Chapter 8
Idid not shirk.
The wedding dress was indeed my dream, unrelated to marriage, and even more unrelated to him.
The next day at noon, Ryan drove me to the bridal shop.
During the process of doing my makeup, Ryan showed extreme patience and his emotional support was at its fullest.
The moment of putting on the wedding dress surpassed countless scenes that I had fantasized
dreams.
about in my
“Bella.”
Ryan had red eyes.
His gaze shifted upwards and gradually settled on my face, “So beautiful.”
I looked slightly dazed.
In my mind, I thought that the zipper had just gotten stuck in the thread, and I was holding up my skirt, thinking of asking him for help.
Through the thin curtain, he skillfully exhaled clouds and inhaled smoke.
In some confused and indifferent eyes, there was a hint of exhaustion and impatience.
I suddenly remembered the day I first met Ryan.
Our eyes met for a moment.
I was attracted by his eyes.
Clear, sincere, and with a hint of innocence.
When he came to me with a heart full of sincerity, I never would have imagined that we would come to this point today.
I watched him quietly for a long time.
In a moment of distraction, I laughed and said, “I really loved you, Ryan.”
His eyelashes trembled, and he leaned down to kiss me.
Just as his lips were about to touch mine, I shook my head and said, “We are…”
The untimely cellphone ringtone screamed madly.
He answered the call as if there was no one else around.
“Did you swear this is true?! You were pregnant-
He suddenly took two steps back, with veins popping on his forehead.
Ryan hung up the phone blankly.
“Bella, something happened at the company, and I have to go there right now.”
“What were you just about to say, I… I’m sorry, I… now…”
I shook my head with a smile.
“It’s okay, you go ahead and focus on your work, the company is more important.”
After he left, the sanatorium suddenly called me.
My heart skipped a beat.
The bridal shop was located in the suburbs and it was not easy to hail a taxi.
I called Ryan, but he didn’t answer.
When I arrived at the sanatorium, it had already been two hours.
I rushed into the ward and saw the covered white cloth. My legs went weak and I knelt down on the
ground.
“Family members, please accept my condolences.”
At this moment, there wasn’t much genuine sadness in my heart.
I just kept trying to figure out if this was reality or a dream.
Just yesterday, she said she would be discharged from the hospital to accompany me.
Until I was on my way home to get my identification, my mind remained as calm as still water.
I started staring at the twenty–dollar bill in my palm, lost in thought.
My mom gave me the money as the New Year’s gift.
The doctor said that if I had arrived a little earlier, I would have been able to see my mother one last
time.
1 He also said that before my mother passed away, she became more lucid.
She counted the days and asked all the medical staff one by one what the date was today.
Then, she pulled out a crumpled banknote from under the bed, leaned against the wall, and closed her eyes forever. “I can’t celebrate the New Year with my daughter this year.”
pushed open the door and, when I heard Jane crying, it took me a while to react.
Until the smell of rust permeated the tip of the nose.
I crawled and rolled to the master bedroom and saw that the straps of the baby crib had been neatly
cut.
Jane fell to the ground and cried for a while, her face turning slightly pale.
I held her in my arms, looking at the mottled bloodstains between my fingers, tears streaming down my face.
“Don’t be afraid, Jane. Mom will take you to the hospital.”
“Don’t cry…”
When I arrived at the hospital, I could no longer distinguish whether the moisture on my face was
tears or sweat.
I leaned weakly against the emergency room, not daring to close my eyes.
And at the end of the corridor.
Ryan carefully supported Lilly, skillfully avoiding her stomach.
The warm winter sun shone on them, making Ryan’s eyes and eyebrows curve, and his smile radiant.
I lifted my gaze and clumsily collided into his line of sight.
His pupils suddenly contracted, and he stood frozen in place, gradually freezing.
“Bella…”
is if time had stopped, with his smile
