Inside the room, Wei Meilan looked up through her tangled hair. Her face was pale and stained with tears, but as she stared at the man towering over her, the terror in her eyes slowly hardened into a cold, desperate rage.
"You are forcing me to marry you," she hissed, her voice shaking but raw with pure hatred. "What else do you expect from me? To love you? To stand by you?"
She let out a harsh, broken laugh that cut through the quiet room.
"I only wish you rot in hell."
With the last of her strength, she spat directly onto his pristine wedding robes.
The room went dead silent.
Outside the door, An Li held her breath, her hand gripping the hilt of her hidden dagger so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Bao Li stared down at the damp spot on his expensive robes. For a second, his face was completely blank. Then, slowly, his shoulders began to shake.
He started to laugh.
