Her absence was made even more glaring by the fact that her lawyer stipulated that the marriage bed be burned as soon as the contracts were signed. Richard can do whatever he wants with the rest of the furniture, as long as the bed is nuked with all the pictures and doc.u.ments such tragic vandalism requires. Richard could only sit there seething, aware of the hastily repressed snickers around him.

The bed was duly burned and life continued on with its usual flow. The house was sold so he bought an apartment nearer to the city. Curiously though, he didn't allow Valerie to move in with him. He could tell she was repressing her anger, unwilling to say something that might offend him. She was different that way from An Ning, who was thoroughly confident of her opinions and position in life. An Ning would have no trouble calling him out for being a hypocrite.

In fact, she won't have trouble dumping her cold drink down his f.u.c.king face if it helps to get her point across.

They were having their usual Friday dinner on the first week of each month. The only difference was that they were having it out in the open, not in some quiet quaint diner they often frequent in the old days. He saw one or two acquaintances take a double step when they saw him. They looked at him, at his companion, and he saw and understood their hesitation. He didn't mind though. He ignored them. Beside him, Valerie was also quiet, still seething with resentment.

"You look very lovely tonight," he said, looking at her with unmistaken fondness.

Her lovely face broke out in a dimpled smile. She was a young woman of about twenty, pet.i.te and small-boned. She looked fragile and delicate in the pink and violet dress she was wearing. Her neck looked long and vulnerable, like her head would totter out of her collarbone if she made one false move. He always liked that about her; her air of fragility made him feel extra masculine. Those full, red lips that burn him like fire.

"You don't want to be with me," she pouted. "Admit it."

Valerie was like other women when they finally get their paws on the man they targeted for long-term cohabitation. She wanted to get married and won't settle for anything else other than total submission. She had been in love with her guy for nearly a year. For him, she had crossed her own boundaries and became his mistress.

Afterwards, marrying him had been her end goal. She had spent a year of her life loving a married man; she felt she was owed. It was now his responsibility to marry her. Everybody was expecting it. He owed her a ring and the respectability that goes along with it. She had been patient enough. Not anymore though.

"My parents found out about us. I'm meeting them tomorrow. I told you they're old fas.h.i.+oned. They wouldn't approve of us living together before marriage and you don't want that, do you?"

"What about An Ning? Both of you were practically living together in uni but that's entirely different, no?"

He laughed. "An Ning and I were in uni together, true, but we went there to study. We didn't get together until the better half of last year. I didn't meet you then or I wouldn't have married her."

"Why did then you marry her?" she asked, eyes curious.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps I got tired of her following me all the time and thought, why the h.e.l.l not. And my parents liked her."

"She won't be a problem for us in the future, would she?"

He stopped and thought for a bit. "No, I don't think so. She sounded like she really hated me the last time I talked to her. Anyway, we're divorced. She's as far away from our lives as we want, I promise you."

The next day, Richard drove to his parents' house in the country. His parents lived in a large old house on top of a mountain that overlooked the entire city of M. The address was so secluded and exclusive it's not even visible on Google Maps. His father was seated on his favorite chair reading when he entered. His mother was watering a plant by the window.

All was quiet. You can almost hear a pin drop in the silence. He took off his shoes and walked on his socks to the nearest chair. A uniformed maid appeared out of nowhere to hand him a gla.s.s of orange juice. Richard grimaced but took the gla.s.s. His father glanced at him with a calm expression on his face.

"Did you hear from your younger brother?" he said, finally breaking the oppressive silence.

"Han? Why? What's wrong with him?"

"It seems he's now dating An Ning," the old man continued in his calm, expressionless voice.

"An Ning?" Richard asked stupidly.

"You remember your ex-wife An Ning?" his mother snickered from the window.

"Of course I know An Ning," her son said impatiently. "What do you mean Han is dating her? How can he date her? Isn't he in the army?"

"He took a leave. It seemed the military bra.s.s forcibly kicked him out of the barracks and ordered him to have an R&R after that thing happened with the prime minister. I don't know how he met An Ning though but it seemed they're together now," his father said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Richard said, staring at his father with a grim face. "How can he be together with An Ning? She's my wife!"

"Ex wife," his mother muttered sullenly.

"It does sound incredible but at least she didn't cheat on you," the older man harrumphed. "Honestly, Richard. On your wedding day? Can't you be more utterly shameless than that?"

Richard flushed angrily. "I happen to love Valerie. I'm going to marry her."

"Well, marry her on your own then. We won't have anything to do with her now or in the future."

"Don't you think that's a bit unfair, dad? You don't even know her."

"What is there to know?" his mother said, taking the chair opposite her son. "She seduced you and forced you to cheat on your wife. I don't need to see her to know what kind of woman she is. Was she even a virgin the first time you had her?"

"Mom!" Richard was furious.

"Anyway, that's all we want to say. An Ning is better off with your brother. And if you're thinking of marrying that woman, you're on your own. We don't want to see her or talk to her or even want her in this house. You can leave now. Your mother and I have other better things to do than look at your sorry face."

That said, his father nodded his goodbye then picked up his book without another word. His mother didn't even pretend to be gracious. She glared at him then picked up a magazine from the stacks beside her chair. Richard was left bottling his anger impotently. He drove back to the city grim-faced and so furious he could eat bullets.

He drove straight to an exclusive street dotted with tall building apartments and parked his car underground. The bra.s.s and gleaming elevator took him to the ninth floor. 903. An Ning's apartment. He hadn't been here before but knew she lived there because a mutual friend told him so. The door opened with one ring of the bell.

An Ning wasn't in the least surprised to see him. She opened the door and he followed after her without another word. The apartment was bigger than a loft and so exquisitely decorated it rivaled a museum. Richard was surprised to see a huge picture of a naked young man sleeping on a bed of roses hanging in the living room. Richard did a double take. The young man's face was as familiar to him as his own. He turned towards An Ning with a scowl.

"So, it's true then."

"What would you like to drink?" An Ning said, lifting her brows questioningly. He continued to stare and scowl at her. In the end, she poured red wine on a gla.s.s and handed it to him.

"Cheers," she said, saluting him with water.

"Why?" Richard bluntly.

"Ask me that after maybe a month?" she shrugged. "It's nothing serious…yet. We go out to have fun. I like him."

Richard sipped his wine, his eyes never leaving hers. The both of them stood at one end of the room, measuring each other silently. He resented her look, which met his equally without fear. He suddenly didn't know what to do with his simmering anger. Shame, guilt, the sudden rush of memories a.s.saulted him.

The gla.s.s fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, the wine splas.h.i.+ng like droplets of blood on the immaculate marble.