When the door finally closed behind them, she turned her head slightly to catch their retreating figures through the narrow glass window.
Her husband, her son, and the woman who was taking everything away from her looked like a perfect family of three.
Yueyao pressed a trembling hand to her chest. The pain was so intense that it felt numb, like her heart had been ripped out yet her body still lived.
— — — — — —
The next morning, Aunt Mei brought in a tray with oatmeal and boiled eggs, the steam curling into the sterile hospital room air.
"Eat, Young Madam," Aunt Mei coaxed softly, setting the tray down gently on the bedside table, "Master Shen said you must recover quickly."
Yueyao let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a choked sob.
Cared? No. Shen Xiao's only concern was that her presence didn't disrupt his carefully curated life. That her weakness didn't embarrass him or become a burden to him.
Just then, her phone buzzed. For a fleeting moment, her heart fluttered with fragile hope. Perhaps it was Xuan'er, asking if she was feeling better or perhaps he missed her and wanted to hear from her.
She unlocked the screen.
But it was from Bai Zhi and there was a video attached to it.
Yueyao hesitated, her thumb trembling, but curiosity and dread pushed her to tap play.
The video showed Shen Xiao sitting at the breakfast table, reading documents as if nothing else in the world mattered. Shen Xuan sat beside him, happily munching on congee and Bai Zhi wiped his little mouth with a napkin and asked softly,
"Do you like Aunt Bai's cooking?"
"Yes!" Xuan'er's voice was bright, childish, and sweet. "Aunt Bai cooks better than Mommy. Mommy always makes me eat bitter greens…"
Bai Zhi laughed softly, flicking her eyes to Shen Xiao with gentle affection, "Then… Xuan'er, would you like Aunt Bai to live here and cook for you every day?"
"Yes! That way, Daddy and I can always see you, and we can always eat your yummy food!" Xuan'er beamed, his eyes crinkling with innocent joy.
And just like that, the video ended.
Yueyao's fingers trembled around her phone as tears blurred her vision. Her chest heaved with silent sobs that tore through her soul.
She had spent years studying nutrition to help Xuan'er grow strong and healthy. She had spent sleepless nights crafting every meal by hand with love and care and yet to him, her efforts were nothing compared to Bai Zhi's indulgent sweetness.
A bitter taste flooded her mouth. She stumbled to the bathroom, falling to her knees before the toilet as her stomach convulsed violently, dry heaving until tears streamed down her face.
She wiped her lips with the back of her trembling hand, staring at her reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror.
She looked pale, hollow-eyed, and broken.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palms.
No more.
No matter what it took, she couldn't let Bai Zhi take her son away from her. She couldn't let herself disappear so easily from their lives, as if she had never existed.
But just as she stepped out of the bathroom, determined to leave the hospital, a shadow loomed in front of her, and before she could scream, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth, and everything went black.
When Yueyao woke again, her cheek was pressed against cold cement. The room smelled of rust, mold, and damp earth. Broken windows let in streams of harsh daylight that stabbed at her eyes.
"Finally awake, princess?" a sneering voice drawled.
She turned her head, pain shooting through her neck. A scarred man squatted before her, his dark eyes glinting with malice and something far more sinister.