Chapter Sixty: None of Us Are Saints
“Wait!” His fists slowly clenched, yet his face remained coldly smiling. His breath grew heavy, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke, “Just because you say ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t mean I have to say ‘it’s okay.’”
“Hm?” Sensing danger, she instinctively hugged her bag to her chest.
He straightened up, staring at her without restraint, his icy gaze making her tremble. With a sneer, he squeezed out a question, “How many tricks do women like you still have?” Rising to his feet, he advanced toward her, step by step. She began searching for a safe distance, retreating with every step. He pressed forward, disregarding her panic and helplessness. When she was cornered against the wall, panic overtook her completely. She lifted her bag as a shield, but he yanked it away, and it fell to the floor.
“What do you want?” she screamed.
“Are you scared?” he mocked, grabbing her hand and forcing her to touch the part of him that declared his intentions. Terrified, she lashed out in wild kicks and punches.
He growled, “Look at me!”
Tears welled in her eyes, and through the haze she could almost hear her own heartbeat. She asked again, “What do you want?”
“Now you ask what I want? Ridiculous. You’ve driven them all away, so shouldn’t you finish the rest yourself?”
Countless lurid images bombarded her nerves. She fought him with all her strength, shouting, “Madman! Demon!”
Her fists pounded his chest, but he stood firm, a savage grin on his face as he demanded, “Is that it? Now you’re afraid? You haven’t even seen my most detestable side yet!” He suddenly grabbed her arm and dragged her upstairs to the bedroom. She cried, begged him to let go, and in their struggle, they hurt each other again and again.
“Cry! Cry as loud as you can!” He threw her onto the bed, pinning her arms so she couldn’t move. “Cry! Go on, cry! Don’t think you’re the only one with feelings. Don’t think you’re the only one who hurts. Every tear you shed now is what you owed me back then!”
“Let me go! Let me go!” She never stopped struggling. The Lin Shuo before her was no longer the man she knew, but a demon, a monster who wanted to devour her alive.
His eyes gleamed with viciousness, but his heart ached unbearably, as if his chest might explode. Every muscle and vein bulged, his breath coming in ragged, heavy gasps. He demanded again, “Ni Xiaoxiao, just how many tricks do you have left? You say you love me, then deceive me. You say you love me, then push me away. You say you love me, then betray me. If this is your love, do you think you’re not a demon yourself? You’re even more insidious, committing countless evils in the name of love!”
“I didn’t… I didn’t…” Her protests dissolved into wails, tears soaking the soft sheets as despair twisted her heart. Lin Shuo, the man she loved most, now looked at her with those predatory eyes.
“Let me tell you, the reason I came back was for revenge—to drag you from the mud and plunge you deeper into hell!”
Her body shook uncontrollably, her crying stopped abruptly, and she gazed at him in utter despair. His savage smile made her realize she was nothing but dirt beneath his feet; with one careless step, he could annihilate her entirely.
Humans are experts not only in self-comfort but also in self-deception. Her mind in turmoil, she protested, “No! I don’t believe it!”
“Wake up!” he roared, “Neither of us is innocent.”
She reached out to gently touch his cheek, her heart breaking beyond measure. She asked, “Then what about the tattoo on your hand?”
Lonely Moments, Don’t Speak of Love, Chapter Sixty: Neither of Us Is Innocent, complete.