When Tang Ruoxi pushed open the door, suitcase in hand, she called out naturally, "I'm home," even though she knew there would be no response and no one was expecting her return.
Yet, she still held onto this habit, as if it was a monologue designed to make the audience believe that someone was waiting for her.
After dragging her suitcase into the room, Tang Ruoxi found herself wearily exhausted, with no energy to unpack. All she wanted was a hot bath and a good night's sleep.
Just as she opened the shoe cabinet to change into her slippers, she noticed her slippers were gone, replaced by a pair of red high heels.
At the same time, a man's heavy panting and a woman's tender moans echoed from the bedroom: "Xiao Mo... take it easy... I can't take it anymore..."
Upon hearing these passionate groans, Tang Ruoxi felt as though she had been hit by a myriad of arrows.
Stiffly, she fell onto the couch.
In the unlit living room, Tang Ruoxi sat frozen, unmoving until the sounds from the room ceased. Only then did she, in a daze, shift her eyes and unsteadily stand up.
Like a soulless shell, she mechanically opened the suitcase.
She took out the gifts she had bought for Xiao Mo during her business trip to City X, one by one, and with a bitten lip and trembling hands, she threw all of them into the garbage can.
At that moment, Xiao Mo, shirtless and wearing only underwear, opened the door and walked out.
Upon seeing Tang Ruoxi, there was no surprise on his handsome face. Without even glancing at her, he walked past her to the fridge and gulped down a bottle of cold water.
"Xiao Mo, let's divorce! You can be free!"
That sentence, which Tang Ruoxi thought she'd never speak in her life, rolled off her lips so easily.
Calm without a trace of disruption, she even failed to believe herself, realizing how surprisingly easy it was to utter those words.
The hall suddenly fell into silence, Tang Ruoxi anxiously looked at the back of Xiao Mo.
Upon hearing Tang Ruoxi's remark, Xiao Mo, who was pouring ice water from the fridge, his hand shook slightly.
The icy cold water splashed onto the back of his hand, but he ignored it, "You speak as if we were ever together."
Xiao Mo has a well-proportioned physique. Due to his long-term commitment to fitness, there isn't a trace of excess fat on him. His wide and muscular back exudes an inexplicable sense of safety.
It was precisely because of this silhouette that Tang Ruoxi fell for him at first sight during high school.
However, it's a pity his sense of security never belonged to her, and his embrace never had a place for her.
"You're right, I've been holding you back these two years. Now you are free, send the paperwork to my company. There is no place for me here anymore. Goodbye, Xiao Mo!"
Unwilling to let Xiao Mo see her uncontrollable tears, after quickly wiping her face, Tang Ruoxi hastily closed her open suitcase and headed towards the door.
Even if she had to leave, she needed to maintain a strong semblance. She couldn't afford to lose her only dignity.
"Wow...is this the young lady of the Xiao family? Why are you leaving so quickly after just arriving? Mr. Xiao, didn't you say she wouldn't mind? Even if we were broadcasting live in front of her, it wouldn't matter? Seems like you're a liar. Hate it."
A dainty and seductive voice echoed behind Tang Ruoxi. She didn't need to turn around to guess what the scene behind her was like.
She planned to open the door and leave out of sight, but her hurrying caused the suitcase to suddenly open, spilling her belongings onto the floor.
It turned out that in her haste to leave, she had only closed the suitcase but forgot to lock it.
The messy scene threatened to shatter Tang Ruoxi's carefully maintained bravado.
Just as she bent down to collect her belongings, her hand was tightly gripped by a larger hand. When she looked up, she met Xiao Mo's fiery gaze.
"I was wondering why you, who've been delaying our divorce for two years, suddenly show such great benevolence today. Turns out you've been playing me for a fool, cheating on me behind my back. Nice one, Tang Ruoxi. Playing two sides off against each other, you're pretty clever."
The force on her arm nearly made Tang Ruoxi cry out in pain, and the utterly baffling accusation thrown by Xiao Mo even more left her muddled.
It wasn't until she followed Xiao Mo's gaze that she noticed a box of condoms which stood out among the scattered items on the floor.
"This...this isn't mine," Tang Ruoxi fearfully shook her head in denial. "I don't know why this is here. I haven't done anything to betray you."
How could things turn out like this? He was the one who had brought someone else home and cheated, and yet she found herself at a loss for words.
"You didn't know about this? It fell out of your suitcase, do you think I’m blind? So, just because I'm not at home, you feel lonely and empty, you can't help but find some random man to fill the void? Is this what you call love? Playing the poor wife during the day, but seducing men in secret. Is that it?"
