to appreciate her and no longer wanted to see her further hurt. She had stood alongside her when it mattered, even against YuZhi, and they had a strange mutual understanding now. Not quite friends, but not exactly enemies either. It was confusing but in TangShi’s heart she wanted to see that girl find happiness.

“I think you’re right. It’s time. I’m not getting any younger and secrets do no good to anyone, especially family. Now……. About family secrets…. About this delicate matter, I know you told me not to mention it, but…” Grandfather ploughed in and YuZhi raised his hand and shook his head. His mood dropping instantly and a dark furrowed brow replaced a carefree smile.

“I’m taking care of it. It’s set for trial but that could take months. In the meantime, I’m taking care of TangShi and keeping her safe. Just let us get through his in our own way. I won’t let anyone near her ever again.” YuZhi replied tartly. He didn’t want to talk about this in front of TangShi. She was already sensitive to this topic and their relationship was undefined.

Other than sharing an apartment and her occasionally letting him close, there was nothing between them. She was hurting and he understood it. Walking on eggshells and letting her set the pace was all he could do for now. He wasn’t pushing anything and he didn’t care if it took years to convince her to let him in, he would do anything for her.

“The police said his refusal to admit guilt is the only reason it needs to go to trial. If he had confessed he would have been sentenced already as it’s such a clear-cut case with enough evidence.” TangShi squeezed YuZhi’s arm trying to assure him she was okay talking about this. It was getting easier and the shock was subsiding even if the feeling of nausea and worry were ever present. “The detective is reaching out to a previous girl who maybe went through the same thing, but until then Rong Cai isn’t allowed anywhere near me in the terms of his bail.”

“Disgusting piece of filth! Maybe you two should take a time out and go abroad for a while as this is done. Let me and your uncles run Leng group with ZhengLi and afford you some recuperation time.”

“I don’t want to run away and hide.” TangShi stopped him short with his suggestion, shutting YuZhi down who was ready to agree after thinking about the same thing these past few days. “If I let him chase me out of my own city, then he wins. I want to face this, get through it and not be afraid of him. I want to be there when he goes to trial so I can look him in the eye while he’s sentenced for trying to ruin my life.” TangShi had found an inner strength somewhere along the line these past days and YuZhi frowned at her, that niggle of silent doubt he had been keeping deep in his chest and never voicing around her.

Afraid she wouldn’t be able to stand this or get through it and seeing her as a fragile and vulnerable girl he needed to protect at all costs. He wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and never let anything harm her again as long as he lived.

“Have you taken this month’s pregnancy test? Have you given consideration to the fact you may be with a child that isn’t YuZhi’s? I heard there was no after precautions or proper examinations in that respect.” Grandfather came right out with YuZhi’s’ deep dark fear, making him choke and gawp at him with wide eyed shock, like a kick in the balls. YuZhi regretted always being so open with him and telling him details he now wished he hadn’t. TangShi’s face tinged red as her blush spread quickly. Her heart flipping a beat and her insides clenched.

A monthly test had been an agreement in their original contract when they went to the clinic and although grandfather never knew about the insemination, he did know about the tests. Even when she got her period they still did one as sometimes women could still bleed while pregnant. In his mind he was being practical and logical and wanting to deal with fallout sooner rather than later. No point beating around the bush.

“I hadn’t wanted to think about it. I admit I buried my head and I don’t know if he …..” She couldn’t say the words ‘used a condom’ out loud in front of these men and she tucked her chin down, staring at her mother’s photograph for strength. “I’ll take a test but I’m scared. I honestly don’t know if I could be and I’ve been trying to ignore it.” She swallowed loudly, admitting her foolishness, choking on a new wave of tears as she was forced to face the one thing she had refused to acknowledge in the hopes it would bypass her. She knew it was dumb to try and bury her head over this but she didn’t have the mental capacity at the time to think it through.

“No matter the outcome, it doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with it. In whatever way is best for us. I’ll take her to the clinic for a full examination as soon as she’s ready.” YuZhi’s tight tone and rigid expression didn’t conceal his conflicted emotions, or his twisting guts. TangShi blinked up at him as she felt his posture stiffen without releasing her from his hold. His arm around her still but instead of soft cuddling, it became a straight and stiff chain holding her tight. Sensing the change in him her heart shuddered in pain.

Despite not really knowing where they stood with one another she knew she still loved him and the thought of carrying another man’s child made her sick to her stomach. It would change the dynamic between them and she got a tinge of real fear he might not be able to love her anymore if it was the outcome.

Pushing it away again with haste like every time she had a niggle of doubt over it. No matter how much he said he loved her she knew that this was one thing that could change everything again. No man could accept another’s child, especially one conceived like this. She might end up back out in the cold if his heart broke for a second time because of Rong Cai and she honestly didn’t know how she would get through that if it came down to it once more.