“I found this in the bathroom trash,” Mrs. Lee said, placing a white stick onto the dining table. She took a seat opposite her daughter, her eyes never leaving the latter’s face. But Xiao Shan was not betraying any emotion.

Instead, she picked up the stick slowly. It wasn’t big, roughly the length of an average pen, only this was flat. It was milky white with pink tip and right in the middle was a small panel. The panel was displaying only two pink strips; two ominous pink strips.

“What have you got to say about it?” the elder woman asked, stern but soft at the same time. She grabbed the pregnancy kit and waved it quite emotionally in front of Xiao Shan. “How did this happen?”

Xiao Shan cast her eyes away, forcing herself not to look at the small item in front of her. But all the same, she unconsciously cradled her abdomen, as if protecting it.

“Xiao Shan!” Mrs. Lee snapped impatiently. But the younger was not answering at all.

If it had been last time, she would have burst into tears right now. The girl was always sensitive and emotional. And she hated confrontation most. But then again, she was not careless and stupid. The old Xiao Shan wouldn’t get herself pregnant or into such sticky situation.

Mrs. Lee sighed. She placed down the pregnancy kit again and asked again, “At least tell me. Did he force you?”

She shook her head.

“Who is the guy?”

Again, she shook her head.

But Mrs. Lee knew better. “Is it Lu Han?”

This time, she turned, so quickly that Mrs. Lee knew she’s hit home. Sighing deeper and closing her eyes tiredly, she asked, “What were you thinking, Xiao Shan? How did this even happen?”

“It doesn’t matter how, mom. It was a mistake and it’s the past,” Xiao Shan replied slowly. She looked down the carpeted floor, partly ashamed to admitting this to the woman who truly cares for her.

“How could you say that?” Mrs. Lee burst out. She had jumped to her feet and the chair she sat on tumbled backwards in a crash. “You’re pregnant! And with Lu Han’s child nonetheless! Do you know what this means?!”

And Xiao Shan clambered to her feet as well. “No one needs to know about this! I’ll raise the child here and won’t ever go back again.”

“What are you talking about?! You can’t raise a child all by yourself.”

“You raised Ann all by yourself for fourteen years before marrying my father,” she pointed out flatly and it made Mrs. Lee even more upset.

“I have your father all along. But you will have no one, Xiao Shan. Don’t you understand? If we turn back now, there is still some way to mend this,” Mrs. Lee pleaded.

Xiao Shan shook her head again. “No, Lu Han must not know about this. It will ruin everything.”

“What ‘everything’, Xiao Shan! You are carrying his child, that’s everything!”

She glared at her mom. Why was it so hard to make her understand? Hot tears burnt the back of her eyes as they threatened to spill. She didn’t sacrifice everything just to turn back. “And if I go back now, what is going to happen to him and Ann? I will be the third wheel again. Do you want that?” Mrs. Lee stopped. “Do you want to watch your own daughter suffers because of me?”

“Then let this be my retribution, Xiao Shan,” Mrs. Lee cried out.

Again, she shook her head. “No, it will be no one’s retribution. This child is mine and mine alone. It is no one else’s. This child is all I have of him.” She placed her hands protectively over her flat stomach and felt warmth radiated from within. It would be her lifeline.

As Xiao Shan sniffed hard, her unwilling tears held back, Mrs. Lee’s fell. Aching at heart and disbelief in mind, she whispered out, “You love Lu Han this much…”

“No, I love him much more…”

*

Lu Han adjusted the black bowtie around his neck like an automated machine. His mind was a blank and his heart wasn’t into it. So when the curtain to the dressing room behind him opened to let out his beautiful bride, he didn’t even notice.

Until, a soft coughing pulled him back to reality.

He turned to see Ann, dressed in pure white, smiling radiantly but expectantly at him. It was a strapless dress with fancy sequined top in tiny flowers. Her narrow waist was tied with a large satin bow and the dress flared downwards much like a Cinderella dress. A small tiara sat atop her head, held by hair pins and elaborated hair style.

Lu Han stepped forward to receive her. Ann smiled coyly as she held out her hands for his. “So? What do you think?”

“You look beautiful.” He smiled widely but somehow, it didn’t reach his eyes. And when the usual sparkle was not there, Ann was quick to notice it.

She pulled him closer and as she pretended to adjust his suit, she asked gently, “What’s wrong, Lu Han? You don’t act like yourself these days. Are you not feeling well? Or tired?”

He raised his own hands to stop her fidgeting. Holding her hands in his, he raised one to his lips. Then, he looked down at his future wife, the woman he loved and tugged a loose strand of hair to the back of her ear with the other free hand. Slowly, he caressed her face.

But the tenderness he knew he had, the passion he only had for her, was not there. The guilt has been gnawing away his insides ever since that day. And the fact that he couldn’t remember exactly what happened or what he had said that drove the other woman to death was slowly poisoning him alive. How would he ever survive?

“I love you, Ann,” Lu Han whispered out and smiled genuinely. “Let’s live happily ever after.”

It was a vow.

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I really love you guys~!! XD The comments are all so cute and I can't stop reading them... And because of that, I couldn't resist updating another chapter. I know lotsa of readers now are pretty confused and hopefully this chapter explains a little. It also marks the end of Luhan & Ann's story. So I'll be introducing Kris soon~ ^^ His role will be revealed slowly, keeps the anticipation high but he's really important to the story. 

On a last note, Luhan doesn't know about his night with Xiao Shan. He was too drunk to remember anything. So it's safe to say that she kind of took advantage of him. Lolx..

As usual, please leave lots of love..