She sat in the driver's seat and waited. Her hands trembled slightly on the wheel.
The mall lights had faded in the rearview mirror, leaving behind the glow of the streetlamps and the hum of traffic. Mei's heart was beating too loudly, as if the sound might escape her chest and betray her.
The phone screen showed 6:57 p.m. He should be out soon.
When Li Hao finally emerged from his office, coat draped over his shoulder, his expression calm and familiar, she almost forgot to breathe.
She followed at a distance, the engine humming softly. The city glowed around them with the billboards, glass towers, evening rush hour. She kept her eyes fixed on him, each turn he took feeding her dread.
At last, the taxi parked near a jewelry store.
Mei's chest went tight.
It was the same store from the message. The same one that haunted her dreams all night. The windows shimmered with rings and necklaces, their light spilling onto the street. It was like fragments of truth she wasn't ready to face.
The headlights of a taxi flared across the glass, and she saw Li Hao stepping out, one hand in his coat pocket, the other adjusting his watch.
The movement was casual, familiar, the same way he used to wait for her outside the cinema years ago, before they were married. But now, under the jewelry store sign, that same gesture made her uneasy.
Mei leaned forward slightly, trying not to breathe too loudly. The car's engine hummed faintly.
Then, out of nowhere, a girl's voice, high and apologetic cut through the silence.
"I'm sorry, I'm late!"
Mei's grip on the steering wheel tightened as she turned. A young high school girl in a brown cardigan and pleated skirt ran up the pavement, hair tied with a pink ribbon. Mei's heart lurched.
Is that her?
The girl ran straight past Li Hao. Mei blinked, disoriented, watching as the girl approached an older man standing farther down the street.
"Did you have to wait?" the girl said, smiling breathlessly.
"Not much," the man replied, patting her shoulder. "Let's go."
They turned and disappeared into the night.
Mei exhaled, her breath fogging the window. Relief flooded her chest like warm water. Just passerby, she thought. Just a coincidence.
Her fingers slackened their hold on the steering wheel. She even managed a small, shaky smile. But it didn't last long.
Another voice came. It was a boy's this time, around same age, panting slightly as he ran toward the jewelry store.
"I'm sorry, I'm late!"
Her head whipped up. The boy stopped right in front of Li Hao. Mei's smile froze.
Li Hao laughed softly, that same easy laugh she had fallen in love with years ago. "I didn't wait long. Did you come from dance academy again?"
"Yes," the boy replied, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "I'm so tired."
The boy's backpack was slung loosely over one shoulder, the white sneakers on his feet faintly glowing under the streetlights. He looked no older than seventeen.
The boy then looked up at the store sign and asked, "Is this the place?"
"Yes," Li Hao said. "Should we go in?"
The boy nodded. "Yes."
Mei's breath caught in her throat. She watched them disappear through the glass doors of the jewelry shop.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the door handle.
Inside the car, everything was silent except the dull ticking of the clock.
No… it can't be.
Her pulse roared in her ears.
When she stepped out of the car, the cool night air hit her like a slap. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself, her heels clicking softly on the pavement as she approached the storefront.
Through the large display window, she saw them. Li Hao stood beside the boy, his expression calm, affectionate even, as he pointed toward a glass case. The boy leaned in close, nodding eagerly.
Mei pressed a hand to her mouth. Her reflection in the glass looked ghostly pale, eyes wide and unfocused.
"What's their relationship?" she whispered. "It can't be…"
Inside, the store attendant was wrapping something in a small box. A silver necklace, perhaps. Mei's breath hitched as she saw Li Hao hand over his card and the boy smile shyly beside him.
They exited the store a few moments later, walking past her without a second glance.
He didn't even recognize her.
She might had spent hours in that salon, transforming into someone completely different with a curly hairstyle, sharp eyeliner, a jacket that hugged her figure. She looked like someone else entirely but she had a sliver of hope some place in her heart thought that he might recognize her. But to him she was a stranger.
And to him, she was.
Her lips trembled. For a moment she almost called out his name, but her voice died in her throat. Instead, she turned away, her body moving automatically back toward the rental car.
Once inside, she slumped into the seat and watched them from the mirror as they stood at the curb, waiting for a taxi.
The city buzzed around her, oblivious.
The taxi stopped, and they got in. The boy first, then Li Hao.
Mei's hands tightened on the wheel again. The air inside the car felt heavy, suffocating.
She started the engine.
The tires rolled onto the wet asphalt, and she followed them while keeping her headlights low, her distance measured. The road was lined with trees, their leaves whispering against the wind.
The taxi finally stopped in front of a restaurant glowing in light. Li Hao paid the driver and stepped out with the boy.
Mei parked a little ahead, then circled back on foot, hugging the shadows.
Through the large window of the restaurant, she could see them clearly. The two of them sat facing each other at a small table near the corner. The boy was laughing, his head tilted slightly, while Li Hao listened with a faint smile.
He never smiled like that anymore especially not at her.
She clutched her palm against one another, watching as Li Hao poured water into the boy's glass. The boy reached across the table, his fingers brushing Li Hao's wrist briefly. The gesture was small, but intimate.
Lovers?
The word echoed in her mind like a whisper she didn't want to hear.
She took a shaky breath and stepped back, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. The night seemed to spin around her.
She remembered the warmth of his body beside hers just last night, the softness in his voice when he said her name, the way he had kissed her in the bathroom without hesitation.
It all seemed so close yet impossibly distant now. The image through the glass, the laughter, the closeness which was undeniable.
But then her mind screamed No.