Chapter 378: Disappear Without A Trace
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Those words were like a curse that caused her to be paralyzed with terror.
Above her body, the man’s breathing was heavy as he looked down at her like a tiger capturing its prey. The night light was still dim, and he was too close to her, so close that she could feel his chest moving. She could also feel his breath on her face. With the warmth of her clothes, she felt like he could shred her into pieces any time soon.
Rip her apart and eat her.
She knew that he always wanted her.
Not in the ordinary literal sense but… to sleep with her.
At this moment, his eyes were suppressing a brewing storm. She was all too familiar with his desire and addiction to abuse.
Xia Ling did not dare to provoke him in this state as she was afraid that he would do something to her. In her past life, too many painful experiences had given her enough lessons. Today, she did not dare to show a trace of rebelliousness.
Seeing that she was more obedient, the violent expression in his eyes faded. He touched her face with his hand and rubbed it for a long time. After that, he carried her and put her on the luxurious bed.
She shook her body a little in resistance as she did not want to sleep with him.
Pei Ziheng only glanced at her and warned her to quieten down with his expression.
They lied down together on the bed. Pei Ziheng pulled the large duvet to cover their bodies. “Xiao Ling.” He placed his hand around her waist, keeping her close to his chest. “You only belong to me.”
His voice was indisputable.
Xia Ling bit her lip strongly, and her body stiffened.
In her past life when she was imprisoned, he also hugged her to sleep like that. Usually, in the night, morning, or any time when he was in the mood, he would rape her. She remembered many times when she was awakened from her sleep and instinctively called in pain to refuse him, but all he showed was an unrelenting expression.
At that time, she was terrified to fall asleep as she never knew when and what she had to tolerate when she opened her eyes.
Now, the fear was back again.
Xia Ling was afraid that once she closed her eyes, Pei Ziheng would pulverize her and tear her into pieces.
Amidst the chaos and helplessness, she saw the faint glow on the carpet in front of the bed. It was the ring that Li Lei gave her which had a cold platinum texture. Unsurprisingly, she remembered that Li Lei also hugged her to sleep before. His heartbeat was as strong and powerful as Pei Ziheng’s, but his embrace was very warm and calming.
For two lives, the only thing she wished for was a peace of mind.
The heavens were very cruel as they made her lose what she had twice.
This period of time was very difficult for her, but it also passed by very slowly. If it weren’t for the ring next to the window, Xia Ling would have questioned whether Li Lei’s existence was a dream or an illusion created by her because she was desperate after being imprisoned by Pei Ziheng for such a long time. However, the radiance of the ring told her that it was not a dream. There was really a person in this world who was sincere and willing to give up his life to protect her.
[Xiao Ling, I love you.]
The sound of Li Lei’s voice echoed around the peach tree in the storm.
Unfortunately, she was unable to answer anymore.
Now, she was being hugged by a demon-like man, and she could only secretly glance at the ring pendant on the carpet in the dim night light like she was looking at a distant piece of driftwood of life.
It was the only source of warmth in the dark night.
With it, she knew that she was living in reality. It was already her second life, and she was not to be confused with her past life. In fact, she should not fall into the downward spiral of frightening hallucinations and nightmares of the past.
Li Lei, Li Lei…
Her eyes looked at the ring pendant without hesitation, and she recited the name of the person she loved in her heart. The two simple words seemed like a spell that dispelled the fear and uneasiness in her heart.
After a long night, she finally fell asleep.
When she woke up the next day, Pei Ziheng was no longer there. The other side of the bed was empty, causing her to wonder if the frightening event that happened last night was only her delusion. However, the physical touch was so real. In reality, she slept on the luxurious bed and not the corner of the carpet like she used to. The palm of her hand was empty. Now, the platinum ring pendant that she placed in her empty hand was lost without a trace.
Ring…
Where was the ring?
She turned her head to look at the spot on the carpet where she last saw the ring. However, the spot was empty, and the ring was not there.
Xia Ling panicked. She jumped out of bed and rushed forward. She knelt on the carpet and searched the area for a long time. Nothing… There was nothing! The ring had disappeared without a trace!
She was unwilling to give up and started doing a crazy search. She searched every nook and cranny of the bedroom, pulled out all of her clothes, and emptied the expensive jewelry and ornament box near the bed. She even searched the windows and below the bed. However, she still could not find it.
That platinum ring seemed as if it only existed in her dreams and disappeared without a trace after she woke up.
If it weren’t in the few cardboard boxes that she brought back from the apartment yesterday, she really wondered if she even brought back the ring in the first place.
However, at this time, she would rather not bring the ring back.
In that case, at least she knew it was safely in the original apartment unlike now as she did not know where Pei Ziheng placed it, and it was gone without a trace. She was scared that Pei Ziheng threw the ring away, and she would lose the testimony of her love with Li Lei.
She opened the bedroom door and stumbled out. As she was in a wreck of emotions, she tripped over her clothes and violently fell to the floor. There was a throbbing pain from her injury, and she felt that her bones were about to break again. However, she did not care much. She immediately climbed up and rushed downstairs.
Living room, dining room, kitchen…
Nowhere, it was nowhere to be found!
Her face was pale as she ran to the second floor to search for it room by room. She tried the study room, guest room, and tea room… With her shivering hands, she broke a vase by accident, overturned the wine rack, and even tore the famous painting on the wall.
Nanny Zhou was very shocked. “Miss Ye, what are you doing?”
“Nanny Zhou!” She looked as if she found a straw to clutch at. “Have you seen a platinum ring pendant? It’s about this big.” She used her hand to estimate the size. “I brought it back yesterday, and it was still in the bedroom last night.”
Nanny Zhou shook her head. “From last night until now, I did not enter your bedroom. Only Mister entered it. How about you ask him? I think he probably took it.”
Xia Ling heart sank. This was probably the worst possible outcome. In a flash, she felt as if all the energy in her body had been sapped, and she slowly sat on the sofa in the living room.
“How about you give Mister a call?” Nanny Zhou looked at her with concern. “If Mister really kept it, you can feel relieved.”
Feel relieved? She was in distress because he kept it!
However, now that the situation was like this, she could only call Pei Ziheng.