Gabriel pressed his lips together tightly, fighting his own tears as he cradled her shaking form.
Outside, the SUV sped down the quiet private road away from the Lu estate, carrying her further and further away from the sons she would never again be allowed to reach.
In that moment, as the afternoon sun flickered past the tinted windows, Song Yaya felt the finality settle into her chest like a cold, jagged stone.
She had lost them forever.
And no amount of tears could wash away that truth.
— — — — — — —
Inside the master suite, the afternoon light filtered gently through sheer cream curtains, casting a warm golden hue over the spacious room.
Wan Ruyi lay nestled against Lu Zhi Hao's chest on the wide daybed by the window. Her head rested lightly over his heartbeat, the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing calming her racing thoughts.
