Chapter 1: Change

In her 26 years, Wen Yang had led a smooth life: with a harmonious family, loving parents, above-average grades, and a gentle personality without much of a rebellious phase. She got into her dream university and met Cheng Yanyu there. He cherished and doted on her.

While her college classmates were busy rushing into the workforce after graduation, she was in no hurry. Wen Yang married Cheng Yanyu, moved with him to Nancheng, and stayed at home under the guise of “taking care of him.” In reality, they took care of each other, enjoying a refined life as a couple.

Friends who knew them envied Wen Yang’s life, settling down and enjoying herself early on. Cheng Yanyu had started an event planning company right after graduation. Though it was new, his abilities quickly established the company’s success, allowing him to pay off the mortgage for their marital home in Nancheng.

Over the two years since their marriage, Wen Yang hadn’t picked up many new skills, but her cooking had improved considerably—she loved food herself, after all. But today, her luck ran out; she accidentally cut her pinky finger while chopping an onion.

The pain brought tears to her eyes as she clutched her finger and searched for the first aid kit. She pulled it out from under the couch, but just as she opened it, a loud thunderclap made her jump. Wen Yang, who was always scared of thunder, let out a small scream.

Thunder roared on and on as she pressed on her injured finger, feeling a bit fragile. She reached for her phone and called Cheng Yanyu.

Beep beep – The phone rang and rang amidst the storm outside, but there was no answer. Frustration creased her brow, and just as she tried again, he finally picked up after a few seconds.

Before he could say anything, Wen Yang complained, “Why did you take so long to answer?”

His familiar, gentle voice came through, “Sorry, honey, I was busy. Are you scared of the thunder?”

“What do you think?” she retorted.

“I know, I closed the windows for you before I left this morning, didn’t I? But I guess you opened the curtains?”

“Yes.”

She answered with confidence—he knew her habits too well. But he couldn’t have foreseen her finger injury. Wen Yang continued, “I cut my pinky while chopping veggies. There’s so much blood.”

Cheng Yanyu was alarmed. “Did you stop the bleeding? The first aid kit is under the couch. Pull it out, remember to disinfect before putting on a bandage. Is the cut big?”

Hearing the worry in his voice, Wen Yang couldn’t help but smile. Leaning on the arm of the couch, she replied, “Very big. I’ll just stick on a bandage for now. You should come home early tonight and help me with it.”

She was hinting for him to come home sooner, and he understood, replying, “Got it.”

With her mission accomplished, Wen Yang hung up and slapped a quick bandage on the cut. The wound was small but looked scary with the blood. The dull pain made her clean up the kitchen half-heartedly, deciding not to cook tonight.

She used her sore pinky to order takeout.

The rain poured on outside. After eating dinner, Wen Yang took a shower and settled on the couch to watch TV, waiting for Cheng Yanyu to return. The clock on the wall ticked on, and lightning and thunder still rumbled outside. Wen Yang, scared to sleep alone, kept the TV on for some comforting noise.

But unlike his usual punctual self, Cheng Yanyu didn’t come home on time tonight, nor did he call in advance.

She checked her phone a few times, puzzled by his lateness—he was rarely off schedule. She thought about waiting a little longer before calling him.

At some point, the sound of the door unlocking woke her.

Wen Yang had fallen asleep on the couch, lights on and everything. Cheng Yanyu, slightly wet on one shoulder, stepped in and noticed her sleeping there. He paused, his gaze falling on her bandaged finger. Seeing the mess she’d made of the first aid kit, he retrieved the disinfectant and carefully unwrapped her finger.

But even his gentleness woke Wen Yang, whose sleepy voice chided, “Why are you so late?”

Her soft, drowsy eyes met his briefly before he looked down to clean her wound. “I took on a last-minute project and had a meeting,” he murmured.

“Another project? What is it this time?” Wen Yang often added creative ideas to his company projects.

He hesitated briefly. “A jewelry exhibition.”

“Wow.” She responded, then scolded gently, “But you should’ve told me.”

Placing a fresh bandage on her finger, his voice softened. “I’ll tell you next time.”

Guilt tugged at him—he knew she was afraid of storms and hated leaving her alone on such nights.

Finishing the bandage, Cheng Yanyu stood and gently lifted her in his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. He looked down at her, his voice tender. “If you’re that sleepy, just go to bed. Sleeping on the couch like that, you might end up on the floor.”

After listening to his explanation and promise, Wen Yang forgave his lateness, wrapping an arm around his neck, she murmured, “I was waiting because of the thunder. I was too scared to sleep.”

He understood, nodding quietly as she smiled and noticed his damp shoulder, reaching out to touch it. “You got caught in the rain?”

In that moment, she felt the faint muscle tension under his wet clothes. Without looking at her, Cheng Yanyu nodded, saying, “I was seeing a client off when I got wet.”

He laid her on the bed, pulling the blanket up over her. “Get some rest; I’ll take a shower.”

Wen Yang touched his shoulder, urging, “Hurry, don’t catch a cold. Should I make you some ginger tea?”

“No need, it’s just a bit of rain. Don’t underestimate your husband,” he replied with a smile. She blushed, pulling the blanket up to hide her face.

After he headed into the bathroom, she sat up, turned off the main light, and switched on a soft bedside lamp. She took off her bra, folding it neatly, and tucked herself back into bed, lying on her side as she waited for him.

Three Years of Dating, Two Years of Marriage

Some things had become second nature.

Wen Yang lay quietly, listening as the bathroom door opened. Cheng Yanyu walked out, went to the living room to turn off the TV and lights, and then returned to the bedroom, closing the door with a soft click.

Wen Yang buried her face deeper into her pillow.

In the dim light, Cheng Yanyu lifted the blanket and slipped into bed. The ambient light cast a soft glow over Wen Yang’s silhouette, highlighting her graceful curves. Without a sound, he slid his arm around her waist. Her heart raced, and she instinctively looked up, but he simply rested his chin against the back of her head, holding her without making any other moves.

His warm chest pressed against her back. Wen Yang waited quietly for a while, but his breathing soon became steady, as if he had fallen asleep.

Feeling a hint of disappointment, she glanced at the ambient light. Although she wanted more, her reserved nature held her back. She closed her eyes, deciding to sleep instead. She hadn’t napped that afternoon because of the storm, so she soon drifted off.

Her body relaxed as she fell asleep.

Cheng Yanyu could feel the softness of her waist. Once he sensed she was asleep, he opened his eyes for a few seconds in the dark, then closed them again, pulling her closer.

A flash of a woman in a fitted dress and high heels flickered through his mind.

The rain continued through the night. In the morning, sunlight finally broke through. Wen Yang got out of bed barefoot and opened the curtains, looking out at the view.

The rain had finally stopped.

It was a beautiful day. She turned back, put on her slippers, glanced at the man still sleeping on the bed, and smiled. Stretching, she headed to wash up and then went to prepare breakfast.

With her injured pinky still bandaged, she couldn’t get it wet, so she opted to steam four buns and warm some milk.

Footsteps sounded from the master bedroom as Cheng Yanyu woke up. Wen Yang peeked around the door and beamed, “You’re up.”

Cheng Yanyu was in front of the closet choosing a tie. He was wearing a dark blue shirt that day and deliberating over his few dark-colored ties. Wen Yang walked over to help, pointing, “This black one looks pretty good.”

He held it against his collar, comparing it with a red-and-black-striped one in his other hand. Wen Yang laughed and winked, “Is it really that hard to choose? You didn’t even like wearing ties before.”

He paused, then put the red-and-black one back. “I’ll wear the one you chose.”

Wen Yang leaned against the closet with her arms folded, saying softly, “I steamed buns. Let’s just have those for breakfast.”

Cheng Yanyu nodded. “Sounds good.”

He finished tying his tie, grabbed his coat, and turned to face her. She smiled, took his hand, and led him to the breakfast bar. They sat quietly on either side, with Wen Yang tearing pieces off her bun and sipping her milk.

Her fair skin seemed to glow against her simple, solid-colored loungewear.

After finishing breakfast and rinsing his mouth, Cheng Yanyu returned to the island bar. Wen Yang looked up at him, her eyes bright and clear. Leaning on the counter, he bent down and kissed her forehead.

This was a long-standing habit between them.

He always kissed her before heading to work.

Wen Yang’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked up at him, “Drive safely.”

He paused for a moment, gazing into her soft, watery eyes, then nodded. “Don’t cook today. Order takeout.”

“Got it. You remember to eat too.”

“Will do.”

Cheng Yanyu walked to the entrance, changed his shoes, and headed out.

Wen Yang tidied up the breakfast bar, placing the dishes and cups into the dishwasher. Just then, the phone on the table rang. She answered, and it was her mother, Zhu Yun, calling from the park where she was out for a walk. “I’ve sent you some beef meatballs. They should arrive by express delivery today. Don’t forget to pick them up.”

Wen Yang blinked and laughed, “Mom, you’re the best.”

“As long as you know it! How about Yanyu? Off to work?”

“Yes, he just left.”

“It’s Saturday, and he’s still working?”

“It’s his own business—no such thing as a weekend.”

“That’s a lot of hard work, but you two can’t put off having kids. Are you all prepared over there?”

Sitting on the sofa, Wen Yang blushed a bit and replied, “We’re prepared. Our health checks were all good this year.”

“Then don’t delay!”

Wen Yang nodded, “Got it.”

After hanging up, Wen Yang sent Cheng Yanyu a message: Did you get to the office yet?

Cheng Yanyu replied: Almost there. What’s up?

Wen Yang: My mom called, bringing up the same old topic. Still about kids.

She sent it as a playful hint.

Hinting that he wasn’t exactly proactive last night.

Cheng Yanyu didn’t reply.

Hmph.

Wen Yang set down her phone and turned on the robot vacuum to clean the house.

Sansukini: I think I have been watching too many cheating spouses vertical dramas these days that I have became more comfortable with it. I usually hated and steered clear of stories about cheating before. Most Filipino dramas and movies are about cheaters so I really don’t like watching them. It’s so stressful. I watched the cdrama ones because of the promise of revenge. No, this one has no revenged (not caused by our FL, of course. It’s all about the choices people made, once you did something wrong, there’ll be no bitter pill for regret.)

Anyway, this is not a revenge drama. It’s about healing and growth. The beginning is really heavy on the sad reality of cheating, but the story will progress on a happy note. So if you’re reading this now, please give it a try, it’s not a depressing novel, it will take about 14 chapters for her to break off her marriage, then it will be about Wen Yang’s growth and second chance at love.

The FL is still a pampered housewife at this point but the husband will slowly change.