Way Back Into Love (Essie)

It was late at night. The big trees outside the window faded into dim shadows in the moonlight.

Zac had come home earlier than usual.

Instead of turning on the lights, he simply stood in front of the window without saying a word.

The windows were wide open. It was not only moonlight that burst into the living room, but also a chilly gust of wind.

"Zac, you're home," Essie said in a low voice.

Zac didn't respond to her words, nor did he move. It seemed as if he didn't hear her words at all. The curtains fluttered in the wind, making Zac's tall body look like a dark silhouette.

Essie slowly approached Zac. It was not until she smelled a light whisky scent coming from him that she noticed the glass of whisky in his hand.

'He's drinking alcohol?' Essie thought to herself.

Thinking of how she saw Leila having dinner all alone in the restaurant in the afternoon, Essie guessed that they might have quarreled with each other. And they must have had a big fight this time. "Have you eaten? Do you want some noodles?" Essie said in a soothing tone.

Zac turned around to face her.

In the dead of night, the expression on his face was hard to read, and his eyes looked gloomy and cold as they shone in the darkness.

Essie shivered, suddenly feeling chilly.

"Zac, women always lack a sense of security. I think you'd better get married as soon as possible, so that you won't always fight with each other." Essie tried to give him a reassuring smile as she tried to steer the conversation towards what she wanted to say next.

"What do you mean?" Zac frowned. Her stupid mind was never in the same page as his.

Essie then took out a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator and handed it to Zac, hoping that it would help him calm down. However, instead of drinking it, he threw it onto the table. "Make it clear to me," he ordered.

She let out a small sigh and decided to be straightforward. "I wanted to tell you that this is the best time for us to set our relationship straight and for you to marry the person you really love."

Hearing her words, a muscle on Zac's face twitched violently.

He understood exactly what she meant.

"How?" he asked, pretending not to understand. He still had a fantasy in his heart.

Essie pursed her lips. She had no idea why she felt like there was some sort of unspeakable struggle in her heart, and why she felt like her heart was contradicting her, but since she didn't want to think about it anymore, she simply chose to ignore what she was feeling. "Let's go to the Civil Affairs Bureau sometime to go through the formality." Her low voice was like a thunderbolt in the living room, shattering Zac's every nerve and his fantasy.

"What about your parents?" Zac gritted his teeth, and the muscles around his lips tightened, but his voice remained as calm as the ocean right before a tsunami--quiet, but about to lose control at any moment and bring about storms.

"I will just explain to them that we are not of the same character." She said it in such a casual and natural way. It was as if she had already planned and thought it through.

The moonlight created a shadow in Zac's face and made him look obscure. Only his eyes seemed to be burning with anger. "Is it because Hanson didn't get married, and you feel a little hopeful again?" He clenched his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged. His breathing was heavy and short. In the afternoon, as soon as Leila got out of the restaurant, she called him and told him what she saw. She wanted to get rid of the hidden enemy in the cradle.

"Sooner or later, we will get divorced. It's better for us to end our relationship as soon as possible. Then we can freely pursue our own happiness." Essie lowered her voice. His expression was too complicated for her to understand. All she knew was it was not like what she had expected. There was no excitement, joy, or comfort on his face. She finally recognized the look on his face. It was pain!

Pain?

How could that be possible?

Why would he be in pain? He should be happy. Without her, he could be with Leila without any restrictions.

It was too dark outside, and she could not believe her eyes!

While Essie was still confused, Zac rushed to the bar counter, poured himself a large glass of whisky, and drank it all in one gulp.

The strong alcohol in the drink burned his throat.

"Do you really love him so much?" After his throat was burned by the alcohol, Zac's voice became extremely hoarse.

"Yes, I have been in love with him for five years. He is my dream, a huge part of my life! You also have..."

"Bang!" With a loud crisp sound, the glass in Zac's hand shattered to pieces, and the shards of glass scattered all over the place. Essie's voice was caught in her throat by the sudden explosion of sound. Blood dripped down from Zac's palm, and onto the floor, just like bright red roses blooming one after the other. His handsome face twisted in pain, and his eyebrows knitted together fiercely. There were several lines between his eyebrows. His eyes were as ferocious as those of an injured cheetah as he stared at Essie fiercely. It was as if he wanted to take her apart layer by layer until he could take out the soul inside her and see it clearly.

All of a sudden, Essie's face turned as pale as snow. It was the first time in her life that she had ever seen such a horrible expression. Fear and confusion bubbled up in her heart at the same time. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't make a sound.

Suddenly, he rushed towards her like a strong wind, grabbed her arm and lifted her up from the floor. Then he threw her on the sofa with much force.