Requited Love: Rise Like A Phoenix

As the night fell, the sound of cicadas echoed endlessly under the starry skies. In a villa sat a lonely figure as she stared at the beautiful scenery ahead of her. "Don't look for me anymore. I won't go!"

Louise Gu refused the caller. She was wearing a silky night gown that left almost nothing to the imagination. She placed her phone on the table and looked out of the window, sighing. Why hadn't he come back yet?

Bang!

Just then, the door of her room flew open.

She staggered right up, eyes widening in fright.

A man dressed in a black suit came walking in. He was tall with a well-built figure. He was also extraordinarily handsome with dark eyebrows and almost luminous eyes. However, there was something about him that made her tremble in fear.

Before she could react, he threw a folder at her.

"That's the divorce agreement. Sign it," he snarled.

The distinct smell of alcohol made her nauseous.

Louisa Gu felt cold all over as she stared at the document in her hands. She trembled, refusing to look at him in the eye.

"Why?" she bit out.

Jacob Gu snorted, sneering at her. "Why? You have the nerve to ask me why? If you hadn't climbed into my bed and forced me into sleeping with you a year ago, do you think my grandma would allow me to marry you? If she doesn't love you that much, we would never be together. Now that she's going abroad, it's your time to leave me. Sign your name here and get the hell out of my house!"

Tears slid down her cheeks. The document was already shaking in her hands as she took a deep breath.

Her bottom lip was trembling.

"I–I didn't mean to... please..." she stuttered out. However, the man showed no signs of mercy.

"You didn't mean to? Haven't you dreamed of sleeping with me ever since you were younger?"

Jacob Gu grabbed her slender wrists, pulling her closer towards him. His nails dug into her skin, causing her to wince.

"I love–"

"Shut up!" he roared.

The last thing he wanted was to hear her voice.

Jacob Gu picked up the divorce agreement and shoved it into the woman's arms. "I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense! Just sign it." He gritted his teeth.

She scowled. "Not until you tell me why!"

"Why? You want to know why?" he yelled out. "I hate you. That's why! If you're smart enough, you'll sign it right now. I'll even make it easy for you. Otherwise, I'll make sure you don't even get a penny."

Jacob Gu didn't care what would happen at the end. All he wanted was for her to get out of his sight.

The position of being his wife was never meant for her.

Different emotions ran through her as she processed his words. It felt as if her entire body had grown numb from his painful grip. Plucking up the little courage she had, she forced herself to look him in the eye.

"No! I won't divorce you till the day that I die. You can't do this to me, Jacob!"

His face darkened at her refusal.

"Fine. Do you really want to be my woman?" He brought her body close to his chest as his arm wrapped around her waist. "You want to sleep with me, don't you?" Jacob Gu snarled.

Louisa Gu wrinkled her nose as the strong stench of alcohol invaded her nostrils. "No, it's not like that."

Her eyes were already tinged red from crying.

"Not like that? Aren't you trying to seduce me by dressing like this? Since you don't want a divorce, then you might as well do your job as a wife! Let's see..." He stepped towards her, looking like a predator leering at his prey.

"What are you doing?" she stuttered out.

She had never seen Jacob Gu like this.

The fire in his eyes was blazing. If looks could kill, she'd be taken into a shortcut to hell.

She took a step back.

"What? Pretending to be innocent now, aren't you? You've been waiting for this a whole year, haven't you? Now, you've succeeded. If you don't want to divorce me, then be my wife."

He shoved her onto the table.

"Ah! No!"

she yelled out, tears welling up in her eyes.

However, her screams fell deaf to Jacob as he bunched up her skirt around her waist. Her screams of help did nothing to appease him.

Her heart felt as if it was being smashed into a thousand pieces.

"Jacob," she gasped out.

"Please... I beg of you. No! Help!" she screamed as he went inside her. Tears continuously streamed down her face as she took in the pain.

He snarled, "How dare you call for help? Isn't that what you want? Shouldn't you be happy? Just take it!"

He pushed into her once again and she yelled out. Her fingernails were clawing down his back as she tried to kick him on the stomach. However, her continued resistance only seemed to have encouraged him even more. "Why are you doing this to me? Is my love that worthless?" She sobbed, pounding on his arms, but he didn't stop.

In his eyes, she was worthless.

"I hate you," she whispered, cursing him in her heart.

The whole night rendered her in a daze. It was as if she had awoken from a nightmare.

It was as if the world was paying her for all of the sins she committed in the past life, endlessly drowning her with hatred and disgust. She clenched her fists.

"I've never loved you, Louisa. And I will never love you," he whispered.

"I will only ever love Ellie."

'Ellie?

Is that another woman?

So he did all of this for a woman named Ellie?' Louisa gritted her teeth.

After everything she had done to him, this was what he had given her, a life filled with torment and pain.

Her pillow was already drenched with her tears.

It had never occurred to her that the man she promised to love would hurt her in this way.

It was horrible, even despicable!

It was a far cry from the love that she'd imagined herself in.

Louisa sneered.

He hadn't touched her for a whole year since they got married, and now he took her virginity on the same night he gave her the divorce papers. The man was horrible as he was monstrous.

'Jacob, I hate you!

I won't forgive you for the rest of my life!'

Louisa clenched her fists. She would never fall in love with him ever again!

The silver moonlight shone through the windowsill, highlighting her pale and shaken face.

-----

As soon as sunlight broke out, Louisa slowly got out of bed. Despite her aching body, she continued to pick up the clothes that were scattered across the floor before heading inside the bathroom.

When Jacob woke up, memories of last night flashed into his mind.

He glanced around only to see that Louisa was already on the sofa, waiting for him.

Seeing that he was awake, she glanced at the divorce agreement on the table. "I'll sign it," she said, her voice trembling.

As soon as the words came out of her lips, she sobbed.

Louisa was exhausted. After months of trying to get him to love her, she finally came to the realization that it was time to give up.

"You want to sign it? And I thought you would be so loyal to me after what happened last night." Jacob sneered, not regretting what he had done.

They had been married for a year, and he tried his best to stay away from her. This was the only time he had ever touched her. He was just so angry that...

Fortunately, she agreed to sign the divorce papers.

She bit her lips and said nothing.

Her love was a just joke to him.

Her hand was shaking violently as she lowered her pen onto the paper.

Jacob turned his head, pretending not to notice it.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to steady her hand.

Without another word, she signed the agreement.

"Louisa Gu."

It was time she ended her union with the Gu Family.

Once she had signed, Jacob took the papers away.

He stared at her indifferently.

"I'll ask my lawyer to transfer the alimony payment into your account. From now on, you have nothing to do with the Gu Family. You have three days to move out."

"One day's enough," she said. Her voice was hoarse from screaming all night.

The man chuckled bitterly. "Turns out you're smart after all. Take the alimony and get the hell out of my sight."

Jacob turned and walked away,

not even bothering to look back.

He was heartless.

She gritted her teeth.

Even if he didn't love her, why did he hate her so much? Louisa quickly dialed a number, bringing it to her ear. "Look, I agree," she snapped. "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible."