her voice fell to a mumbling whisper, eyes darting for any sign of acceptance on yù míng's small and round face. she seemed saddened for a moment, looking at daiyu as if it was her that was on the verge of death.
"of course. that's perfectly fine. here are two more forms—" she handed the rén family two more clipboards, and took back daiyu's rapidly scribbled, filled-out form.
"he's in room 216. that's the second floor." the receptionist took the rest of the clipboards back and handed each of the three people a visitor's pass to stick onto their clothes.
"thank you." daiyu heard jianyu say gratefully as she pivoted on her heel and made straight for the elevator.
the soothing, repetitive music swam in her mind, mixing her already puzzled thoughts into mush. her stomach churned, and the chinese-korean girl wished she had never even touched her breakfast that morning.
through the soft humming lyrics whispered by a melodic tongue, daiyu spiraled into memories she had long forgotten. the gentle strum of the guitar took her back to that little apartment she and her father once shared, filled with laughter. the times when living was fun and she had someone when she was with zhao yŭxuān.
the soothing press of the piano tiles reminded daiyu of the man that had loved her more than any replacement could, only served to prove there should have never been anyone to replace him with in the first place. there was no substitute for the love a daughter had towards her father.
not even the love that bloomed throughout these months spent fighting to forget the dread within her.
she should've listened to what the innermost whispers had told her. she shouldn't have buried them so deep where she could no longer hear them. all the mistakes she'd made, and all the mistakes she's still making.
everything always ended with zhao daiyu.
━━BITTER COLDNESS FILLED her father's room. it reeked of chemical cleanliness, burning daiyu's nostrils with every breath she took.
there was a silence lingering within the room, too heavy to break in the first few minutes. all the young girl could do was watch her father deteriorate away with droplets of misery sliding down her flushed cheeks.
the oldest of the three visitors—arguably the strongest willed, too—was the first to break, kneeling down beside the hospital bed and bursting into tears. it was ms. rén's first time seeing the man in such a condition.
her rough trembling fingers, calloused of a long life's work, wrapped around zhao yŭxuān's. the difference was agonizing.
daiyu turned to the other side of the bed in order to get a good look at her father's face. he was sleeping, deep bags beneath his eyes making his faint face look skeleton-like. his paling skin had a yellowish-green tint, and his lips were cracked and pale.
her eyes trailed down to his and ms. rén's entwined fingers, and she felt a pang in her chest at the sheer thinness of her father's hands.
but then her sharp eyes caught sight of something. something that had never been there before, something she'd never seen.
daiyu felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach, snatching ms. rén's hand away from her father's to look at them both.
"daiyu, what are you—" jianyu hissed quietly, wiping away the tears in his eyes.
she gave him a look, telling him to be quiet as she brought herself closer. the woman in front of her was still sobbing violently, and her hand was trembling so much daiyu had to squeeze it for it to stop.
twelve.
Start from the beginning
