"Let go, darling," Gabriel whispered urgently, holding her tightly as the guards began dragging them towards the waiting black SUV parked by the fountain. "You are only hurting yourself… please… we can figure things out later… just let go for now."
Her sobs broke into hysterical cries, "No… no… please… Lu Zhi Hao… Lu Zhi Hao… help me… don't let him do this… please…!"
Her desperate voice rang out sharply across the courtyard, echoing against the stone walls and up to the mansion's tall windows.
— — — — — —
Inside, on the ground floor, Lu Zhi Hao stood by the wide window with Wan Ruyi leaning lightly against his chest.
They heard every choked plea drifting up from the courtyard ahead.
Wan Ruyi's eyes lowered, her expression unreadable as she felt his arm tighten around her waist.
"She's so desperate," she said softly, her tone calm yet tinged with the quiet sadness of a mother. It was normal to regret some decisions as a mother, but the kids seemed to be adamant in not recognizing her. "But they… they won't forgive her." She pitied her.
Lu Zhi Hao's gaze remained fixed on the scene below, his face impassive as he watched the guards escort Song Yaya and Gabriel towards the car. "Nor do I expect them to." Because he had watched how they broke down, how they detached themselves, how they recognised someone else as their mother because of a traumatic response.
Wan Ruyi leaned her cheek lightly against his chest, her eyes still fixed on the scene ahead.
The noon sun streamed through the tall glass, illuminating her calm but conflicted expression.
"She tended to them for years…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "But… after so long, after so much damage, can anything really go back to what it was?"
Lu Zhi Hao remained silent for a long moment. The lines at the corners of his eyes deepened faintly as he watched Song Yaya being bundled into the SUV, her screams muffled as the car doors shut with a dull thud.
"Some scars run too deep, Ruyi, she messed up big time with those kids, not only had she traumatized them, she abused them..." he finally replied, his voice low and flat, but the tightening of his hand on her waist betrayed the shadows in his heart, "Even if she regrets it now… what good does it do? Regret doesn't feed a child. Regret doesn't hold them at night when they cry. Regret doesn't protect them. Regret won't give them the motherly love they yearned for."
Wan Ruyi closed her eyes, feeling his warmth against her back, "But still… seeing her like that… It's painful to watch."
"Don't pity her too much," Lu Zhi Hao murmured, his eyes hardening as he turned away from the window, drawing the curtains closed with a swift tug. "She made her choice. Now she has to live with it."
He turned her gently to face him, his thumb brushing over her cheek as he studied her calm, saddened eyes, "Focus on yourself. On our children. That's what matters the most!"
Wan Ruyi gazed up at him silently, then nodded once, pressing her forehead to his chest.
Outside, the black SUV pulled away down the long driveway, leaving only silence in its wake.
—
At another window, behind sheer cream curtains, a figure stood partially hidden.
Lu Ting Zhou's cold, tired eyes watched the car disappear beyond the gates. His jaw was tight, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark grey sweatpants.
He said nothing.
Not a word. Not a flicker of expression. It was like any other fleeting moment....