CHAPTER 78

One Week Later — Back in Their Country

The plane touched down quietly, the sun casting a warm glow over the tarmac. Zhan looked out the window, holding Yibo's hand tightly. It had been a week since the surgery. A week filled with tears, gratitude, and whispered prayers through hospital corridors. And now, they were back. Back to the country where everything had begun where healing would continue, not just for Yibo, but for all of them.

Yibo, still pale but visibly stronger, looked out with calm eyes. He had a slight smile, hand resting protectively over Zhan's on his lap. And on his other side, Ayuan sat proudly, clinging to his father every chance he got as if afraid this miracle of being seen was just a fleeting dream. But Yibo smiled down at him, cupping his face with new wonder.

"I can still see you," he murmured softly. "So clearly, it's like I've waited a lifetime and now it's finally real."

Zhan blinked fast, tears pricking his eyes. "You'll never go blind again. Not when we still have forever to look forward to."

When they arrived at their estate, everything was prepared flowers arranged, banners quiet in their beauty. Zhan's staff had decorated the place in celebration of Yibo's return and his miraculous recovery. But it wasn't just that.

Because today, Zhan had another piece of news. He placed the envelope in Yibo's lap once he was settled on the couch, warm tea steaming in front of them. Yibo opened it slowly and the second his eyes read the words "positive" he stared at Zhan with disbelief.

"We're having a baby," Zhan said through a cracked voice, his smile trembling.

Yibo dropped the paper and just pulled Zhan into his arms, holding him as if the world had just reset itself perfectly. "You gave me life again," he whispered. "And now you're giving me more."

They cried, kissed, laughed all in that order. The love in that moment was blinding. But the sweetness didn't last long. Because Liying showed up.

Like a shadow stepping into the light, she arrived with designer shoes, a face untouched by regret, and a long scarf that didn't quite hide the burn Zhan had left her with. Her gaze met his as if nothing had happened.

But Zhan stood tall at the top of the stairs of their estate, his eyes sharp like glass. "Liying," he said with mocking calm, "You're a little overdressed to be crawling back into relevance."

She scoffed. "I came to talk."

"No, you came to remind everyone of your shame," he replied. "I didn't free you because I forgave you. I let you walk so the world could watch you fall again. Publicly. Slowly. Painfully."

Behind him, the news was already spreading. Headlines flashing on screens. "Liying Spotted With New Mystery Man"

Her name was being dragged exactly how Zhan planned. And in the basement where no cameras could reach Darren and Troy were still there. Forgotten by everyone but Zhan, who made sure they were neither dead nor free.

As the sun set that night, Yibo stood on the balcony, wrapping his arms around Zhan from behind. He pressed a kiss to Zhan's temple.

"You did all this," he murmured. Zhan leaned into him, closing his eyes. "We're just getting started."

"Always remember," Yibo said softly, "whatever your plan is, I'm here. I've got your back."

Zhan turned to him, his expression calm but firm. "I know that. But right now, what I want is for you to focus on getting better. That's what matters most to me your full recovery. Let me take care of the rest. I can handle Liying. Just knowing I'm not alone... that's already enough for me."

He gave Yibo a small, reassuring smile. Yibo pulled him into a hug, holding him close before pressing a kiss to his lips. "Okay," he whispered. "I'll heal for you, for our child... and for the ones we'll have in the future."

Then he kissed Zhan again, this time with all the love and quiet promise in his heart.

——

The air was warm, golden light painting the sky as the sun began to set behind the trees. Birds chirped softly, the breeze brushing through the tall hedges enclosing the garden. But inside Zhan's chest, the storm never passed.

He sat alone on the bench, knees drawn close to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. His face was half hidden, but his eyes red and glassy were wide open, staring at nothing. Panic had crept into his lungs like smoke. He couldn't breathe. Not properly.

Memories assaulted him in flashes Liying's face twisted in rage, her betrayal like a dagger behind a smile, the weight of her hand as she left him bleeding sixteen years ago. That familiar, haunting coldness in her eyes. Even now, even after everything.

"Son" The sound of Katrina's voice broke the silence like a whisper through cracked glass. Zhan didn't turn around. He didn't need to.

She sat slowly beside him, careful not to touch him. "Your father and I we didn't raise you two to become enemies. I thought we could fix this. I thought..."

"I know what you thought, mom" Zhan murmured, his voice hollow. "But Liying made a choice. And I paid for it. With my life. With my dignity. With every panic I wake up from in the middle of the night, choking on air like I'm drowning."

Katrina's eyes filled with tears. "But you're safe now. You have Yibo. You have Ayuan. You're building a life"

"And she's still walking free," Zhan cut in sharply, his eyes now glistening with rage. "Do you think it didn't matter? That everything just... fades? Even if I've forgiven her in front of people, even if I smiled while destroying her reputation I still see her face every time I hear screaming in my head."

Katrina's hands trembled in her lap. "She should be glad that's all I did." His voice cracked.

A long silence followed. Inside the villa, Yibo had stirred slightly on the couch, eyes fluttering open. He could sense Zhan's pain even through the thick walls. The bond between them was unbreakable now, and though his body was still weak from surgery, his heart ached with need to hold his husband, shield him from the ghosts.

Back in the garden, Zhan let out a shaky breath. "Sometimes I think if Yibo didn't survive that surgery, I'd have broken completely. You want to talk about family, Mom? He's my home. My life. And still, I couldn't protect him from all of this..."

Katrina reached out this time, her fingers gently resting on Zhan's hand. "You were just a boy, Zhan. You survived something no one should. And now you're strong, successful, loving. You haven't failed. You've just been wounded."

Zhan looked away, jaw clenched, eyes stinging with the grief of everything that had been taken from him.

Just then, a notification pinged on Katrina's phone. A news headline flashed:

"Liying Spotted with New Lover"

Zhan scoffed bitterly. "Let the world see her now. Let them adore her for the mask she wears. I'm done hiding her sins."

"But are you done hiding your pain?" Katrina asked softly. Zhan's breath hitched. "I don't know if I ever will be."

—

Zhan stood at the glass doors, staring out at the garden he just left. His mother had gone quietly, his heart too heavy to argue anymore. The quietness in the house felt heavy. Not silent but filled with echoes of things unsaid.

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the tears that clung to the corners fall freely. His hand instinctively rested on his stomach small, still early, but precious. Their baby.

"Zhan..." That soft voice behind him made his body tense but only for a second.

Yibo was there, slightly swaying as he walked, still weak but moving because he needed to get to him. His arms wrapped gently around Zhan from behind, resting his chin on Zhan's shoulder. "I felt you hurting."

Zhan let out a long sigh, his eyes falling closed. "I'm sorry, you should be resting."

"And leave you out here?" Yibo's arms tightened just slightly. "Never again."

Zhan turned slowly in his embrace, and the moment their eyes met Yibo smiled. "You're even more beautiful when you're sad," Yibo whispered, brushing away a tear from his cheek with his thumb. "But don't be. I'm here. We're here."

Zhan laughed through the ache in his throat. "You're not supposed to flirt when I'm grieving."

"I flirt because you're mine." He lowered his hand to rest over Zhan's stomach. "And they're ours. Our second chance."

Their foreheads touched, breath shared in the most quiet, sacred intimacy. Then "Daddy! Nana!" Ayuan's voice broke the moment as he entered, holding a small stuffed bunny with long floppy ears.

He rushed toward them, all legs and lanky teenage grace, but in that instant he was still their baby radish. "I found this at the store! I know it's early, but maybe the baby can sleep with it one day?" His voice held so much hope, so much love, you could feel it in the walls.

Zhan opened his arms and Ayuan stepped into them easily, letting Yibo's arm circle around them both.

Yibo looked at his son's face again. Sixteen years of guessing. Sixteen years of memorizing by scent, by sound, by warmth. Now he saw the love in Ayuan's eyes.

"I missed your face," Yibo said quietly. Ayuan smiled, his eyes glassy. "I'm glad you finally found it, Dad"

The three of them stood there, held together by shared breaths and endless devotion, the small bunny pressed between them like a promise for the future.

Outside, the sky had turned a soft lavender, wrapping the house in light. And inside healing had finally begun to take root.

—-

The garden was in full bloom. The kind of peace that only comes after a storm settled in the air. Sunlight trickled through the branches overhead, casting gold shadows across the small stone path. Birds sang somewhere in the distance, and in the far corner of the yard, the new house Yibo had built their house stood like a quiet promise, untouched and waiting.

Yibo sat on a bench, still a little pale, a blanket over his lap though the air was warm. His fingers moved slowly over a small velvet box, opening and closing it with thought.

Ayuan walked over, curiosity lighting up his eyes. "Dad?" Yibo glanced up, smiling. "Come here, radish."

Ayuan chuckled and sat beside him, eyeing the box. "What's that? Another gift for Nana?"

Yibo held it up between his fingers. Inside was a simple platinum ring, engraved inside with the words: for every lifetime.

"I'm going to marry your Nana again," Yibo said softly. Ayuan blinked. "Again?"

Yibo nodded, his eyes on the ring. "This time, in the home I built for him. Before everything happened, before the pain, the surgery, I was going to surprise him. But life it gave us different plans. And Zhan he's been so strong, carrying all of us."

Ayuan went quiet, nodding slowly. "I want him to feel chosen. Not just loved. Not just needed. But chosen." Yibo's voice cracked. "All over again."

"But, you're still recovering. He won't let you do much," Ayuan said, concern in his eyes.

"I know." Yibo smiled. "That's why I asked you to help me."

Ayuan's chest puffed with pride and emotion. "What do you need?"

Yibo leaned in, whispering details flowers, the soft lights strung in the garden, the small archway near the willow tree. Everything was planned around one simple thing. Zhan's comfort. No photographers. No guests. Just them, their family, and vows whispered beneath the moonlight.

"And Ayuan," Yibo added, his voice thick with emotion, "I want you to walk him down the path. You're the reason we're still standing. Let him know he's never walking alone again."

Ayuan bit his lip, tears swelling. "I'd be honored."

They sat like that for a moment, quiet but bound by the same heartbeat.

Later that night, Zhan returned from the clinic, tired but still glowing . He kissed Yibo's forehead gently, and Yibo pulled him close, resting his head against his love's belly. He didn't mention the plan. Not yet.

But Zhan, as if sensing something, looked into his husband's eyes and whispered, "What are you plotting?"

Yibo grinned lazily. "Just planning to steal your heart again."

Zhan rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. "Too late. It's yours. Always has been." And Yibo, even with the ache still buried in his bones, thought. "This time, I'll make sure nothing hurts you again."

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