Zhan rushed into the hospital, tears streaming down his face, unable to control his emotions. "Wang Hao Xuan. Where can I find him?"
The receptionist asked, "Are you a family member?"
"I'm his husband," Zhan replied, his voice trembling. Yanli was sleeping in his arms from the car ride over.
"He's currently undergoing emergency surgery. I don't have any further information at the moment. I'll inform the attending doctor that you're here. They need you to sign some documents. Please have a seat, and I'll call you when they're ready."
Zhan followed her instructions, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He was overwhelmed with nausea, but he had to remain calm for Yanli. As he finally settled into a seat, his body felt weak. He needed to calm down. He began to breathe slowly trying to follow Yanli's own breathing and it seemed to help.
Just then another man ran into the hospital lobby yelling, "Where is he? Where is Song Ji Jang?"
"Sir, please try to calm down," the receptionist said soothingly.
"Where is he? What happened to him," the man asked. He was pale and shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you related to the patient?"
"Yes I'm Li Bowen. He's my best friend. He has no one else. I take care of him."
"He's in surgery right now. He was in a terrible car accident. Once I have any information I will let you know."
Zhan looked at the man before him. Many thoughts were swirling through his mind. Car accident as well? Song Ji Yang? Zhan remembered the receipt he had received from the hotel and under the name of the person who helped him was the name Song Ji.
"Excuse me..." Zhan managed to whisper, his voice barely audible. "Did you say Song Ji Yang?"
"Yes... do you know him? Can you tell me what happened?" The man approached Zhan, noticing the sleeping baby in his arms. Lowering his voice, he pleaded, "They're not giving me any information. Please..."
Zhan, feeling his heart sinking, asked in a barely audible voice, "Does he work at Cloud Recesses Hotel?"
"Yes, that's him!" The realization hit Zhan like a wave, and he felt a surge of nausea and dizziness wash over him.
"Hey... are you okay?" the man asked, concerned, as he noticed Zhan turning pale and stumbling backward. Reacting quickly, he held onto Zhan and helped him back to his seat.
Zhan, tears streaming down his face, struggled to speak. "He's..."
"What happened? Please, tell me," Li Bowen pleaded.
"I think... I think he was in the car with my... husband," Zhan finally managed to say.
"What? What do you mean? Who is your husband?" Li Bowen's voice trembled with realization. "With Xuan-ge?" The mention of his husband's name sent Zhan into a state of shock. "He told me they had stopped talking. He promised me that man was out of his life."
"They're both here..." Zhan uttered, his voice filled with anguish.
Li Bowen ran his fingers through his hair, visibly distressed, then pinched the bridge of his nose. "He told me that Xuan had left him. That it was over. He said you two had worked things out, that you weren't getting divorced after all."
"We were never going through a divorce. My husband cheated on me. We were actually in the process of having our baby through surrogacy," Zhan explained, his voice filled with pain.
"That's what I suspected, but Xuan had him completely fooled. Yang believed every single word he said. And how could he not? They spent evenings together, talked for hours while he was at work. We all hung out together frequently at clubs and bars," Li Bowen shared, the frustration evident in his voice.
Hearing this revelation only intensified Zhan's distress. It was the first time he had heard anything about their relationship.
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said anything," Li Bowen apologized, noticing the change in Zhan's demeanor. He took a look at little Yanli sleeping in Zhan's arms. "I'm sorry you went through all that pain."
"It's alright. I suppose I'm easily manipulated too," Zhan replied, his voice tinged with sadness.
Just then, a doctor entered the waiting area and called out, "The husband of Wang Hao Xuan?"
Zhan quickly got up and said goodbye to Li Bowen.
"Hi, I'm the doctor who performed surgery on your husband," the doctor began, his voice calm yet filled with concern. "He will be okay. We were able to save his life, but he sustained severe damage to his right leg. The impact of the collision caused his leg to be trapped in the crushed metal of the car. The firefighters had to take necessary measures to pull him out. We had to amputate his leg. I will take you to the room where he will be transferred shortly. He should regain consciousness soon. My team is already gathering all the information you will need for physical therapy and follow-up appointments."
Zhan's mind struggled to process the overwhelming information. The weight of the doctor's words settled heavily on him, making it difficult to breathe. His vision blurred, and panic started to grip him.
"Dr. Gu," a nurse said as she rushed over to the doctor speaking to Zhan, her expression filled with distress. "We tried to revive the other victim of the car crash, Mr. Song, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful."
"If you'll excuse me..." The doctor hurriedly left the room, his attention required elsewhere.
Yanli's cries pierced through the chaotic haze in Zhan's mind. Helpless and overwhelmed, he brought his trembling hand to his chest, struggling to catch his breath. Tears streamed down his face as the world around him blurred. He staggered backward, the weight of the news and the grief crashing over him. Unable to bear the weight any longer, Zhan collapsed, his body fightning to take in a deep breath, while Yanli continued to cry inconsolably.
A vigilant nurse noticed Zhan's distress and rushed towards him, immediately calling for immediate assistance. "Sir... Sir..." she spoke urgently as she gently took Yanli from his arms. Another nurse quickly assisted Zhan onto a wheelchair. Overwhelmed by his emotions, Zhan lost consciousness.
It wasn't long before he slowly regained consciousness again. He was seated in a wheelchair while the nurses were by his side, checking his vitals and tending to him. The nurse gently removed the arm cuff and handed him an open water bottle.
"Sir, are you feeling better?" the nurse inquired with a caring tone.
Zhan's hand trembled as he brought the water to his lips, quenching his intense thirst. But soon after, a wave of nausea washed over him again. His concern grew as he realized that Yanli was not with him. He attempted to stand up, but the nurse reassured him, "Your daughter is fine. We sent her to pediatrics as she has a fever. We'll wheel you over there now. Don't worry."
As Zhan approached Yanli's crib, he mustered all his strength to stay composed. The pediatrician greeted him with a warm smile and reassured him, "Your daughter is doing well. She has a fever due to teething, but we have given her medication to reduce it. Here's a prescription for a gel that you can apply to her gums to help ease the pain."
Zhan gratefully accepted the prescription, his heart swelling with relief. He whispered, "Thank you," expressing his gratitude to the pediatrician for taking care of Yanli. Once everything was sorted out, he carefully picked up Yanli and made his way to Xuan's hospital room.
Zhan quietly entered the room, finding Xuan fast asleep. He noticed the cast on Xuan's arm and the bandage covering his eye and forehead. Cuts and scrapes covered his face and arm. Carefully, he settled Yanli on the nearby couch and took a seat. Zhan felt a heavy emptiness as he stared at his phone screen. The wallpaper on his phone was a picture he had just taken recently of their little family. Xuan and Zhan were embracing with Yanli right in between them. The beeping of the monitors filled the room and made his heart ache even more.
"ZhanZhan" Xuan mumbled, still groggy from his injuries. Zhan stood up and walked over to his husband, trying to hold back tears. "What happened?" Xuan asked, confused.
"You don't remember what happened?" Zhan replied, his voice filled with a mix of sadness and anger. He struggled to control his emotions, but the pain and betrayal were evident in his eyes.
Zhan's voice trembled with anger as he confronted Xuan. "How dare you act like you don't know what happened? How can you continue to lie to me, even in this state?"
Xuan attempted to speak, but Zhan swiftly cut him off. "No. I can't believe I was foolish enough to think you would suddenly change into a better person. Once again, you lied to me."
Xuan made an effort to defend himself, saying, "It's not what you think..."
Zhan scoffed bitterly. "You have two phones. You were involved in an accident with your lover. What explanation could possibly make that right?"
"Zhan... I... I'm sorry."
Zhan began to cry. "It's too late now."
"Baby...I..."
"I want a divorce," Zhan finally said, his voice filled with determination. He turned to check on Yanli, making sure she was safe and sound. He made up his mind to take her and leave, believing that there was no use in saying anything else. However, as he turned around, his gaze fell upon Xuan, who had removed the sheet covering his body. Xuan's eyes widened as he saw that he was missing his leg. The sight shocked him, and he gasped in disbelief, reaching out to touch the heavily bandaged area.
"No..." Xuan cried out, the realization sinking in.
Zhan somberly explained, "The crash was really severe. Your leg was badly injured, and they had to amputate it. And as for Song Ji Yang, your lover... he's dead." Zhan's words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of betrayal. "All I asked was for you to bring medicine for Yanli, and instead, you chose to seek him out and engage in God-knows-what in the car. Was it that good that you became so distracted you crashed?" Zhan's voice trembled with a mix of anger and heartache. "You ruined everything for a fucking quick blow job or whatever it is you wanted from him."
Xuan was overwhelmed with guilt and pain, fully realizing the consequences of his actions. He had lost his leg, his lover, and, most importantly, the love of his life and his daughter. Tears streaming down his face, he called out to Zhan, "ZhanZhan... I'm sorry. Please... give me another chance..." But Zhan interrupted him once again, cutting off his plea.
"Xuan... I have loved you unconditionally for the past 10 years. I was blinded by my love for you, believing every word you said. If this had been any other accident, I would have stood by your side every minute, regardless of your wheelchair or any difficulties we faced. Because I loved you, and you were my husband. But I'm done. I want a divorce, and Yanli will only be mine."
Xuan's grief surged, and he raised his voice, desperate to hold onto their daughter. "No, she's my daughter. You can't take her from me."
Zhan's voice was firm, filled with pain. "She's not yours. She's mine. My blood runs through her veins. Even Ziyi has more right to her than you. You will sign away your parental rights."
Xuan pleaded, his voice breaking, "No, Zhan, don't take her from me."
"She's mine. And I'm glad this happened when she's still a baby. She won't remember you. Goodbye, Xuan. The next time we meet will be to sign the divorce papers."
With his head held high, Zhan took Yanli in his arms and walked out of Xuan's hospital room, leaving behind a devastated Xuan. "Zhan! Please, Zhan!" Xuan's voice echoed after him, desperate and pleading, "Don't leave... Zhan... please..."
Zhan went back to what he thought was once their happy home. Now he knew how wrong he had been all these years. As he looked around, he started to see everything without his rose-colored glasses. On the bookshelf by the TV console were many boards games Zhan told his husband he wanted to play. His husband promised they would play several times, but now that he stared at the shelf, he realized that many of them were left unopened.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of trash bags. He began to take down all the photographs on the walls and shelves. He didn't want Xuan to have any memories of their life together. He threw each one into the bag without caring if the glass from the frame broke. He didn't want any memories left of their love together. It was all gone. The memories should be gone too.
He made his way to their shared bedroom. He carefully touched the bed cover that was on the bed. He furiously grabbed it and threw it off the bed. He took the rest of the photos in the room and threw them away as well. He opened the closet and found their wedding suits. He began to rip them apart. He began to scream in frustration because his weak hands couldn't do much damage. He angrily threw the garments on the floor giving up.
The last room was the nursery. He grabbed one of her diaper bags and only put in the necessities. He then grabbed all the precious memories and added it as well. The last thing was the small elephant she slept with every night. Everything else in the room was replaceable. He didn't need anything else. He turned off the light and walked out leaving the broken home in his past.