He froze, staring at her pale face. Her voice was barely above a whisper, almost lost in the quiet room. He knew she would be worried, after six years of trying, she had just gotten pregnant.
"I haven't felt like this all this time!" she continued, her tears finally spilling down her cheeks, "What if something is wrong and I don't even know it? What if I do something wrong, and… and…"
Her words choked off as sobs threatened to escape. She pressed a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to muffle the sound.
Zhi Hao's chest tightened painfully at the sight. He reached up, cupping her face in both hands, thumbs brushing away her tears roughly.
"Listen to me," he said, his tone low but steady, "Nothing is going to happen to you or our child. I will make sure of it. Do you hear me?"
She shook her head helplessly, her tears falling faster now like a broken dam, "You can't control everything, Zhi Hao. You can't....."
"I know that," he interrupted quietly. His thumbs pressed into her skin just enough to ground her, "But I will still do everything in my power to protect both of you."
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the small space between them intimately trying to console her, "Don't be afraid alone. If you are scared… tell me. Don't keep it inside."
Ruyi closed her eyes, her tears soaking his thumbs as he held her face. Her shoulders shook as silent sobs wracked her body.
He stayed like that, holding her face firmly, letting her cry without saying another word. After a while, her breathing evened out, though her eyes remained shut.
"Come," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He shifted her gently back against the pillows, pulling the blanket up to her chest. Then he stood and sat on the edge of the bed, one hand resting protectively over her abdomen.
Ruyi reached out weakly and placed her hand over his. "Stay here… for a while."
"I wasn't planning on going anywhere," he replied, his tone worried but his hand tightened slightly over hers.
Outside, the sun rose higher, flooding the room with warm golden light through the tall windows, but inside, they remained silent, clinging to the fragile moment of calm amidst the chaos threatening to swallow them whole.
The silence stretched between them, soft and heavy. Her hand was still over his, and he could feel the faint tremble that lingered in her fingers.
Zhi Hao glanced at her pale face, her lashes damp with tears, and then leaned back slightly against the headboard, still close.
"Do you want to hear something strange?" he asked, his voice low and endearing.
Ruyi didn't open her eyes, but her lips moved faintly, "What?"
"When I was nineteen," he began, his gaze drifting to the ceiling, "I spent three nights hiding in the forest near the Lao border, the mission had gone sideways. We were supposed to intercept a package, but it turned out to be a trap. No backup, comms jammed, and three of us already heavily injured."
Ruyi's brow furrowed slightly, "That's not a very calming story you know…."
"I'm not done yet," he said with the faintest twitch of a smirk. "The first night, it rained nonstop. The second night, it was so quiet that I thought I had gone deaf and on the third night, I was convinced I wouldn't make it out. I couldn't sleep so I kept staring at the sky, counting stars like it would change anything."
He paused, thumb brushing along her hand absently.