Illicit Infatuation-Lingorm

Chapter 6

The silence between them was heavy, and Orm waited patiently for Lingling's response. Finally, Lingling spoke, her voice soft but tinged with a hint of resignation.

"Why, Orm?" she asked, her eyes meeting Orm's. "Why did you keep track of me all these years? You left me. You cut off all contact. And yet you still kept tabs on my life, even to the point of finding out I was married. Why?"

Orm's expression became guarded, her shoulders tensing slightly as she replied.

"I had my reasons," she repeated, her voice firm yet holding a hint of hesitation. "Reasons I can't quite explain just yet."

Despite Orm's hesitation, Lingling persisted. She needed to know, to understand.

"Reasons you can't explain?" She repeated, a mixture of frustration and longing in her voice. "Orm, I need to know. You left me, shattered my heart, and then continued to watch over me like some sort of guardian from afar. It's confusing, it's... it's maddening."

Orm's expression softened as she heard the desperation in Lingling's voice. She took a deep breath, her voice growing quieter, almost a whisper.

"Lingling," she began, her eyes pleading, "please, just trust me. I promise I will explain everything, in time. But right now... I need you to believe me when I say I've always loved you, I've never stopped. Just trust me."

Orm took a step closer, her hands gently cupping Lingling's face. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and entreaty.

"Please, Lingling," she pleaded, her voice a soft, entreating whisper, "Give me a second chance. Let me prove to you how much I love you, how much I've always loved you. I know I messed up, I know I hurt you, but give me the chance to make it right."

Orm's words washed over Lingling, stirring a mix of emotions within her. Part of her wanted to push away, to deny the magnetic pull Orm had over her. But another part, the part that had never stopped loving Orm, was yearning to give in.

After several tense seconds, Lingling let out a slow, deep sigh, a surrender in her voice.

"How can I trust you?" she murmured, her voice barely audible. "You hurt me, Orm. Why should I give you another chance?"

Orm held Lingling's gaze, her eyes filled with a fierce intensity. She could feel the internal conflict within Lingling, the push and pull between her emotions and her obligations. But Orm was resolute.

"Because I can feel it," she whispered, her voice steady yet filled with certainty, "I can feel that you still love me. You're trying to hide it, to act like you don't, but you're fooling nobody. Especially not me. You still love me as much as I love you."

Orm's unwavering certainty startled Lingling, forcing her to acknowledge the truth within herself. How did Orm always know her so well?

Lingling felt exposed, vulnerable, the walls she'd tried to erect between them crumbling under Orm's perceptive gaze. She took a shaky breath, her voice betraying her inner turmoil.

"Even if that's true," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "that doesn't change the fact that I'm married."

Orm's tone became direct yet tender as she inquired about Lingling's marriage.

"Yes, you're married," she acknowledged, her voice laced with a possessive undercurrent, "but do you love him? Does he treat you the way I do?" Orm paused briefly before continuing, her voice intense, "Does he make you feel this intense emotions just like I do, Lingling?"

Behind Lingling's impassive expression, a storm of thoughts and feelings was brewing. Indeed, her marriage had been nothing short of a nightmare. Her husband was abusive in both speech and action, treating her coldly and distantly. He saw her merely as a maid, a presence to be endured rather than loved. Their relationship was devoid of any genuine love or intimacy, and Lingling had regretted marrying him from the moment she said "I do". She wished fervently she had not caved into societal expectations and her parents' pressure.