Untouched by Dust

"Go away! I don't want to see any of you!" Lola cried as she pushed Xiao Yun and the others out, then slammed the door shut. Leaning against the door, her body slowly slid to the floor.

Lola hugged her knees and sat on the ground, crying helplessly and in despair.

She had lived a lonely life for so long, and finally met someone she liked, someone she could marry and start her own little family with. Why did fate have to play such a cruel joke on her?

She lost her innocence as a child, when she was still too young to understand anything. What did she ever do wrong?

"Why does fate treat me this way? Why is my life so bitter?" Lola cried in utter despair, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, pouring out a lifetime of heartbreak.

After the initial wave of intense emotion passed, Lola cried for a while longer before gradually quieting down.

Her eyes shifted from grief to panic as she looked around the room draped in red silk. She murmured to herself, "No, I can't lose all this... Neil Zhao is my happiness for the rest of my life. I can't lose him, I can't! Yes, I was never defiled; Xiao Yun and Peony are lying to me. The two of them must be trying to stop my wedding, making up stories together. Yes, that must be it!"

Muttering to herself, Lola staggered to her feet. Even as a martial arts master, she nearly stumbled several times.

Barely able to stand, Lola crawled and clung to tables and chairs, finally collapsing in front of the dressing table.

In the mirror was a tear-streaked face, eyes swollen and filled with terror and dread at all she might lose.

"Today is my wedding day. Nothing can ruin or take away my happiness!" Lola grabbed the rouge box from the dressing table, sniffed, and wiped her tear-streaked makeup with a handkerchief, staring fiercely into the mirror.

Every time she wiped, she did so with such force, as if she wished she could rub away her very skin.

Once all the smudges were gone from her face, Lola tossed the handkerchief onto the dressing table. The once-white cloth was now stained with powder and, most strikingly, a vivid red lipstick mark.

That red mark made Lola recall that nightmarish evening—the blood on the bedsheet.

Suddenly, her eyes flashed with anger. She grabbed the handkerchief and tore at it viciously. "If I destroy this filthy thing, no one will know! No one will know!"

Lola ripped the handkerchief into shreds, scattering the pieces on the ground until it was unrecognizable.

Facing the mirror, Lola gazed at her own pale, bloodless face. Calmly, she picked up her rouge and forced a stiff, eerie smile at her reflection.

She reapplied powder, drew her brows, put on rouge and lipstick anew.

Slowly, a perfectly made-up face reappeared in the mirror. The makeup was like a mask, hiding all her sadness and helplessness.

Lola studied herself for a long time before finally setting down the makeup and calling her maids back in to fix her slightly messy hair.

The hairdresser busied herself with Lola's hair while Lola smiled with apparent happiness and anticipation. "Today is my wedding day. Do my hair well—my husband will surely love it."

"Yes, Young Madam, with your beauty, the young master will surely be pleased," the maid responded with a flattering smile.

Lola smiled too, hiding the bitterness and worry in her eyes. She gently touched her face, looking so pure and beautiful, like a blank canvas.

Just like every new bride, untainted by the dust of the world.