chapter 4

The shadow of death hung over my heart.

I crawled up on the bed and curled into the smallest ball possible, as if reducing the amount of me exposed to the air might help.

Ruthless Lu had gone, leaving the door open behind him. The night wind poured in. Cold seeped through my body, raising fine goosebumps over my skin.

I could not erase the image of him from my mind.

Bandages wrapped his head and his hair hung loose. Paired with his face, the disarray gave him a cruel, savage beauty.

His brooding gaze resembled that of a wolf about to hunt, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.

He had not killed me, but he had thoroughly terrified me.

Before leaving, he had told me to keep my mouth shut.

He did not need to say anything more. His eyes and his tone made the rest perfectly clear: if I failed to control my mouth, he would ensure I died horribly.

I swallowed. A sharp pain stabbed my throat and nearly drew a moan from me. Even swallowing was difficult; I probably would not be able to speak for some time.

I remained curled up all night, arms locked around myself, feeling as though I sat on the very edge of a cliff.

My eyes stayed open until dawn. Then a maid entered and told me Lu Fang was waiting in his study.

After a night of frayed nerves, every sound around me felt too loud. The maid’s ordinary speaking voice seemed as shrill as scissors ripping through silk.

Again? What did he want with me now?

I climbed off the bed. My body swayed, my vision darkened, and my legs prickled as though thousands of tiny insects were gnawing at them. I could barely walk.

After waiting for the numbness to pass, I sat before the bronze mirror. My face was as pale as a ghost’s. I touched my neck lightly; the savage red marks stood out far too clearly.

I found a strip of white silk and used it to conceal the bruises.

The young servant Lu Fang had sent was still waiting by the courtyard gate.

When one lived under another’s roof, one had to bow one’s head.

Once more, I entered Lu Fang’s study. He sat upright behind the desk. The bandages did nothing to diminish his elegance; instead, they lent him an added air of aloofness.

When I was announced, he raised his eyes. There was still a trace of deep thought in them that he had not managed to hide.

My heart seemed to freeze in an instant. My throat felt as if that hand had closed around it again.

He shut the account book and opened his mouth, apparently about to speak. Then his gaze drifted to the white silk around my neck and stopped.

The servant closed the door behind me. I pinched my sleeve and called hoarsely, “Brother.”

Lu Fang paused. “What happened to your voice?”

He knew Ruthless Lu existed, but apparently did not know what Ruthless Lu had done.

I lowered my head. “I caught a chill last night and lost my voice.”

Lu Fang gave me a strange look, torn between concern and distress. He sighed. “You are a mistress of this household. You needn’t be so meek that servants can shirk their duties and walk all over you. Did no maid keep watch in your room last night?”

I hesitated. “There was one.”

I had no idea how Ruthless Lu had entered without anyone noticing. Better not to create complications and invite more trouble.

Lu Fang seemed helpless before my timid, dough-soft nature. He rubbed between his brows. “I was recovering from my injury and had no chance to speak with you properly. The day I was drugged—”

I clenched the skirt over my knees and interrupted despite the pain in my throat. “Don’t trouble yourself over it, Brother. Jia’er is fine.”

My words only deepened the guilt on his face. “Do you… truly wish to marry Ye Yi? If you don’t, I can have the engagement canceled.”

We both understood that this hastily arranged match was meant to conceal the disgraceful incident between us that day.

“I do.” I nodded frantically. I wanted it with every fiber of my being.

Lu Fang pressed his lips together. My answer did not seem to please him, though there was nothing he could do about it.

His look made my skin crawl. The vicious man from last night and this concerned brother before me overlapped and split apart in my mind.

I dropped my gaze and obediently stared at the desk.

Lu Fang suddenly reached toward me.

As his hand grew larger in my vision, it looked ready to seize my throat.

I shuddered violently, cried out despite myself, and sprang backward. The heavy wooden chair screeched across the floor.

Lu Fang’s hand froze in the air. He stared at me, stunned.

I realized my reaction had been far too extreme and sucked in a sharp breath. It cut through my windpipe like a blade.

The pain was unbearable. Before I knew it, a tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

“Jia’er.” Lu Fang’s gaze darkened. Regret and remorse churned across his face. His suspended hand curled into a fist and dropped to the desk, the veins standing out along its back from the force. “I… frightened you.”

He certainly had, though not in the way he imagined.