His words lingered against my skin.
Heavy.
Possessive.
And for a second—
I almost melted into them.
Almost.
Then something… clicked.
A fragment of memory.
A voice.
Cold.
Clear.
"You took something from me."
My breath hitched.
My hands, which had been clutching his shirt, suddenly stilled.
"So I'll take something from you."
My heart skipped—then slammed violently against my ribs.
Not from him.
From the realization.
My body went rigid.
"Wait…"
The word slipped out, barely a whisper.
Cheng Mo didn't move.
Didn't pull away.
But something in his expression shifted—just slightly.
Too subtle for anyone else to notice.
But I felt it.
"Cheng Mo…"
This time, my voice wasn't soft.
It wasn't breathless.
It was sharp.
My fingers loosened from his shirt.
Not clinging anymore.
Questioning.
"What did you mean…?"
A pause.
His gaze held mine.
Unreadable.
"You said…" My throat tightened. "You said you'd take something from me."
Silence.
Thick.
Dangerous.
And suddenly—
Everything from the past few minutes felt different.
The way he held me.
The way he didn't let me go.
The way he knew I wouldn't leave.
Not affection.
Not just desire.
Something else.
Something calculated.
My chest tightened.
"…Was this it?"
The question came out slower now.
Careful.
Afraid of the answer.
His fingers, still resting at my waist, didn't move.
Didn't tighten.
Didn't let go.
For the first time—
He didn't answer immediately.
And that scared me more than anything else.
"Cheng Mo."
His name felt different on my lips now.
Less warmth.
More doubt.
His eyes flickered—
Not soft.
Not teasing.
Dark.
Quiet.
Intent.
"…You're smart," he said finally.
Not denial.
Not reassurance.
Something colder.
My stomach dropped.
So this—" my voice trembled despite me trying to steady it, "this was just… revenge?"
The word hung between us.
Sharp.
Ugly.
Final.
For a moment—
He just looked at me.
As if weighing something.
As if deciding how much to reveal.
Then—
Slowly—
His hand lifted from my waist.
Not gently.
Not roughly.
Just… gone.
And the absence burned.
"Tell me, Shu Lin," he said quietly.
"Does it feel like revenge?"
My breath caught.
Because that wasn't an answer.
That was a trap.
And somehow—
I had already stepped into it.