Stealing the Wrong Bride

2

Under the bright, silver rays of a clear, full moon, a severely bloody and batter woman is limping/running away from the Liao manor with a small weeping child clinging to her right hand. The lady's face is all bruised and bloody. In fact, it could barely be seen because of the swelling and blood. The lady also has a deep severe cut on the side of her abdomen. The lady tried her best to lessen the amount of blood that leaked from the wound by pressing her left hand to the wound, but it was to no avail. The wound is too big. So it only took a matter of seconds for blood to filled her hand and seep thru the gaps of her fingers.

With the amount of blood she is losing and the radiating pain, the injured lady wanted to continue running, but she couldn't will her body to run any faster and eventually collapsed on her knees by the edge of a thick mountain.

"mama", the little boy softly cries as he wraps his tiny, pale arms around the wounded lady's right hand, trying and failing to support her up.

Seeing tears drop from the little boy's eyes and the big red bruise on his tiny cheek, the wounded lady took in a harsh breath, clench her wound and then tried her best to put on a smile for the boy. But, contrary to what the wounded lady was hoping for, her smile only made her face appear more wounded than it already is, and this caused more tears to fall from the little boy's light auburn eyes.

---

"Zuzu... mama is okay.", The wounded lady softly speaks, hoping to comfort the weeping child at least a little bit.

With tears still dripping from his eyes and his trembling hands tightly wrapped around the wounded lady's right hand, the little boy quietly chokes out, "hic.p... promise?"

"Promise." The wounded lady says with a weak smile and tries to get up.

However, just as she managed to finally push herself up, a cold snicker from behind them caused the lady to almost collapse again.

---

"Did you really think you could get away!"

The wounded lady immediately turns her head towards the chilly snicker and sees a group of two men and a women smirking and glaring at them.

As the wounded lady watch the well-dressed woman shift her gaze from the wounded lady to the teary eyed little boy beside her, she abruptly pushes the little boy behind her and pleads, "Please believe me, we don't want any part of Master Liao's wealth or title. We won't let anyone know of what you have done to us either. Please let us go. He's just a child. Please."

"Do you really think I am doing this behind my husband's back." The well-dressed lady smirks in return.

Widening her eyes in disbelief, the wounded lady quickly utters out, "You're lying. He promised. He let us stay. He-", the well-dressed woman quickly cuts her off with a loud, disgusted laugh.

"No one wants a bastard tie to their name. Especially one of such low status. Did you really think Lord Liao would choose a peasant like you two over me and my child. It is because of me that he is who he is today. Without my father, he will still be a peasant like you. Therefore, if I wish for it, he will never say no." The well-dressed lady proudly declared with clear eyes, before abruptly narrowing her eyes and hiss out, "...and I want that bastard dead."

---

Having known Liao Chun for quite some time, no matter how much the wounded lady wanted to tell herself that the well-dressed lady is lying, she knew it was probably the truth. Because, just like the time Liao Chun chose the Ling family over her and her child, and the time, Chun told her to conceal their child and marriage from the Ling family, if Liao Chun is ever faced with a choice between them (the wounded lady and her child) or his status and title, he will without a doubt choose the latter.