Chapter 16 Love Is Not Enough

• Outside an old rental unit, the view of the evening sky had been haphazardly divided into sections by messy power lines. The weak sunset rays were obscured by the thick foliage, casting uneven shadows on the ground.
• Ruth waved toward Jackson affably as she said, “It's late, so you should head home now. Thanks for the ice cream.”
• This was the first time she had eaten ice cream since her recovery from the miscarriage. The wonderful taste had lifted her mood considerably.
• She had tried out a variety of things in the past seven days.
• Drinking, smoking, clubbing. And being in the company of a man who's not Aiden.
• Alcohol was intoxicating, and cigarettes were fascinating. Clubbing was a refreshing experience, so was spending time with men who were not her husband.
• These eleven years, she had been so fixated on loving Aiden.
• She realized now that she had imprisoned herself in the name of love. Trapped in her stubbornness, she was hypnotized by the purity of her love that only disgusted everyone else.
• It's time to let go of him and the old me.
• Maybe the soft moonlight and the romantic atmosphere had gotten to him, but Jackson felt like he was staring at the most beautiful woman in the world.
• “Ruthie!” he called.
• “Yes?”
• Ruth turned her head around innocently. She was bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight.
• Jackson grew nervous as he asked carefully, “Can I give you a hug?” He blushed at his courage.
• Surprised, Ruth paused for a moment before smiling radiantly at him. She rushed into his arms. “Of course.”
• It's a lovely night.
• Ruth found herself floating on cloud nine after she bid Jackson farewell. Drunk on happiness, the sensation felt intoxicating.
• She realized for the first time in her life that a world without Aiden could be this relaxing after all.
• She did not realize, however, that someone had been watching her intently this whole time. Her mysterious observer sat in a black Bugatti parked under a tree some distance away.
• Ruth washed up quickly when she returned to her rented unit. She changed into a new nightgown and turned off the lights.
• She had done a lot of thinking over the past seven days, and had come to learn many important lessons.
• Passion is not always returned with equal fervor. Love should always be a wonderful thing. Love is never an excuse to shackle oneself to a sadistic person. With time, I will come to forget him.
• The room was pitch-black and deathly silent in the middle of the night.
• Ruth thought she could hear footsteps cutting through the stillness.
• Frightened, she was just about to get up and switch on the lights when a masculine weight pressed down on her.
• She could make out Aiden's striking features from the weak moonlight. He looked like a man who had lost control after being consumed with jealousy.
• “Aiden!” she called out in glee, wondering if she was seeing things in her slightly drunken state.
• In the next second, a large hand had clamped across her neck, causing her to choke.
• “Why must it be him?”
• His demanding tone pierced through the silence of the night. Jealousy positively dripped from his words.
• He was struck by the urge to choke her when he recalled how she had smiled and rushed into Jackson's arms.
• He was furious that his thoughts had been consumed by her during her absence. Any remnants of control left in his body were now replaced by lust.
• “Ah!” she yelped as pain shot through her body without warning.
• She broke out in a cold sweat as the pain in her healing back worsened.
• Ruth found herself plundered by Aiden as she assumed the role of a helpless rag doll.
• She was but a tool for him to humiliate and vent his frustrations, with no way to express her pain and no shred of dignity left within her.
• Aiden was possessed. He handled her so roughly he drew blood from her skin.
• Under the white moonlight, he looked about as cold and irresistible as a vampire.
• He pressed his lips to her ears and mocked, “Ruth, I didn't know you'd be so horny after your miscarriage. You moved on to another man so quickly. Since I'm here, I'll satisfy your lust!”
• “You bring bad luck with you wherever you go. Just look at your parents and your dead baby. Someone like you should just die!”
• “Ruth, your own sister tried to take her life because of you. You should die in her place!”
• “Ruth, why haven't you killed yourself? You should die!”
• Ruth had lost track of how long he had tortured her.
• She knew only of the pain in her body and the emptiness in her heart.
• “You should die! You should die! You should die!”
• His harsh curse was embedded in her mind. Her eyes crusted from the tears that had dried up a long time ago.
• What an irony! My husband who had sworn to protect me forever is now asking me to die! I have loved this man for eleven years! Aiden, do you really hate me this much? Won't you feel even a bit of regret if I really died?
• Suddenly, Ruth thought of her mom and the baby she was not fated to raise.
• The man who was lying on the bed woke up with a start. He stared coldly at Ruth, who was perched by the window. He sneered, “Ruth, why are you standing there in the middle of the night? Are you thinking of jumping off? Save it. You think I'll fall for such an amateur trick?”
• Ruth's heart shuddered as all hopes of a possible reconciliation were dashed.
• The billowing wind chilled her to the bones, turning her hair into a mess of tangled waves. She turned and smiled mirthlessly at him. “As you wish.”
• She jumped out of the window before he had a chance to react.
• I've had enough of this ugly and cruel world.