Fei Ruyan raised her palm again, her grief fueling her wrath.
"Mom."
Lu Jinchen stepped forward, his tall figure casting a shadow between his mother and Ying Xue. He caught her wrist mid-air, stopping her next slap. His grip was firm, his presence commanding.
"That's enough," he said gently.
Fei Ruyan's chest heaved as she turned to him, eyes brimming with fury and anguish. "Jinchen—she tried to kill your father!" she sobbed, her voice breaking. "She wanted to harm him!"
"I know," he said softly, his expression unreadable, his eyes dark pools of fire. "And she will pay for it. But not with your hands."
For a heartbeat, silence fell. The only sounds were the frantic beeping of the monitor and the gasps of the doctors. Fei Ruyan's arm dropped, her red hands trembling at her sides.
