Shattered names
766 Words
The rain hadn’t stopped.
It poured endlessly against the car windows, blurring the world outside into streaks of gray and silver.
I didn’t remember getting into the car.
I didn’t remember leaving the Xiao family house.
Everything… felt unreal.
Like I had stepped into someone else’s life.
“She is not a true Xiao.”
Grandmother’s voice echoed in my head, over and over again, refusing to fade.
Not a true Xiao.
Then what was I?
My fingers curled tightly in my lap.
For the first time in my life… I questioned everything.
My name.
My identity.
Even my mother.
If the marriage was fake…
If everything was a lie…
Then what was I born from?
The car moved smoothly through the rain, but my thoughts were anything but steady.
Beside me, Li Zhen sat in silence.
Too calm.
Too composed.
Not a trace of surprise on his face—as if tonight’s chaos meant nothing to him.
That unsettled me more than anything.
I turned slightly, studying him.
“Why… do you look like you already knew?” I almost asked.
But the words never left my lips.
Because deep down
I already knew the answer.
The car finally slowed.
Then stopped.
I barely registered where we were until the door opened.
A mansion stood before me.
Elegant.
Quiet.
Almost too perfect.
But my mind was too numb to take it in.
An elderly woman approached us, her posture straight despite her age, her expression warm but disciplined.
“Young Master,” she greeted respectfully.
Li Zhen nodded. “This is Old Madam Mu.”
His voice was calm as always.
“She has been with me since childhood.”
I forced myself to respond, bowing my head slightly.
“Hello, Madam Mu.”
Her eyes softened as she looked at me—almost… knowingly.
“Miss, you must be tired,” she said gently.
Li Zhen spoke again, already walking inside.
“Prepare a bath for her. And dinner.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
The warm water should have calmed me.
It didn’t.
The food should have comforted me.
It didn’t.
I barely ate.
Every bite felt heavy, like I was swallowing questions instead of food.
Questions no one was answering.
By the time I stepped out, Li Zhen was already seated, as if he had been waiting.
Of course he had.
He always seemed to be waiting.
Watching.
Knowing.
I didn’t sit.
I stood there, staring at him.
“I heard everything,” I said quietly. “At the Xiao house.”
He didn’t react.
“I’m not a true Xiao.”
Still nothing.
My chest tightened.
“Then why…” My voice almost broke, but I forced it steady. “Why do you still want to marry me?”
Silence stretched between us.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
Then
“It doesn’t matter who you are.”
His answer came easily.
Too easily.
Like he had decided it long ago.
My brows furrowed. “That’s not an answer.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“You’ll find out soon.”
Something about the way he said it…
Made my stomach twist.
This wasn’t kindness.
This wasn’t impulse.
This was
A plan.
Meanwhile, at the Xiao Family House
Chaos.
Complete chaos.
“You’ve destroyed us!”
Xiao Chen’s voice rang through the hall, sharp with anger.
The elders had already left, their disappointment lingering like a curse.
Reputation.
Honor.
All gone in one night.
Madam Xiao stood frozen, her face pale.
“I… I didn’t think”
“You didn’t think?” Xiao Chen laughed coldly. “You exposed a secret that should have died years ago!”
Her lips trembled.
“They would have found out eventually…”
“And now?” he snapped. “Now we’ve lost everything!”
The engagement.
The alliances.
The trust of the elders.
Even
Xiao Jiao.
The “perfect” daughter.
The obedient one.
Gone.
Vanished the moment the truth began to surface.
Like a dog abandoning a sinking ship.
The hall that once held pride and power now felt empty.
Broken.
And for the first time
The Xiao family looked… weak.
Back at the mansion, I stood alone in the dimly lit room, staring out at the rain.
A stranger in my own life.
A name that no longer belonged to me.
And a man who knew far more than he was willing to say.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
Quietly.
Slowly.
One thought formed in my mind
If everything was a lie…
Then I would find the truth myself.
No matter what it cost.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD