Qin Tianyi stiffened, and the next moment reached out and gripped her neck, "Are you this shameless and casual!"
Gu Susu felt her breathing falter, regretting her insincere words from earlier.
He had actually taken everything she said seriously.
Her eyes flickered as she looked at him, wanting to explain, but then she changed her mind and said, "If these messy affairs of mine are unbearable for you, you can divorce me. I'll leave with nothing, not taking a single cent from you."
"You want to divorce me that badly, who is waiting to marry you?" Qin Tianyi's gaze flickered, his hatred for her undisguised.
"No, why must I marry a man?" Gu Susu seemed to see a glimmer of hope; perhaps he would agree to divorce her in a fit of anger.
"Yes, without the constraints of marriage, you can more easily seduce men."
His harsh words made her heart ache.
"Trying to provoke me into divorcing you, can't even handle a few words like this?" Qin Tianyi saw through her thoughts and sneered.
Gu Susu's eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, and tears of stubborn grievance flowed uncontrollably.
But Qin Tianyi instantly flipped over and pressed down on her again, kissing her eyes dominantly, sealing her tears.
Gu Susu immediately realized he was about to make his move again, wanting to escape, to avoid.
He gave her no room to escape, instead pressing down even more tightly.
All her strength had been drained, and she was too weak to resist, being consumed by him ruthlessly once more…
"You are mine! I want to brand you all over with my mark!"
"I won't let you seduce other men!"
"Don't even think about escaping my grasp!"
…
Gu Susu was awakened by the voices constantly echoing in her ears. She opened her eyes to find she was alone in the bed.
Qin Tianyi was long gone from the room, but the angry voices seemed to still linger around her ears.
She couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality, only remembering being exhausted by him and falling asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Every part of her body ached. She tightly clutched the blanket covering her and sat up with difficulty, her legs hurting terribly even when she moved them.
She looked down and saw visible teeth marks and bruises.
This was not what should happen between husband and wife; it was his humiliation of her.
Gu Susu felt immense heartache. He knew her past, and there was no longer any tenderness for her.
In his eyes and heart, she was already a preconceived notion, seen as a promiscuous, dirty woman, merely a tool for his release.
She was disheartened. Now, for Xiao Xingxing, there was no other way but to endure the humiliation.
Even if it hurt, she wanted to try and get off the bed herself.
"Young Madam, don't move, lie down and rest." Chen Ma pushed the door open, seeing that Gu Susu had woken up.
She didn't want anyone to see her in such a disheveled state, even Chen Ma. She just wanted to cover herself.
"Don't come over, I can do it myself."
Chen Ma walked to the bedside with a gentle smile and handed her the clothes beside her, saying, "Young Madam, I've been through this. When the Young Master took the Young Master out to eat, he told me that he might have hurt you and asked me to call the family doctor."
Gu Susu asked nervously, "Tianyi took Xiao Xingxing out? Where did he take him?"
"The Young Master said he wanted to go to the restaurant with the pirate ship. The Young Master is taking him to dinner, and they'll be back later." Chen Ma helped her with her clothes, sighing inwardly that the Young Master really didn't know how to cherish people.
Gu Susu felt distressed. Xiao Xingxing was getting closer and closer to Qin Tianyi. Qin Tianyi's methods were too clever; he would completely snatch Xiao Xingxing away from her.
Seeing her dazed expression, Chen Ma gently stroked her back and said, "Young Madam, may I have the doctor come in to see you?"
"Doctor? What doctor? I'm not sick, why see a doctor?" Gu Susu said defensively.
"Young Madam, don't worry, it's a female doctor. Think about the long future you have with the Young Master. If you get injured somewhere, you need to treat it quickly."
"No need, let me be alone for a while." Gu Susu still refused.
Chen Ma couldn't help but feel troubled, rubbing her hands and saying, "Young Madam, the Young Master instructed that this doctor must see you. Otherwise… otherwise…" Chen Ma trailed off.
Gu Susu looked up at Chen Ma and asked, "Otherwise, what does he want?"
Chen Ma lowered her eyes, not looking at her, and said, "The Young Master said that if you don't see the doctor, he'll send the Young Master to boarding school and you won't be allowed to see him anymore."
Gu Susu clutched the blanket tightly with both hands. How could he, how could he threaten her with the child like this!
Seeing that she was silent again, Chen Ma quickly said, "I'll go call the doctor in," and turned to leave.
After Qin Tianyi's private doctor left, Chen Ma brought her something to eat, but she couldn't swallow a bite. She lay in bed, hiding under the covers, crying alone.
As she was dozing off, she heard movement outside the room, sounding like Xiao Xingxing singing.
She lifted the blanket, trying to hear more clearly. At that moment, voices came from outside the door.
"I want to show Mommy my new toy." Xiao Xingxing excitedly ran to Gu Susu's door and was about to raise his small hand to knock.
Qin Tianyi stopped him and said, "Mommy isn't feeling well today and is probably asleep. Shouldn't we not disturb her?"
Xiao Xingxing could already tell time. He looked up at the clock on the wall and said, "Mommy is sleeping so early. But I wanted her to tell me a story before I sleep."
Qin Tianyi smiled and picked him up, saying, "What story do you want to hear? I'll tell it to you tonight. We'll let Mommy tell it when she's feeling better."
"Okay." Xiao Xingxing also hugged his neck and said, "Daddy, tonight I want to hear… I want to hear the story of 'The Little Mermaid'."
"I can tell that one." Qin Tianyi carried him upstairs.
Gu Susu listened as Xiao Xingxing's voice gradually faded, her heart filled with an indescribable feeling.
If Qin Tianyi was sincere towards Xiao Xingxing, and not using him as a tool to threaten her, perhaps letting Xiao Xingxing stay here would allow him to grow up in the best environment.
She only feared that one day Xiao Xingxing would learn the truth, and it would cause him great harm.
Her hands clenched into fists. She felt that she could no longer let Qin Tianyi control them like this. She had to find a way to fight back.
If Qin Tianyi lost his current power, he wouldn't be able to treat her as he pleased. Perhaps she could reclaim her child from his hands.
…
After Qin Tianyi finished telling Xiao Xingxing a bedtime story and coaxing him to sleep, he went to the study and called Chen Ma over.
Chen Ma truthfully told him that the doctor had seen Gu Susu, applied medicine, and handed him the examination report left by the doctor.
Qin Tianyi glanced at the report without reading it and tossed it onto the desk. He said to Chen Ma, "Good, I understand. It's late, you should get some rest too."
Chen Ma couldn't help but say, "Young Master, you must also feel bad after hurting Young Madam. You should be gentle with the person you love, so that Young Madam knows you care about her and cherish her."