The Bride's Burden

CHAPTER 4 - Ruyi 

The luxury car door clicked shut, the sound echoing the finality of my departure from Shen Jun’s enigmatic presence. He was a puzzle, a dark, alluring puzzle I couldn’t afford to dwell on.

Why had I asked him for a ride? Subconsciously, perhaps, I sought a shield, a brief respite from the suffocating knowledge of He Ming and Mo Jian’s treachery. The image of their entwined bodies, the sound of their whispered lies, seared into my memory.

As I stepped through the grand gates of the Lu residence, a wave of guilt washed over me. I hadn't informed Mother of my trip to the Golden Lotus, consumed as I was by my own worries.

“Little princess!” Mother’s voice, a melody of concern, pierced the air. “Where have you been? We were worried sick!”

Father emerged from the house, his brow furrowed with worry. "Ruru, you had us concerned. Where did you disappear to?"

"I… I went to see a friend, Baba," I stammered, offering a weak smile. The lie tasted like ash in my mouth.

My elder brother, Xuan, appeared beside them, his usual playful grin replaced with a look of concern. "Ruru, you know better than to worry Mother and Father like that." And you were right to be worried about this marriage, I thought, a bitter taste rising in my throat.

Mother's eyes, usually bright and warm, held a flicker of suspicion, but she quickly dismissed it. "Well, you should have told us. We're waiting for you to have lunch, and then we're going to select your wedding dress! Your big day is only a week away."

A week. Seven days. A week to dismantle the carefully constructed facade of He Ming and Mo Jian. A week to expose their deceit and reclaim my stolen life.

Lunch was a subdued affair. The usual laughter and banter were replaced by a tense silence. I could feel their eyes on me, their concern palpable. I forced myself to eat, to smile, to pretend that everything was normal. But the weight of my secrets was a heavy burden.

After lunch, we set off for the wedding dress shop. The air in the car was thick with unspoken questions. I could feel their curiosity, their concern. But I couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet.

The wedding dress shop was a symphony of silk and lace, a dazzling display of bridal dreams. But as I gazed at the shimmering gowns, my mind was far from bridal bliss. It was a battlefield, a strategic map where I plotted my revenge.

The dress we chose was exquisite, a masterpiece of delicate embroidery and flowing fabric. It was everything a bride could dream of, but to me, it felt like a costume, a mask I had to wear until the moment of reckoning.

Back in my room, the weight of my secrets pressed down on me. I had no confidantes, no allies. My past life had been one of blind trust, a fatal flaw I wouldn’t repeat. I couldn’t trust anyone. I would have to do this alone.

My mind drifted back to college. He Ming, with his disarming smile and the air of a troubled artist, had first caught my eye in a literature class. He always sat in the back, brooding, sketching in a worn notebook. One rainy afternoon, he "accidentally" bumped into me in the library, sending my books scattering across the floor. He apologized profusely, his eyes filled with a seeming sincerity that melted my heart. He walked me back to my dorm, reciting poetry under the dim streetlights, and I was utterly captivated.

Mo Jian entered my life a few months later, during a study group. She was bright, witty, and fiercely loyal. She had a knack for making me feel seen, understood, and quickly became my closest confidante. Mo Jian’s carefully placed doubts about others, and constant validation of He Ming, combined with He Ming’s calculated displays of vulnerability, and his subtle isolation of me from my other friends, meant they had woven a web around me, a silken trap that I had willingly walked into.

How to expose them? I couldn’t simply present the photographs. They would deny everything, twist the narrative, and paint me as a jealous, unstable bride. I needed a plan, a strategy that would leave them no room for escape. But who? And how could I orchestrate a confrontation that would expose their treachery without putting my family in danger?

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