"So, will you tell me the reason why are we here?" Alexander stopped walking to look at her.

After Yan Xiaoran was done with her call, the two of them ended up walking around the lawn of a mansion.

This mansion was a huge one and designed by a famous architect. The hint of the modern-traditional design was the first thing that anyone who passed by would notice.

And despite looking so grandiose, the mansion looked abandoned. The massive iron gate was left open as if to invite burglars to come and make it their home base.

"I'm reminiscing the past." Yan Xiaoran also stopped walking and looked at the starry night.

Seeing how her shoulders trembled even though her lips were smiling, Alexander could tell that the past she was remembering was not filled with flowers and smiles.

Time ticked and seconds passed. Yan Xiaoran remained silent even after a full minute was wasted.

Alexander figured she wouldn't speak and the silence that continued to stretch would only stay longer between them. So, he decided to open his mouth by then. "I'm here not to become a light pole. You can tell me anything and I promise, I will listen."

Although Alexander already investigated the things that happened to her, the matters that were kept inside the walls of the Zhao family's mansion was something that not even him could find out.

He tried but he failed to know the details of what the Zhao family did to Yan Xiaoran. The Zhao family was too discrete when it comes to things that happened inside their homes and no records were left behind. Although there were witnesses, it wasn't enough since words could be twisted.

That is why Alexander wanted to hear her story from her mouth rather than hear it from someone else.

But if Yan Xiaoran chose to keep quiet about it, then, Alexander will respect her decision.

Breathing deeply. Yan Xiaoran blinked away the tears that threatened to slip from her eyes. Then, when she was ready to speak, she sighed and said, "It will probably take a few days for me to tell my story. And time is ticking so, instead of the full story, why don't I give you a sneak peek?"

"Of what sort?" Asked Alexander. He was unsure what she has in store for him.

"Something depressing but memorable." Was what Yan Xiaoran told him before she held onto his elbow and guided him inside the mansion.

They walked a few minutes through several corridors where doors lined up in an equal interval before they stopped before a door in the narrowest hallway in the entire mansion with only the light from the moon lighting their path.

Yan Xiaoran reached for the knob. Her hands were trembling but she was determined to open the door that leads to her horrible past.

The door creaked loudly. Yan Xiaoran was actually surprised that this door was left unlocked. It seems that the Zhao family deemed it not worth locking anymore since the person they're keeping behind this door was not there anymore.

Yan Xiaoran slowly pushed the door open.

At first, Alexander thought that what was behind the door was a room. However, when the door opened, a stair leading downstairs was revealed.

And instead of explaining why Yan Xiaoran wanted to show the cellar of the mansion, she lifted a foot so she could walk on the stairs.

And just when she was about to take her first step, a hand grabbed her by the elbow. Alexander pulled her back and held her in his arms.

He didn't know why but the moment he realized that the place she wanted to show him was an underground cellar, his heart couldn't help but break into tiny pieces.

"I'm sorry." He whispered by her ear, "I'm sorry.", He continued to repeat these two words.

Alexander's arms around her waist tightened as if he was the one afraid of the things he will see downstairs.

"Why are you sorry? You're not the one who kept me locked up inside this place. You're not the one who deprived me of what the world could give me and kept me starved for days." Yan Xiaoran put a hand on his forearm that was wrapped around her waist.

"But now it's all in the past." Yan Xiaoran continued. She could see a vision of herself banging on the door and trying to escape the room that deprived her of her freedom.

She knew that she shouldn't be wasting her time here. She should be sending commands to her people and tell them to finish the job but the moment she saw the Zhao family's manor, the urge to get inside it and see what it looked like after five years of being not locked in it felt so raw and intense.

Two years ago, Alexander's courage to tell her his story fascinated her. His voice sounded like a lullaby when he was telling the life of a boy facing a gruesome environment and in search of a girl he loved was surreal.

It was such an inspiring story that Yan Xiaoran became jealous over it because she couldn't do the same. She was a coward in the past. She couldn't bring herself to tell her story to him and waited for two years to do it.

But she's ready now.

Yet, it seems that it was Alexander who wasn't prepared for what she will tell him.

She felt his shoulders trembling. She didn't know whether it was because he was crying or he was angry about the truth that she kept from him. But knowing how much it affected him, Yan Xiaoran couldn't help but feel like she wanted to comfort him and tell him that the girl who lived in the cellar was gone.

She survived and was now living the life she wanted. That she's strong enough to destroy the people who locked her up. That she married the most handsome and gentle husband in the world.

Stepping away from his embrace, Yan Xiaoran said, "Well, enough with that." She held his hand and pulled him away from the cellar, "It's almost time for us to enjoy the show."