Make You Kneel Again

The day Richard Lu lost everything, I got engaged to his greatest rival.
He had begged me, his voice choked with tears, asking what happened to the love I’d sworn to him.
I laughed, my voice dripping with cruelty. It was just a game, Richard. Don't tell me you actually fell for it. Can't handle losing?
On that rainy night, I ground his pride into the mud beneath my heel.
Four years later, he returned, more powerful than ever, and dedicated himself to destroying me.
But when he finally learned the truth, he broke down, his eyes red with weeping, and begged for my forgiveness once more.

1
Our reunion was anything but glamorous.
A torrential downpour had just started, and his car hit me. I was a mess. My pale yellow dress was splattered with mud, and my knee and palm were stinging sharply.
Someone helped me into the back of the car. I was about to give the driver a piece of my mind when I saw him, sitting silently in the corner. Richard Lu.
He wore an immaculately tailored suit, not a single crease out of place. His brow furrowed the moment he saw me. It was a look of pure, undiluted disgust, the kind of impatience that said even looking at me was an insult, a stain on his vision.
He used to reserve that look for his fawning admirers. Now, it was my turn.
I caught my reflection in the window. My hair was plastered to my head, my cheek scraped raw. In the five years we were together, even when he was at his lowest, working himself to the bone on construction sites, I’d never looked this pathetic.
Richard’s gaze swept over me for a fraction of a second, his lips tightening before he closed his eyes, dismissing me completely.
I had no desire to speak to him either. I slowly, deliberately, massaged my injured knee. God, it throbbed.
By the time we reached the hospital, the pain was worse, and small blossoms of blood had started to stain my dress. I got out of the car without a word, limping heavily.
"And your fiancé?" Richard’s voice, cold and detached, stopped me. "Aren't you going to tell him you're hurt?"
My hand froze on the car door. I let a small, tight smile touch my lips. "He's busy. I wouldn't dream of distracting him."
For a moment, he hesitated, then his mask of indifference fell back into place.
I couldn't help but remember the old Richard. The one who was on call for me 24/7, 365 days a year. A machine gets to recharge, but I often kept him up all night with my whims. The worst time, he stood in the freezing autumn rain for an entire night because he hadn't managed to buy the roast duck from that one place across town, and I’d threatened to break up with him over it.
Everyone said I was impossible, that he should leave me. But he never let go. In our relationship, he was always the one who needed me more.
That’s why the day I finally left him, the pain had been so visceral, so absolute. I had shattered his pride, torn it to shreds, and still, he couldn't believe I didn't want him anymore.
He could have fallen for anyone. But for his first love, he chose a liar like me.

2
When I came out of the hospital, Richard's car was gone. His assistant was waiting by the entrance to drive me home.
My fiancé, Kevin Sterling, saw my bandages and leaned in, his eyes wide with morbid curiosity.
"Well, well. You're hurt. That's a new one!"
His voice grew louder, laced with amusement. "Richard Lu is back, isn't he? It was him!" Kevin roared with laughter. "Aurora, you are so screwed! Your ex is back for revenge. The way you treated him back then… it was cruel enough to make a devil shake its head."
"Do you want Sterling Construction to go bankrupt?" I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
The next morning, I woke up to Kevin's frantic shouting.
"Aurora, you've ruined me! That lunatic Richard Lu is launching a hostile takeover of Sterling Construction!"
He was serious. He’d already acquired a majority of the shares.
"I'll tell him the truth! I'll tell him why you really left him!" Kevin threatened when he saw my lack of reaction.
With a sigh, I dialed a number I knew by heart. I hadn't consciously thought of it in four years, but my fingers moved with an eerie familiarity. I never expected it to connect. It was five in the morning; he should have been on his morning run.
"Hello."
His voice, cool and distant, came through the line. My fingers froze. A second later, I hung up.
"Damn it! Aurora, are you insane?!" Kevin yelled in my ear. "It went through! Why did you hang up?!"
A moment later, the number called back.

3
Kevin snatched the phone from my hand and answered.
"Aurora, I know it's you."
Richard's detached voice echoed in the bedroom. My mind went blank. I'd changed my number years ago.
"Richard, Aurora wants to see you," Kevin blurted out.
The breathing on the other end of the line hitched.
"Is Kevin Sterling with you?"
He was jumping to conclusions, but I had no intention of correcting him. "Of course. Is it so strange for me to be with my own fiancé?"
Please, Richard, I thought. Misunderstand me. Hate my guts. It's better for both of us.
"Good," Richard’s voice was a low snarl. "That's just perfect." He hung up.
I stared at the phone, stunned. Five minutes later, a text message arrived.
[If you want to save Sterling Construction, be at the old place. 2 p.m.]
When I arrived at the private club, Richard was staring into a glass of whiskey. Sitting beside him was Mia, my old nemesis. She was leaning in, lighting a cigarette for him with a fawning smile.
Richard, who was famously obsessed with cleanliness, took it without hesitation.
My brow twitched.
The old Richard used to speak of Mia with utter disgust. He would actively avoid any place she might be. His reason? A good boyfriend doesn't entertain other women. He doesn't give his admirers false hope. He doesn't give his girlfriend a reason to be jealous or worried.
And what had I done back then?
I'd smashed a piece of cake in his face. "Richard, get a grip. You think I'd be jealous?"
He hadn't cared about the cream dripping down his cheek. He had just quietly called his assistant and asked him to bring another slice of strawberry cake.

4
I chose a seat as far away from Richard as possible, but the acrid smell of smoke still drifted over, catching in my throat. I couldn't stop myself from coughing.
"Richard," Mia whined, shooting me a dirty look. "Someone's here to ruin the mood."
"Then I'll leave," I said, grabbing my bag and turning to go without a second glance.
CRASH. Richard hurled his glass against the wall. He stalked toward me, each step heavy and deliberate. The closer he got, the more I coughed.
He stared down at me for a few long seconds before grinding the cigarette out in an ashtray.
"Did I say you could leave?"
"Get away from me," I snapped, covering my nose, my face a mask of revulsion. "You reek of smoke. It's disgusting."
A cold smirk played on his lips, but he did take a step back.
"Richard, have you forgotten how she treated you?" Mia scurried over, clinging to his arm. Richard's frown was almost imperceptible, but he allowed it.
"Don't let her fool you again," Mia pleaded.
"Then what do you think I should do?" Richard asked, his voice low as he looked down at her.
"Punish her, of course," Mia said, her face lighting up with malicious glee. "I hear the bungee jumping at Crestview Mountain is incredible!"
At the mention of bungee jumping, the color drained from my face.
A flicker of surprise crossed Richard's eyes, but he nodded, accepting Mia's suggestion. "You jump, and I'll spare the Sterling family."

5
"Fine," I said, forcing a smile as I suppressed the terror rising in my throat.
Richard's expression grew even darker as he emotionlessly motioned for the staff to bring the equipment.
I clutched my bag. If he had threatened me like this four years ago, I would have slapped him twice, and he would have asked if my hand hurt.
Now, the tables had turned.
"You regret it now, don't you, Aurora?" Mia taunted as a staff member strapped the harness around my waist. "Too bad. Richard sees you for what you really are."
"Thank you for being so blind," I shot back.
"Are you done? You seem to love picking up my leftovers." I let out a short, sharp laugh. "I never loved Richard. Not for a second. He's all yours."
"Richard!" Mia cried out, overjoyed. "Did you hear that? She's a heartless monster."
"I've known that for a long time," Richard replied, his voice as cold as a winter night.
The harness was painfully tight, digging into my waist as if trying to snap my spine in two. But that was nothing compared to the sheer terror of standing on the edge of the cliff.

6
The wind howled in my ears, and the sun beat down mercilessly. I wiped a bead of sweat from my temple and gave a slight nod.
The next second, I was pushed.
The wind ripped past my lips, my ears, my eyes, a physical force tearing at my chest. Compared to the minor scrapes from yesterday, this was a new level of hell. My ears were ringing, and my head felt like it was being split open with a hammer.
After what felt like an eternity, they pulled me back up. My legs were so weak I nearly collapsed.
"Tsk. And here I thought you were so tough, Aurora." Mia leaned in, her voice dripping with scorn. "Look at you, pale as a ghost. Scared, are we? I suggest you stop embarrassing yourself and get lost!"
My vision was a blur of gray. I couldn't make out her words.
"Does your promise still stand?" That was all I cared about.
"Richard, she only cares about her fiancé!" Mia muttered to someone behind me.
I turned my head slightly, my eyes unable to focus. "Richard. Your promise. Does it stand?"
There was a long silence before he finally spoke.
"Yes."
Relief washed over me. At the same time, a warm trickle ran from my nose.
I heard Mia's gasp. "Aurora, you're bleeding!"
I tried to answer, but my head spun, and the world went dark. Just before I passed out, I caught the clean, sharp scent of pine.
"Aurora!"
The hands that caught me were trembling. The voice that called for an ambulance was shaking uncontrollably.

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