*Chapter 43: Empty Chairs*
Li Xue sat at the dining table, her plate untouched. Three nights. That was how long Zhao Liang had been gone. The silence was suffocating. She traced the rim of her glass, listening to the city outside. The lights twinkled like distant stars, mocking her trapped existence.
Memories of promises he had made — before the accident, before the contract — haunted her. We'll travel together. We'll build a home. You'll never be alone.
The echo of those words contrasted sharply with the reality: the contract, penalties, and endless fear.
Meanwhile, Shen Wei faced his own storm. The company he had invested in failed, millions lost. Yet in front of friends, he laughed, quipped, teased — masking the gnawing fear of failure.
Han Qiang, too, struggled privately. He was meticulous, calculated, but some losses were unavoidable. Their success, their laughter, their camaraderie — it contrasted cruelly with Li Xue's life in shadows.
Li Xue closed her eyes. She longed for freedom, for warmth, for someone to ease the constant fear she carried like a second skin.