"Don't." Liliana whispered. "Please don't. Don't do this to me, Yang, I beg of you."
Yang slowly pulled away his hand, his arms were now loosely hanging by his sides, a devastated expression on him as his eyes wandered across the marked tearstains down her face.
He watched her leave their living quarters towards the washing closet, as the stuffed panda he ordered for her so many years ago watched with that empty happy smile as the only witness to the tragedy beginning to brew over his life. He sunk down onto the couch, head buried in his hands, a dry, foreign hiccup left his lips.
Yang could not believe himself the words he had screamed at her, just seconds ago.
Regret began to fill him, his throat was tightening up, it felt as if somebody was cutting off his airway, tightly squeezing his skin, crushing his windpipe, making him suffer, for the profane words he did not really believe in that had left his mouth.
It was as if he was two people. Yang and Mao. He was Yang, but he wanted to be Mao. In the end, if he was absolutely honest, he was just one deeply flawed person who did not know how to administer the salvation assigned to him.
Hiccups rumbled through her as Lili grasped the sink in the private bathroom. Her knuckles were turning white. She was watching herself through the mirror, she was a mess, not being able to let go of his threat.
"I should have left you with the Falzone when I had the chance." It was the threat that hung between in the air.
The way he had so aggressively screamed it refused to leave her mind. His eyes had been dangerous, pitch-black, empty pupils were staring at her, watching her crumble, fall apart as he kept on screaming and screaming. She needed some time to breathe, to calm down and think the whole scenario over.
Their fighting had been going on for weeks by now. Every time they would visit Hong Kong to pay tribute to Liu Huang Hui, all hell would break loose. Yang would switch his focus onto 'something important' and would leave her hanging and turn his back on her, as if he was a completely new person.
She had been going through thick and thin with him, had picked him off the floor, had pulled him out of his darkest holes. They had been for years by now, and Lili probably should be used to all the stresses and strains by now.
Lili would hide away in their bedroom, desperate for some time alone. She could not get herself to talk to him. Every time she would think about him, bile would rise in her throat, tears were welling up in her eyes, making her cry out over and over again.
She was not noticing that he was sitting across the door to their bedroom, out in the hallway. He wanted to clear his own head out in the roof, let the lights of the big city calm him down, but he could not find on himself to tear himself out from there.
Tears would threaten to fall from his eyes as he listened to the sound of her pained crying. He was suffering just as much, but for complete other reasons. This had been the first time Yang had felt terribly anxious, scared that she would finally give up, finally realizing how bad of a person he was, that she would finally turn her back on him.
He knew that it would be on him this time to make things right, so he did the only thing he could think of, Yang began to roam the small library his wife amassed over the years they spent together.
He had stared at the foreign volumes for hours on end, trying to come up with any idea. A tight smile would tug on his lips as he had finally come up with something that he could do. Something he could do to try to convey a beautiful memory Yang was trying to project with some literary work he might be intellectually invested, but it was emotionally beyond him.
The copy he ordered was decorated with a lithography, shipped over from the northern part of her home country. It was resembling of the small clearing where they had spent the night once, fleeing from wolves and mafiosos, finely imprinted in linen paper and elegant typeface, something that she would certainly enjoy and treasure, more so than those cheap copies she ratted out into their bases over the years, under Lan's reluctant auspices.
Peace offering in one hand and the ever-present pipe on the other, he sauntered into the bedroom as if he was the Emperor of China and threw the book on the bed, just next to where she was curled into herself, letting the tears fall through her face freely.
Lili looked up at him and to the package next to her. "What is this?"
"Give me my Romeo, and, when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars…" He was murmuring her favourite lines out of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. "And he will make the face of heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun."
She sighed. "What is the meaning of this, Yang?"
"This is not my name." Her husband barked.
"What is the meaning of this, Yang?" The woman repeated.
"This is not my name." He insisted, his rage raising and raising in response.
"Very well, Mao. As you like." Liliana sneered. "What is this? Reading material for when you ship me back to the Vatican?"
"You will not be going anywhere without me." He responded. "Not now. Not ever."
She sighed, and finally raised her face to look at him.
"I can still remember the day we met for the first time." Her voice was hoarse from all the crying. "You never deluded me, you never tricked me. I always knew you were violent, moody and nothing like the romantic heroes of the books I read in Church. Nevertheless, I was pretty sure you loved me in your way, but I am not that certain now. What happened, Mao? What did I do wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong." He responded, looking out the window to the nothingness in the damp alley where they lived. "Nothing went awry, and no changes in course were made."
Lili walked towards him, her naked feet were tapping against the wooden floor, she grasped his hand and sunk down in his lap, nuzzling her head against the crook of his neck.
"I love you." She whispered, hugging him lightly.
"For what matters, I am sorry." He responded, voice low and calm, with a clipped tone, a rare feat for him.
Liliana placed her pointer finger onto his lips, silencing her husband. "Show me, prove to me, how much you love me."
His yellow, feline eyes were staring at her, burning right into her soul, trying to swallow down the guilt that was eating him alive.
Yang carried her towards the bedroom, smiling down at her, he moved some of her hair out of her face, slowly dipping his head down to kiss her. The loving kiss soon turned into something else, something much more passionate, fuelled by their rage, their sadness, that had been clouding their minds for the past days.
The standoffish man pressed his forehead against hers, his hands were moving along the sides of the hideously pink cheongsam she was currently wearing, expertly working through the clasps of the piece, as he mentally tried to assure himself of her continued presence close to him.
A shaky breath left Liliana's lungs, he began to unbutton the undershirt, kissing her skin every time he popped open another button.
He attached his mouth onto her boobs, taking his time as if he was exploring her body for the first time, Yang pressed loving kisses all over her chest, her eyes fluttered close the moment he finally sucked on her nipples, making tingles erupt in her lower belly.
"Beautiful." The criminal whispered against her skin, moving his hands down to her panties, he rubbed her clit through the fabric, slowly teasing her.
He did not want to rush things this time. It was best if he took his sweet, sweet time with everything.
"Please, Mao." She bemoaned. His rings felt cold against her hot skin.
Slowly, he pulled her soaked panties down her legs and kissed down her upper body, to her hipbones, where he placed his hands.
He ran his tongue across her clit, circling it, eyes finding hers, a faint smile began to spread on her lips. She reached her hands out and tangled them in his fiery red hair, getting pulled back into the pleasure he was currently providing her with.
Yang plunged two fingers into her heat, pumping them in and out of her as he sucked on her sensitive nub, one moan after the other fell from her lips.
Her release was growing ever closed, as Yang curled his fingers upwards, teasing her sweet spot.
"Does that feel good, Liliana?" He groaned out, his pants were getting tighter, he could not get enough of her.
She could only moan a small "yes" tugging on his roots, telling him that she was close, her orgasm would wash over her any time soon now. His name fell from her lips, the familiar warmth began to spread through her, the knot in her belly exploded for the first time that night, leaving her breathless for a few moments.
His eyes would not leave hers. Yang pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his toned upper body to her green eyes, he ripped his trousers and underwear down his legs, his length was standing proud and tall, throbbing in his touch.
He crawled up her body and ran the tip of his length along her folds a few times, coating himself with her slickness. Lili grasped his necklace and pulled him down for a kiss, moaning against his lips as he sunk his length into her heat.
Yang completely filled her, she could feel every inch of him, buried in her heat, fully stretching her. He wrapped her legs around his middle, slowly pulling out of her before he thrusted his hips against hers.
His eyes were closed, he was building up the speed of his thrusts. He did not want this to end too soon, this was not about him, it was all about her and the love he felt for her, even if he did not care to admit, even if it hurt some survival instinct that he fostered over many years in unforgiving streets all around the world.
"Look at me." Lili whispered. She was still holding onto his necklace to dear life, and managed to bring his face closer to her, as if she was going to share an unspeakable secret. "I love you too."
A small smile began to spread on his lips, his hips were thrusting against hers more easily by now, excitement was flooding through the both of them, relishing in the feeling of being as close as possible.
"Faster, please, Mao." She moaned.
Her toes were curled, he began to put pressure onto her clit with his thumb while he was pounding into her.
He kept on calling out her name, one hand was placed on her right thigh, the other one next to her head, her walls were clenching around him, trying to pull him even closer.
Lili tugged on his necklace once again, pushing his lips against hers, deep moans rumbled through her as her release washed upon her. Her whole body was tingling, the heavenly feeling overcame her for the second time that evening, a tear fell from her eye. She truly loved him and would never let him go, no matter what.
Yang pressed his forehead against her neck, moaning into her skin. It took him a few more thrusts until he released himself into her heat, his sweat was dripping down onto her skin, his hands had left some marks on her thighs, displaying the deep emotions he had felt a few moments ago.
"I am sorry." Yang breathed out and pulled her into his tattooed chest, his fingers were dancing across her skin, trying to remind him, that this was indeed real, she had forgiven him and, once again, had not left him on his own.