---
It had been four long days.
Four days of silence.
Four days of emptiness.
Four days of clinging to hope that had begun to rot in Lin Yue's heart.
Each second since his disappearance felt like a blade scraping against her heart.
The silence in the apartment was deafening, the kind that screamed louder than noise.
Lin Yue had gone to the police station the day after he disappeared, her heart clenched so tightly in dread it was hard to breathe.
---
At the police station, she sat on the cold metal chair, her hands clutched tightly in her lap.
Her face was pale, her eyes swollen and dry.
Da Wei stood beside her, his expression grim, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets.
"Miss, do you have a national ID for the missing person?" the officer at the counter asked, his tone matter-of-fact.
She shook her head. "He doesn't have one. He lost his memory. He doesn't remember his name. But he goes by Ah Yan... He has a mole under his lips. He works at a restaurant—he delivers food. He's tall, has black hair... he left four days ago and hasn't come back."
The officer raised an eyebrow. "No ID? No name? Miss, we need something to go on—"
"Please," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He's been missing for two days. He never stays out like this. He left without his phone. He left everything... He wouldn't just disappear like this."
The officer looked skeptical. "Miss, we will file the report, but you have to understand... without a real name or ID, it's difficult to trace... "
"But he's missing! Isn't that enough?" Her voice cracked.
She hated the desperation in it.
Da Wei stepped forward. "He left work at around six. Said he was going home. Never made it. His phone was left behind. No one's seen him since."
The officer sighed, scribbling on his notebook, taking down the few details she could provide.
Ah Yan's fake name. The restaurant he worked at. His last known location.
"We'll file the report, Miss Lin, but... with no ID and no official name, it might take time."
She could hear what he wasn't saying: Don't get your hopes up.
Lin Yue walked out of the station, the world around her a blur.
Rain had started to fall, fine and cold, soaking through her thin hoodie.
She didn't care.
Nothing mattered.
---
Back in the apartment, she had stared endlessly at the front door, waiting for the sound of the lock turning, the soft clink of his keys, his warm voice calling, "I'm back."
But nothing.
Always, nothing.
Sometimes, she'd bolt upright in the middle of the night at the sound of footsteps outside, rushing to open the door only to find the hallway empty.
Other times, she cried quietly into his pillow.
She thought she'd known sadness.
When her parents beat her. When they left her to starve. When she realized she was never wanted.
But this pain?
This was worse.
She felt broken.
Empty.
Why did life always have to be so difficult for her?
A thought passed.
Was she...
---
The message from the bank still haunted her.
Three million.
He had sold his only link to the past.
Dan Wei had told her. "He'd said he wanted to secure your future."
"My future?" she murmured to herself, staring at the ceiling. "What future is there if you're not in it... Ah Yan... why? Why didn't you tell me?"
She clenched her fists.
That watch... it was his only connection to his past.
Without it, how was he supposed to know himself?
Who he was?
---
The shrill ring of her phone jolted her from her daze.
She scrambled for it, heart thudding.
Unknown Number.
Her breath caught. Could it be...
She answered in a rush. "Hello?!"
"Miss Lin Yue?" a woman's voice responded.
Her hope shattered.
Her voice trembled. "Yes... this is she."
"It's Mo Yuwei. I hope I'm not disturbing you. I was wondering if you'd be available to meet this afternoon with your paintings."
She hesitated. But maybe a distraction would help.
Lin Yue closed her eyes. Her fingers tightened around the phone. "Yes. Yes, I can come."
"Wonderful. I'll text you the address."
---
She stood, slowly dragging herself to the bathroom.
As the water ran over her skin, she stared at her reflection in the foggy mirror.
Her cheeks were dull and pale.
Lin Yue stood in front of the mirror, forcing herself to look presentable.
She dressed in an oversized white hoodie, denim jeans, and white sneakers.
Something comfortable.
She grabbed her paintings, placing them gently into a folder, and headed to the bus station.
---
It was cloudy out. The wind was chilly, biting her skin.
The bus ride was quiet. Her hand never left the strap of her bag, the other lightly resting on her stomach.
You're all I have left, she thought.
When the bus stopped, she looked up and saw the name of the restaurant.
Imperial Hotels.
It was grand.
Elegant.
The kind of place rich people dined at, where laughter was refined and voices were low.
---
A waiter in a black vest stood by the door, bowing politely. "Miss Lin Yue?"
She nodded.
"Please follow me."
The waiter led her down a quiet hallway, toward a private room.
---
She was almost at the door to the private room when it hit her.
A wave of dizziness.
She blinked.
Her legs trembled.
Her vision blurred.
Her knees buckled, the floor rushing toward her.
"Miss Lin?!"
She tried to answer, but her legs gave out beneath her.
Voices.
The paintings scattered.
Darkness.
Everything faded.
The last thing she saw was the soft golden light above the door before everything faded to black.
---