Rebirth: My Reclusive Husband Helps Me Get Revenge!-Chapter 33: I’m willing to share your pain, don’t shut me out

Lixue was still trying to compose herself as she made her way to the elevator, wiping away the remnants of her tears. The weight of everything she’d just shared with her mother hung heavily on her, and she felt a little lighter yet exhausted. As the elevator doors opened, she wasn’t expecting to see him—Mo Ran.

Her breath caught as he stepped forward, his expression filled with concern, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of distress.

"Lixue, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Who hurt you? Tell me, and I’ll take care of them..."

Before she could say a word, Mo Ran had pulled her into a gentle embrace, his hands moving instinctively to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Lixue froze for a moment, caught off guard by his sudden appearance, but her lips curled into a faint, shaky smile. She couldn’t help it—his concern was so unexpected, so genuine, that she found herself laughing lightly through her tears.

"Are you a monitoring spirit? How did you know I was here?" she asked, her voice still thick with emotion.

Mo Ran’s brow furrowed, though his arms remained around her. He seemed both relieved and exasperated. "..."

He sighed, letting go of her for a moment but keeping his hand gently on her shoulder as if to keep her from stepping back. "I got a report that you were in the hospital. Do you know how worried I was? I thought something bad had happened to you. I’m your husband. Why don’t you tell me about your whereabouts first?"

Lixue tilted her head slightly, an almost apologetic look in her eyes. "... I didn’t think it mattered?"

Her words hung in the air between them, the soft hum of the elevator the only sound as she looked at him, a bit embarrassed but also a little confused by her own reaction. She hadn’t thought it mattered, hadn’t realized it would make a difference to him if she didn’t mention where she was.

Mo Ran’s expression softened at her words, and he took another step closer to her, his hand now resting gently on her cheek. "Of course it matters. You’re important to me, Lixue. If you’re ever upset or hurt, I want to be there for you. You don’t have to carry everything on your own."

The tenderness in his tone took Lixue by surprise. For a moment, she just stared at him, wondering if she had misjudged him before. In all her fears, in all the uncertainty, she hadn’t realized that there was someone—her husband—who was actually worried about her, who actually cared.

"I..." she started, but the words caught in her throat. What could she say? She had just bared her heart to her mother, now she had to explain why she was so emotional in front of him.

Mo Ran seemed to read her hesitation, his thumb gently tracing her cheek in a soothing, almost comforting motion. "You don’t have to explain yourself if you’re not ready. But if you ever do, I’ll be here."

Lixue swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. She could feel the weight of everything she’d just unloaded on her mother, but here, with Mo Ran, she found herself unexpectedly grateful. Maybe this marriage hadn’t been just a binding of contracts and expectations. Maybe, just maybe, there was something genuine here, something she could hold on to.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice still shaky but sincere.

Mo Ran nodded, his gaze soft but firm. "No need to thank me. Just promise me you won’t hide things like this from me again, okay?"

Lixue nodded, a small, tired smile crossing her lips. "Okay."

As the elevator doors closed, the two stood in silence for a moment, the tension between them easing, just a little. Lixue’s heart was still heavy with the weight of her past, but for the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of hope, of something more than just the obligations they had to each other.

Mo Ran turned to her, his expression softening even further. "Now, let’s get you home. We’ll talk more if you want, but for now, just rest. You’ve had a long day."

Lixue nodded again, her mind swirling, but this time, she didn’t feel so alone. Maybe things were slowly getting better, one step at a time.

"Thanks," she whispered once more as the elevator descended, taking her away from the hospital but bringing her closer to whatever future she might have with Mo Ran.

The night air was cool as they walked to the car, and Lixue felt her breath steadying, the rhythm of it calming her racing thoughts. She didn’t want to think about her mother right now. She didn’t want to think about Yu Jia, about the lies, about everything that had been tangled up in her life.

Mo Ran opened the car door for her, the quiet gesture pulling her from her thoughts. "Come on," he said. "Let’s get you something to eat. You must be exhausted."

"I’m fine," Lixue said, shaking her head. "I’m just... not hungry."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "You need something. I don’t want you running on empty."

She couldn’t bring herself to argue, and so, with a soft sigh, she slid into the car. Mo Ran got in next to her, starting the engine with an ease that made her feel like she could breathe again.

The car moved through the city streets, the lights flashing past in a blur, and for a while, neither of them spoke. But the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It was like a space they both shared, filled with the weight of everything neither of them had said yet. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I don’t need to be coddled," Lixue murmured after a long moment. "I’m fine, Mo Ran."

He glanced at her, his gaze soft, yet unwavering. "You don’t have to be fine all the time, Lixue. I’m here. You don’t have to carry everything on your own."

The words felt like a quiet release in her chest. She wasn’t used to letting anyone in, certainly not like this, but there was something in his tone that made it impossible to push him away.

"I just... I don’t want to burden you," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "You have enough to deal with."

Mo Ran’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, and he was silent for a moment before he spoke again, his voice gentle but firm. "Lixue, you’re not a burden. I married you because I wanted to, I’m willing to share your pain Lixue, don’t shut me out."

The sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten. She turned her head to look at him, and for the first time, really looked at him—not the businessman, not the man who had been her husband by circumstance, but the man who was standing beside her now, offering her everything she had been too afraid to ask for.

"Why me?" she asked before she could stop herself. "Why are you doing this?"

Mo Ran’s lips quirked up into a small, soft smile. "Maybe it’s fate. Maybe it’s because I need you more than I realized. Maybe... maybe you need me too."