Zhan's Pov.
The night was colder than usual. I curled tighter into myself on the hard prison bed, my thin blanket offering little comfort. The walls felt closer somehow like they were pressing in, squeezing the last bit of air out of my lungs.
I didn't know what day it was exactly. Time didn't move normally in here. It was just a cycle of cold mornings, colder nights, and endless waiting.
But tonight... something was different.
I lay there staring at the ceiling, my fingers tracing the faint lines of the ring still hidden under my sleeve the makeshift cloth they hadn't noticed yet. I had kept it close, stubbornly, even when they stripped me of almost everything else.
Tonight, it felt warm against my skin.
I didn't know why. There was no reason for it. Wang hadn't visited. And yet... my heart ached less tonight. Like a thread had been tied between us again, thin but strong.
I squeezed my eyes shut, whispering into the darkness, "Wherever you are, Wang... please don't forget me."
A tear slipped down the side of my face.
I let it fall. There was no one to hide from anymore. No pride to protect.
I pressed the hidden ring to my lips and whispered again, "I love you."
Then I drifted into sleep, still clutching that small piece of him. Still believing, against everything, that somehow... he hadn't given up on me.
Not yet.
I was rolling on the bed until sleep finally dragged me under like an old friend I didn't trust.
When I woke up, the routine kicked in without me even thinking, sit up, stare at nothing, brood, sigh. Repeat. Every day felt like a broken record that no one bothered to fix.
But today... something was off.
A guard came to my cell, softer than usual. No smirk, no sarcasm. Just a quiet, "Come on, shower time."
He tossed me a towel and a fresh bar of soap, then handed me the clothes I was arrested in, the same ones that smelled like freedom and fear.
I blinked. "What's going on?"
"Just do what you're told," he muttered, but his voice lacked its usual edge.
In the shower, I let the water hit me longer than usual. Not because they allowed it, but because no one came to rush me. I scrubbed harder than I needed to like I could peel off the weight of the past weeks.
When I stepped out, someone handed me breakfast.
Real breakfast.
Warm bread. Eggs that weren't grey. Even tea, hot and sweet, like I used to make it.
"What's this?" I asked the officer standing guard.
He shrugged. "Orders."
My heart pounded, unsure whether to feel hope or fear. I sat down to eat, hands shaking slightly. I couldn't remember the last time I had a meal that didn't taste like punishment.
After I finished, I was led out of the cell like it was just another day, no explanation, no officer telling me why or what had changed. The metal doors clanged shut behind me, and I kept walking, half-expecting someone to drag me back in. My legs were shaky, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
The sun hit my face like a slap, warm, real, too bright for someone who hadn't seen the sky in weeks. I squinted, taking it in.
And then I saw him.
"Dre?" I blinked.
He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Hey, man."
"What... What are you doing here?" My voice cracked, rough from silence and too many swallowed screams.
He pulled me into a quick hug, patting my back like we hadn't spoken in years. "Someone called me. Said I should come get you."
"Who?" I asked, my throat dry.
He hesitated. "Didn't say their name. Just said you'd need a place to stay until your court hearing."
I nodded slowly, letting the words settle. I was out. I didn't know how. I didn't know why. But I was out.
I glanced around no Wang. No Cheng. Just Dre.
"You okay?" Dre asked gently.
I looked away. "Not really."
"Let's get you out of here."
I followed him to the car, still half-expecting it to be a trap. But it wasn't. The wind through the window felt like freedom, and even though my heart ached with confusion, a part of me dared to hope. Maybe Wang was coming. Maybe this nightmare was almost over.
But I had no idea what waited for me next.
Dre's apartment hadn't changed, same minimal furniture and, the same calming scent of lavender and leather, but I wasn't the same. I stepped inside like a ghost, my legs moving without instruction, my heart heavier with every beat.
Dre locked the door behind us and hesitated before speaking. "You hungry?"
I shook my head.
"Want to shower? Sleep?" he tried again, his voice gentle, like I might break if he pressed too hard.
But I was already broken.
"I just want to sit," I whispered, moving to the couch and sinking into it. The cushions were soft, warm even, but nothing could soothe the ache in my chest.
Dre stood across from me for a moment, unsure, then sat on the edge of the armchair. He rubbed his hands over his face before sighing.
"I didn't want it to be like this," he said quietly.
I didn't respond. My throat was too tight.
"He tried everything, Zhan. Wang... he was losing it in there. I've never seen him like that. Every day, he was fighting someone, yelling, cursing. He looked like a man who was about to go to war."
I looked up slowly. "Then why agree to marry her?"
"Because she left him no choice. She had the power. You know it. We all knew it. Either he gave her what she wanted, or she made you disappear."
I swallowed hard, my nails digging into my palms. "She already did. The moment he said 'I do,' I disappeared."
Dre's expression fell. "That's not true."
I gave a bitter laugh. "Isn't it? She won. She's got him. And me? I'm just a shadow of someone she couldn't destroy fast enough."
Dre leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Zhan, he loves you."
I froze.
My lips trembled. That stupid, stubborn boy. That promise was made in secret.
My fingers brushed over the bare spot on my ring.
"I love him," I whispered.
"I know."
And in the silence that followed, I let myself cry, not because I was weak, but because loving someone who belonged to someone else was the cruelest kind of grief.
Dre didn't say a word. He just let me sit there, sinking deeper into the couch, letting the weight of it all press into my bones. I appreciated the silence more than he'd ever know. I wasn't ready to talk. Not when my heart felt like a thousand shattered pieces, scattered across a floor no one dared walk on.
Then the doorbell rang.
Dre gave me a look, a silent check-in, but I didn't respond. I just stared ahead, eyes glassy, body frozen. He got up, walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole.
I didn't need him to say anything. I already knew.
I could feel it in my gut.
At this point, I wasn't even surprised. I wiped my tears with the sleeve of Dre's hoodie, sat up straight, and forced a calmness onto my face that I didn't feel. I wouldn't let them see me broken. Not again.
Dre without ceremony, opened the door.
The click of Dre's door echoed louder than it should have. I already knew who it was. The air shifted the moment the door opened, expensive perfume, stiff smiles, and polished lies.
Lusi in a white suit as she'd just walked off a runway, flawless, smug, victorious. Mrs. Wang wore black with gold accents, looking like the villain in a daytime soap opera, lips curled in satisfaction, eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.
I sat still, face blank, like they were just wind blowing through.
Her perfume got there before she did, Lusi. And beside her? That arrogant, smug presence could only belong to Mrs. Wang.
"Well," she said, stepping in like she owned the place, "you look better than you did behind bars. Prison has a way of humbling people."
I didn't flinch.
I didn't even blink.
"I'm not in the mood," I said, my voice low and calm, even as my hands trembled in my lap.
"Oh, I think you'll want to hear this," Lusi said, smiling too brightly.
But I just stared, jaw clenched.
Let them speak.
Let them pour whatever poison they came with.
I'd survived worse.
And I wasn't going to let them ruin what little of me I had left.
"Zhan," Mrs. Wang started, voice smooth but sharp. "We're not here to argue. We came to offer clarity... and a way out."
I blinked at her, not speaking.
She continued, "You'll stay away from Wang. From now on, you'll be nothing but a closed chapter. If you do that, everything will be fine."
"We've already hired the best lawyer," Lusi chimed in, her heels clicking as she circled in front of me like a vulture. "He's never lost a case, and your hearing is in two days. With him, you walk free."
I clenched my jaw, throat dry.
"You want your freedom, right?" Mrs. Wang smiled, cold and pristine. "Then do what's best for you... and for him."
They stood. I didn't say a word. I didn't trust my voice not to crack.
"We got married," Lusi said, her voice coated in syrup and spite. "It was like a carnival. A sweet carnival."
She giggled as she held out her hand, the diamond on her ring catching the light like it was mocking me.
I looked at it.
Big. Loud. Perfect for someone who needed the world to know she'd won.
I didn't say anything.
I didn't even blink.
I just stared at that ring, the same way someone stared at an accident they saw coming but couldn't stop. My fingers itched, instinctively reaching for my ring, the one Wang gave me. The one I hadn't taken off, not even in jail.
Lusi's smile widened when she noticed.
"I see you're still wearing that," she said, lips curling in amusement.
Mrs. Wang gave a small laugh, low and cruel. "How cute. Still clinging to what's already gone."
I swallowed hard, biting back the burn in my throat.
"I know why you're here," I said quietly, looking between the two of them. "You want to see if I'll finally break."
Lusi shrugged. "No, Zhan. We came to show you the truth. He's mine now. The papers are signed. The pictures are everywhere. You were just a chapter."
I stood slowly, steadying my breath. My legs felt weak but I refused to show it.
"You're right," I said softly, locking eyes with her. "He is married to you now. But I was never just a chapter."
That wiped the smile off her face, if only for a second.
Mrs. Wang stepped in, cold and smug. "Watch your tongue. You've already cost him enough. Be smart. Stay gone."
I didn't flinch.
Let them talk.
Let them spin whatever fantasy they needed to feel powerful.
Because deep down, they both knew:
Wang never took off my ring.
As they turned to leave, Lusi paused, leaned close to my ear, and whispered, then gave me a smug smirk.
She didn't have to laugh out loud. That smirk said everything.
They left without another word. Just the smell of too much perfume and the weight of choices I never asked to make.
The door clicked shut, but the silence it left behind was deafening.
I sat there, staring at the space they'd just occupied, still breathing in the scent of fake power and polished cruelty. My hands were trembling again, though I clenched them into fists to stop it. It didn't help. Nothing helped.
I had imagined this moment, being free, walking out of that cell, feeling the sun on my face. But not like this. Not with the weight of Wang's marriage wrapped around my chest like a chain.
He did it.
He married her.
And now they want me to disappear like I was never here in the first place. Like all the pain, all the love, all the moments that stitched our hearts together meant nothing.
I let out a shaky breath.
The worst part wasn't Lusi's smirk or Mrs. Wang's threats, it was the whisper of doubt crawling through my mind, asking, What if you were the problem? What if walking away was the best thing I could do for him?
But how do you walk away from someone who held your broken pieces and called them beautiful? From the only person who made you feel like more than a scar?
I pressed a hand to my chest. It ached in a place no medicine could reach.