"Yifan, I'm going to the store. Do you need something?" Jiayu asked as she was putting on her shoes.

"No, thanks", he replied absently. He heard the door closing. Kris was starting to have nightmares again. Having Jiayu near helped him ease his anxiety. 

He paced around the room, waiting for Jiayu to come. She went out an hour ago. The store was in the street next to theirs. He was more than worried.

"I'm here, Yifan!" he heard her voice calling him. He ran to the door. "It took me so long." He took the plastic bags from her hands and took them to the kitchen.

"What took you so long, Jiayu?" he said, giving her a stern look.  

"I met our neighbour on the way to the store and we talked for some time", she replied. "Time flew by fast."

When Jiayu turned her head to her right, Kris spotted something on her neck. He looked carefully. His jaw clenched and his breathing accelerated. A hickey. He saw a hickey. That was the explanation of why it took her an hour to go the store and come back. She was seeing someone. His heart sunk. Anger was boiling inside of him.

For a moment he blamed her, but then he thought about the whole situation they were both into. 

Why wouldn't she want to be with someone else? He was a murderer, an unhappy man, someone who couldn't offer her a normal life. But then again, he thought about everything he had done for her. How could she betray him like that? He made a few steps towards her. Taking in deep breaths, he tried to calm himself, but he couldn't. Every tiny bit of his anger was about to unleash itself from him.

"What the hell is that?!" he yelled. She looked at him in fear. What was wrong, she didn't know.

"How could you do that, Jiayu?! After everything that happened! How?!" he shouted.

"Kris...what are you talking about?" she whispered. He scoffed. "You're not calling me by my real name anymore, I see! I guess you're so crazy about him!"

Jiayu stared at him with with utter confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the man who left that damn hickey on your neck! Who is he?! Tell me!" he screamed, grabbing her shoulders. "Was it Luhan?! I saw how he looked at you! Was it him?!"

She froze. She was so shocked by his behaviour that she couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"Do you know how much it hurts, Jiayu?" he said, his voice soft this time. "Knowing that someone else had touched you, hugged you, kissed you. I love you, Jiayu, but it looks like you don't feel the same." He let go of her arms, his eyes full of tears.

"What hickey, Yifan?"

He frowned. "This is not a hickey. This is an allergy. I've had it since this morning. Look!" she brought her neck closer to him. "Take a look." He glanced at the red mark on her neck. It was indeed an allergy. He heaved a huge sigh of relief. Jiayu smiled widely and wrapped her arms around his neck. "And believe me, Yifan, I feel the same. I love you."

Kris smiled. For the first time in a while he felt truly happy. He didn't care about what was going to happen the next day, the only thing that mattered was that Jiayu loved him. She wiped his tears with her thumb. "Say it again", he said. "Tell me that you love me, Jiayu."

"I love you, Yifan." 

He bit his lower lip. Jiayu noticed that the look in his eyes changed. "Since that's not a real hickey on your neck, how about I leave a real one? Or a few of them?" he said, his arms tightening around her waist.

"Yifan! Don't be silly!" she slapped his arm playfully. "I have to take a shower."

"Then we can do it together", he smirked.

"OK, but you have to be promise that you won't be naughty", she said, smiling at him.

He picked her up and headed to the bathroom. "I'm sorry, but I can't promise that."