"First you guys don"t even inform me, forget inviting me and then you expect me to join you all for dinner. What do you take me for?" he paused to see everyone look embarra.s.sed."Of course I am joining you. I am gate cras.h.i.+ng the b.l.o.o.d.y party and you all better be ready to make up for ostracising me", he laughed.
At the sound of the bell, he leaped up before anyone could react. He couldn"t wait to see her. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, only to have his jaw drop.
"How come…?" he gaped at Wei standing at the entrance.
"Uh, I am, that is…" Wei was also taken aback and struggled to get the words out.
"I don"t understand. I didn"t tell Mei Zhen that I was coming here. So how did you know that I was going to be here?" Tang frowned.
"He is here because I invited him. He is my boss," Jia Li spoke from the corridor.
"He is your whatttttt?" Tang spoke uncomprehendingly, looking from one to another.
"Let"s go in and talk please," she swept past both the men and entered the room.
Keeping her icy cold hands behind her back, she faced him.
"Can someone tell me what is going on? Why am I…" she cut off his questions by addressing Chung"s wife.
"Le, why don"t you all go ahead and start with dinner? I am sure all that swimming has made Hua ravenous. I will see you guys downstairs," she said nervously.
"I am staying back," Wei said resolutely.
Jia Li looked at him pleadingly and shook her head. Everyone filtered out slowly. She could feel the impatience and more radiating from Tang.
"Care to finally tell me what"s going on?" he crossed his arms.
She stared at the taut fabric of his s.h.i.+rt stretching on his chest. A beat later, she reached for his arm and tried to pull him towards the sofa.
"Your hands are freezing. Is the blood pressure low again? When was the last time you ate? Or did you overexert yourself in the water?" he reacted immediately as their palms touched and he rubbed hers vigorously, to get the circulation back.
"My BP is fine. I guess I am just nervous of what"s to come. Tang, I am asking for your forgiveness beforehand. After you hear me out, maybe you won"t be in a forgiving mood. All I am begging for, is for you to listen fully before you react," she started.
Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her against the wall, "can you get to the point? You are scaring me now. What is wrong?"
"I have separated from Fu. Our divorce came through recently. I didn"t go to Africa but went back to Moganshan because I needed sometime for myself, by myself. Few months ago, I ran into Wei who had come scouting for a suitable location for his project. He offered me the position to establish the Language Inst.i.tute and I agreed. I know that I should have told you all of the above but I couldn"t bring myself to do it. The way we had parted before your wedding was a sign for me to stay away from your newly married life. I know that had you known any of it, you would have tried to contact me to comfort or help. But I didn"t want to face you that time. I begged Li Jie, Wei and Chung to not mention this to you. Please don"t blame them for this," she spoke in a rush, wanting to get everything out in one go.
When he didn"t say anything for the next few moments, she looked at him uncertainly.
His accusing eyes met hers, "just answer my one question. Were you separated from your husband when you came for my wedding?"
She nodded her head mutely, miserably, eyes lowered.
He pushed her hard against the wall, tipping up her chin and shouted, "why? Why the h.e.l.l did you not tell me? Did I not deserve to know? Our lives would have been so different…I would have waited. Tell me why."
Unable to hold the contact with his eyes, she buried her face in his coat "I am sorry. You deserved more, much more than me. Mei Zhen is perfectly matched for you in every way possible. I only wanted what"s best for you and your family."
He banged his fist against the wall in frustration.
"Was that not my decision? Who the h.e.l.l gave you the choose to decide on my behalf? I can"t believe it…not only did you betray me, my trust, but also our chance at a future together," he screamed.
"Your hand is bleeding…just, please calm down. Say what you have to, but let me look at that wound for a second," she pleaded as he s.h.i.+rked his hand away.
"I still can"t believe it. d.a.m.n you! How could you not see my feelings for you when you came for the wedding? Were you that blinded by your sense of martyrdom?" he ranted.