To all my lovely readers,

There is only one word that I can utter to tell you how I feel: SORRY! This is probably not enough (of course it isn't) to have made you wait for so long. But you are in for a great surprise or a shock – it's in the way you interpret it.

Well for one, I have not abandoned Married? just like that. However, I am rewriting it. I am rewriting it so, so that you will have a clearer image of what is actually happening and what has happened in the past (in the story). There is no excuse I can give you, for my late update, except that I have had some schoolwork to attend to. But that is a pathetic excuse, so please do not take that into consideration.

There is, of course, something that has been bothering me for some time. This, however, is something I would rather keep to myself. If you will, please let me continue writing. I can't make promises because I have started to believe in the saying: promises are made to be broken. However, I can try to: be more careful with my chapters, have a beta-reader go through them before updating, not add too much drama into the story, and make my intentions clearer.

I must probably warn you: my writing style might be totally different, and the storyline has been changed a little. Actually, a lot. I do hope you're fine with this.

Thank you for listening. You may now read the prologue. This isn't much, but the first chapter is on its way. I will also try to update on a regular basis.

Married?

by: xArcherx

Prologue

"It's all right. Really. I'll…I'll just go visit Mother. It's been a while since I last saw her." Syaoran gave her what he hoped was a convincing smile.

However, she wasn't convinced. "Xiao Lang, I really think that if there is anyone who has to leave, it's me. This is all my fault, I—"

He silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. She stopped and waited, looking up at him with eyes full of guilt. Oh, how he hated that look! He searched for the right words to utter, words that would make both of them feel better. He could feel himself going cold; he knew he was changing already. He was changing back to what he had been until she – he looked down at the girl in front of him and smiled a little – came along and influenced him with her cheerful optimism and her innocence.

He put a hand on her hair and ruffled it gently. "Sakura, it's fine. In fact, it is actually a good thing that you told me how you really feel. We have been living a lie for so long." She was not oblivious to the bitter tone in his voice. "We don't want that, do we? So it would be best if the both of us just parted ways."

Had that been the right thing to say? He took a good look at her, wondering what she was thinking about. Most of the time, it was so easy to read her – her face was like a book. But all that he could discern from her face right then was plain misery and that guilt again. He sighed, unconsciously gaining her attention. She stared at him, her eyes wide, and suddenly—

"You are upset!" she cried out, interpreting his sigh wrongly. He looked both startled and confused. "Of course you are. You thought my feelings for you were real for so long…" she murmured, trailing away and looking lost. Syaoran ran a hand through his hair, a clear sign of frustration. He could not comprehend what she was trying to say.

"Sakura, listen to me." He said clearly, enunciating each word. He took both her hands in his and held them tightly. "We cannot live this way anymore! Our feelings are not real." He knew that was untrue. His feelings for her were completely genuine. She did not feel the same. "We have to move on. We need to begin our lives afresh. And for that, we need to pretend that we are not—" his lips quivered, "—married."

"Xiao Lang, I—" she stopped and let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry."

He assured it was fine, although deep inside he couldn't help but wonder where he had gone wrong. He knew he could not put the blame on her, even though she was begging him to. How could he blame the only person he cared for? He chuckled quietly; bitterly. It was all over. She wasn't his Sakura anymore. She was just Sakura.

"Sakura, will you do me a favour?" her immediate attention was overwhelming. He smiled yet again, trying to ease away the tension in the atmosphere. "Will you…will you keep your ring with you until…until everything is back to normal?"

"I promise."

His smile widened. "That is all I need."

He knew he could never smile again – for anyone. She was the first and the last one to open his heart; to make him see the world in a different way; to make him live his life cheerfully; to make him understand how much better life seemed once you let the warmth and care for the people you love flow out.

Nobody would replace her. He wouldn't let any other woman steal his heart and break it again. It was just too painful. He would live his life alone – even if it meant giving up everything he had grown so fond of.

Sakura had left behind a great impact on his life. But it did not last long. Unconsciously, he started to change; change back into the grumpy person he used to be. It did not affect him in any way, save for the fact that he sometimes pondered whether she would be upset with how he had turned out. But he always reminded himself on time, that no matter what, she didn't belong to him anymore.

Their marriage had been a lie – an alibi to prove that they were SoulMates. Li Syaoran knew he had been fooled. His pride hurt, and his life spoilt, he turned to the one solace he knew: solitude.

If I am not mistaken, that chapter was tragic. But then again, I suppose you were expecting it. I don't have the heart to put "Angst" in the genre, so I hope you don't mind. Thank you for reading. If you don't mind, please leave your comments so that I know how you felt.