His fury spilled over he vaulted to his feet in one quick move and pointed at the door with one outfling hand, enjoying her sudden flinch as he shouted, “get out of my house!”

”Really darling, you’re being a little too” she replied as she scrambled to her feet, dropping the still smoking cigarettes on the saucer and fumbling for her purse.

”Expect a visit from your lawyers soon” he added a well-aimed blow.

She gasped, met his eyes of her own volition since she had walked in “you wouldn’t….”

”Oh I did and what’s more? I enjoyed it. Goodbye mother, the only person that can plead for you and make a difference is that gold-digging whore but I’m sure you’ve burnt that bridge. Hope you enjoy your time in jail, dear mother.” He replied with pure avarice.

”She’ll never be yours again. I made sure of it, she’s moved on forever” she returned with a tight smile of her own but she wasn’t telling him something he didn’t already know.

”I know and the best part is, I never deserved her, we never deserved her. We are the trash mother, me and you and everyone who looked down on that beautiful woman because she didn’t have the genteel beginnings we did, we were the trash.” He replied, suddenly tired of it all.

”You’re going to regret this” she promised but it was a weak salvo, this close he could see the fear in her eyes for maybe the first time in his entire life. He thought he would relish striking back at her, he had believed in the heat of the moment that he would enjoy his pound of flesh.

He didn’t feel any better or any worse, his actions had not redeemed him or made him a hero. It didn’t change anything, except to stole his need to revenge higher.

The problem was that there was no enemy left in sight except himself.

************

The next few days were solemn, almost somber. The house felt stifling like it was trying to contain a secret that was almost too big for it.

Her husband had been walking on eggshells around her, treating her as if she was fragile and the wrong breeze would break her…again.

Yan Mei wondered how long it would take for him to stop, forgive himself and realize that she had needed to know the truth. She wondered how long it would be before she stopped feeling so raw.

The ring of the doorbell skittered across her senses in a way that drew her tense. She looked at Lei Zhao sitting across from her, he had been hovering lately as if he wanted to be there in case she broke down again.

She didn’t know if the idea pleased or irritated her. “Go ahead and answer, it’s for you” the words drew the tension in the room tighter but she stood up and headed for the front door.

The person at the door was someone she wasn’t expecting.

”Hello, Yan Mei?” He spoke first, his hesitant smile was all she could suddenly see.

”Hello Leng Shao” she managed to reply before she burst into a sad smile.

Several minutes later they were seated on the front porch while she struggled to gather her calm. Leng Shao waited patiently for her with a calm expression on his face. She suddenly missed him, an emotion she had managed to keep at bay for a very long time.

”I’m sorry for being so weepy, it’s been a tough week” she apologized, wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater

”You know you never have to apologize to me Yan Mei ” he countered gently, bringing a fresh wave of tears to her eyes

”I’ve missed you,” she said when she wiped off the new tears

”I’ve missed you too” the way he said it, there was no doubting the truth.

”I’m really sorry, Yan Mei. I had no idea my mother would do something like that. Trust me I had no idea about it. You know I will never hurt you right.? I spent the past few nights wondering if I hadn’t fallen in love with you, would you be happier right now?” He queried; his eyes riveted on hers

Yan Mei sighed, wondering if she was strong enough to survive this chapter of her story. It didn’t hurt like before but there was a new pain, a recent pain. Leng Shao caught her hand and she looked up to catch that expression in his eyes again. She squeezed his hands back and gathered the strength because she knew more than anything that he too was suffering.

Unrequited love was hard and to watch the woman he loved in his best friend’s arms would have been hard for him. He was truly amazing to have secretly loved her all these years without asking for anything in return while giving her everything.

”I’m sorry Leng…”

He cut in quickly “I have and had no intentions of ruining your marriage or making you unhappy but wasn’t it obvious that I would do anything for you?”

The words stunned her as if a blindfold was taken off her eyes, she now understood that phantom look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she said, it was the only thing she could say.

All the years they had been friends he had not said anything, never given her even a passing hint about his emotions but now she could see them clearly in his eyes. “I’m so sorry for being blind Leng Shao”

”I loved you, It hurts that you suffered like that all because of me” his smile was sad, overwhelmingly so. She didn’t have to think about it, she just hugged him and the both of them sat in silence wondering about things that could have been if they had only been wiser or even brave enough.