Early the next morning, the rain had cleared. Lu Shiyan received a call and rushed out urgently.
The car drove to our marital home. Why was he suddenly coming here? Had he found some clue about me?
Several workers stood in the front yard. Seeing Lu Shiyan arrive, the leader spoke up, "Mr. Lu, the sculpture you requested has been installed. Would you like to see?"
Sculpture!
I immediately looked towards the object wrapped in waterproof cloth. Last night, inexplicably drawn here, I was certain part of my body was here.
But I never imagined my flesh and blood would be hidden inside a sculpture.
What had Lu Shiyan commissioned?
The ropes securing the waterproof cloth had been loosened beforehand. Lu Shiyan grabbed a corner of the cloth and pulled hard.
With a loud whoosh, the cloth was pulled away.
Water droplets flew everywhere, and the true form of the sculpture was revealed.
I recognized it instantly. It was the Western water spirit, Undine.
The sculptor's skill was evident. The water spirit was draped in gauzy robes, her hands raised upwards.
The way the wet gauze clung to her body was rendered exquisitely, every fold of the fabric, the subtle suggestion of the form beneath, all carved with lifelike detail.
Looking up, the face of the water spirit was a near-perfect likeness of me!
Legend says the water spirit Undine had no soul and could only gain one by marrying a mortal. But if her husband was unfaithful, she would kill him.
This sculpture depicted the goddess, draped in her wedding veil, rising from the water, her hands raised as if to claim her husband's life.
In this moment, she was the epitome of beauty, and of hatred.
Unlike other sculptures, the exposed skin of this statue was a pale, fleshy tone, making it even more realistic.
"Mr. Lu, are you satisfied?"
Lu Shiyan stared at the goddess's face, murmuring, "Her face..."
"Ah, yes. Our master craftsman heard you were commissioning this for Mrs. Lu, that your devotion to her is profound, and that it would be placed at your marital home. So he took the liberty of using Mrs. Lu's likeness. I hope that's alright, Mr. Lu?"
If not for the genuine sincerity in his eyes, I would have thought he was being sarcastic.
Lu Shiyan, deeply devoted to me? The biggest joke in the world.
Lu Shiyan seemed very pleased with the work. "It's fine. I'll have someone settle the final payment shortly."
"Then we won't disturb you further, Mr. Lu."
The group left the villa, leaving Lu Shiyan alone.
He gazed greedily at the face, his eyes filled with regret. "Wanwan... you once said if I ever failed you, you'd turn into a water spirit and take revenge on me..."
I had indeed said that, but it was a joke back then.
I grew up with him. I never imagined the day would come when this childhood sweetheart would be unfaithful to me.
Who would have thought, by sheer coincidence... a soulless water spirit, and me, a spirit who had lost her body.
My pulped flesh had become her form. How ironic.
This sculpture captures her before she kills her husband. Like me, my revenge never got to begin, the chance lost forever.
I hadn't been home this whole time. Weeds had overrun the yard. Lu Shiyan called landscapers to trim them and had the maids give the whole house a thorough cleaning.
When he entered our marital bedroom and gazed at the bedsheets he and Su Ning'an had defiled on our wedding night, his brow furrowed slightly.
He coldly instructed the maid, "Change all the bedding."
The maid said cautiously, "But they're still brand new, never slept in. Shouldn't we wait until Mrs. Lu returns and uses them before washing?"
Little did she know they were already soiled.
Lu Shiyan, do you find it dirty too?
He ripped the bedspread off. "Throw it out. Bring a new set."
"Yes, sir."
"And change the carpet too."
Did he think he could erase all traces of Su Ning'an's presence like this? How laughable.
The maid, sensing his unstable mood, didn't dare say more and left with the bedding.
While gathering the sheets, her eyes fell on a faint, dark red stain.
She was a married woman; how could she not know what it was?
I had been missing for a long time, so this stain couldn't possibly be mine!
The maid looked utterly shocked, seemingly having realized the truth.
The wealthy have many secrets. She worked deftly, quickly bundling the sheets into a ball and carrying them out.
As she left, I saw her unsteady legs. I was afraid she might fall down the stairs, distracted.
Then again, she's just a maid who accidentally stumbled upon her employer's huge secret. And she was on good terms with me; she must have felt it was so unfair to me.
This bedding set was specially custom-ordered from a Suzhou embroidery master a year ago. The exquisite multi-piece set alone had taken the master a full year.
How much I cared about our wedding was something the familiar household staff knew very well.
Now, my heartfelt efforts had been trampled like this. Of course, she felt it was unjust.
Perhaps she was now torn, wondering whether to tell me about this.
The room was freshly made with a new set of bedding, blue with pink flowers. The carpet was also replaced with a new one.
The nightgown Su Ning'an had worn that day, the toothbrush she used, the bathrobe—all were ordered by Lu Shiyan to be thrown away.
Including his own matching set; none were kept.
He had someone purchase new his-and-hers electric toothbrushes, mouthwash cups, and bathrobes.
See? If a man truly loves you, how could he forget these things?
Back when I was selecting items, I loved the couple sets. I asked for his opinion then, but Lu Shiyan kept glancing at his phone, saying, "Whatever."
I bought a bunch of couple items for him. The next time I went to the Lu house, I found those things had vanished.
I asked him coldly. A flicker of guilt crossed his face as he explained the maid had changed them.
I later found out Su Ning'an had changed them for him. After that, I never bought couple items again.
Now that I'm dead, who is he displaying these for? Ghosts?
In the bedroom, he also specifically had someone place a vibrant bouquet of red roses, as if to prove his love for me. He looked at our wedding photo. In the picture, I was leaning close to him, while his expression seemed somewhat distant.
Perhaps even then, he was thinking of Su Ning'an.
He seemed to realize this himself. He stared at the wedding photo for a long time before slowly saying, "Wanwan, I will find you. No matter what you become, you will always be my wife."
Such moving words.
What a pity. The me you claim to love has been turned into a pulp of flesh, smeared onto your beloved statue.
Lu Shiyan, when will you realize that the one you long for is right there?
I stood by the window looking down. From here, I had a clear view of the statue in the yard, the spirit with her hands raised.
Bathed in sunlight, I saw no holiness in it, only a creepy, eerie feeling.
The phone rang. Lu Shiyan answered.
His assistant's voice came from the other end. "Mr. Lu, we have news about Mrs. Lu."