Lily is taken aback. "You miss him?"
"Yes, it's been a long time since I saw him," Adair says, slowing down with his food. Lily is sad to see
him like this.
"Adair, Daddy is away on a business trip, but you must know that he misses you. He misses you all the
time, understand?"
Lily has said things like that to him countless times over these months, for fear that Adair would see his
dad in a different way, or that it would affect Adair as he grows up.
Adair usually nods obediently, but today....
He suddenly puts down the chicken leg, and asks, his big dark eyes full of puzzlement, "But Mom, if
Dad really misses me, why doesn't he come back?"
Lily frowns slightly. Thinking what the teacher has said, she realizes something bad might be
happening. Does Adair feel inferior because he discovers that other children's dads are around but his
isn't?
Lily has been taking care of Adair herself. Kids in the kindergarten don't pay attention to such details.
Now that he is in a primary school in China, where the parents are overly caring, he might truly feel that
way.
Rubbing her son's little head, she reassures him with an aching heart, "Trust me, he will be back soon."
It has been nearly half a year since that man left for his treatment, and he should probably feel better
now. Lily tends to avoid such thoughts and bury herself in work. As the deadline approaches, she
grows increasingly anxious. What if he doesn't get better?
She knows a turning point is around the corner. But she chooses to blindfold herself, staggering into
what is supposed to be a bridge, or a godforsaken abyss.
"Mom, please tell Dad that I miss him so much. He said he would pick me up from school, but he never
showed up. I really want to see him," Adair says sincerely, mistakenly assuming that Lily has been
contacting Rex.
Lily feels nothing but heartache. A child should never be a victim of his parents' drama, but now it is
inevitable.
"Don't worry. Mom will let him know."
Adair's vacation officially begins. He has sowed a seed in Lily's heart by saying that. And every time
she thinks about it, agitation follows.
Nothing comes from Rex, and his promise is about to expire. The child is under undue pressure for
that. And it all comes to Lily like a weighty stone, leaving her breathless.
The emotions are too strong for her to carry along. Drowning in them, she indulges in drinking. One
night, bathing in the moonlight, she dials that number drunkenly in front of the French window in the
living room.
All this time, she has never tapped that number until now. She has dialed it so many times that she can
recite it, but that fact has made it so hard for her to do it again.
She strokes the screen with her fingertips. The light is flickering, like her resolution.
She has promised to leave him be for half a year, but she worries about Adair too much to keep that
promise.
It is too painful to decide. She is strong, but she is still a woman, who longs for protection.
That longing weakens her. Gritting her teeth, she turns on the phone and types quickly, sending a short
message.
...
Rex is undergoing rehabilitation training. The transfusion works and the addictive substance has
dropped to a stable value. However, he is still facing some problems and needs medicine. And he has
to take it for another six months to be free of addiction.
The treatment and torture have taken their toll on his body. He is weak despite his strong bones. Lee
has made a special recovery plan for him, so he is exercising accordingly.
When Rex is free at night, he would double his efforts. Finishing a round, he hears the phone ring on
the table. The phone serves no purpose other than getting information about Lily and Adair through his
subordinates. So, he thinks it is about that again.
He quickly gets up and picks it up. Tapping the screen, he is petrified with shock upon seeing the
number.
It is no other than Lily herself!
Blood rushes to the top of his head. Looking at the number, he remembers how he can just talk to her
photos when the emotions are too overwhelming. They haven't met or heard from each other for half a
year already.
A text message is enough to agitate him.
Rex doesn't even open the message. He sits on the bed and bends down slightly. His fingers shaking
with the phone, he taps the screen again a while later.
She doesn't say much in the text. There are just a few words, but Rex tenses up despite himself.
"Our son misses you. When will you come home?"
Son. Miss. Home.
Those are the words he first sees. In the quiet ward, only the low buzz of the medical equipment can be
heard. Rex stares at the text for a dozen of minutes before lowering his head again.
A few seconds later, the man's shoulders tremble slightly. He raises his hand to support his temples
and cover his eyes, but the pain still rises.
Warm liquid streams down his cheeks, leaving two trails. All he can think about is his son is missing
him. He wants to ask, 'Adair misses me. What about you? Do you miss me, too? When I am away, do
you eat on time and take care of yourself?
However, he can't ask her that. He can't risk giving her false hope before the final test results come out.
He even feels he doesn't have the right to disturb her.
If all his efforts are in vain, getting closer to her now will do her greater harm.
He only needs one week to know the result and smooth things out. If he can return to her, he will never
let her down again!
Rex calms down and picks up the phone of the hospital from the bedside and calls Lee, "Please hurry
up a little. I want to know as soon as possible."
"Why the hurry?" Lee's surprised voice comes from the other end of the phone.
Rex curls up his lip corner, his voice cracked and bitter, "I can't wait any longer."
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