Those precious memories made him miss her so bad that he felt like his heart was going to explode. Baekhyun took a few breaths in an attempt to calm himself before he dragged his feet out of his room towards the front door. Once he reached there, he breathed out through his nose as though expelling bad energy before he opened the door. "Why did you come here? Do you want to tell me to betray your sister aga..." Baekhyun trailed off, seeing a look of utter devastation on his brother in-law's face.

"I have to tell you something. It's about your wife." Chanyeol stepped inside the house, heading to the living room.

Baekhyun didn't know why he suddenly felt anxious, afraid and uncomfortable. He immediately slammed the door shut and followed suit. "What happened to her? Is she alright?" he asked worriedly as he flopped down on the couch next to Chanyeol. "Can you tell me where she is?" Baekhyun shook his shoulder, who had his head down, looking at his lap.

He raised his head to look at him. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, Baekhyun." Chanyeol gave him a serious look, making him even more agitated.

"Just tell me right now," he hissed through gritted teeth.

Chanyeol took a long breath before speaking, "The moment my little sister came home at dawn, my mom and I got really shocked. She looked so pale with the dark circles under her eyes. Before we could ask her what had happened to her, she said something was wrong with her; she often felt lethargic, tired for no reason. She begged us not to tell her husband, since she didn't want to make him worry before she collapsed on the floor. We rushed her to the hospital, and blood tests were ordered. We waited for what seemed an eternity for the results from the blood tests and the scan." He paused to take a breath; his hazel eyes glazed with tears. "My little sister was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. She was immediately admitted to the hospital to begin treatment. Although the illness came as quite a shock, I remember that she took it all in her stride. She was calm and collected. Her doctor told our mom, she needed a bone marrow transplant. With siblings being the most likely matches, I was tested, but wasn't a match. I was devastated on the inside."

Baekhyun was stunned; his mind was in a haze.

He didn't know how to deal with this.

He felt so numb like it was all a nightmare.

Chanyeol swallowed back his tears and took a few deep breaths before continuing, his voice cracking: "She underwent chemotherapy at the hospital for three months at a time. During this treatment, Jiyeon suffered several aches and pains, lost her hair, but she kept her beautiful smile on her face through it all. She said she must win this battle so that she can go back to her husband again. However, nothing worked, each day she was getting worse. Although sadness filled our heart, we've never showed it to her. Yesterday she told our mom, she really wanted to fulfill her dreams of growing old with her husband, having children and watching her children grow and start families of their own, but it seems like her beautiful dreams will never come true. God will soon bring her back, since He loves her so much. Upon hearing her words, I became very scared that she might die soon, so I decided to tell you everything. You deserve to know all these painful circumstances."

His brother-in-law broke down into silent tears. These silent tears racked his body, while Baekhyun's vision went blurry as tears flooded his eyes. Baekhyun blinked away tears but one stray salty drop rolled down his cheek. He ducked his head down, gripping the hem of his blue pajama shirt. A steely glint came into his watery eyes as he glanced at her brother. He was totally devastated and furious at the same time.

He suddenly stood up from his chair and grabbed Chanyeol's collar. "Why didn't you tell me earlier so I could be there to support her, show my love and create more happy memories!" Baekhyun glowered as he pushed Chanyeol onto the floor before he slumped on the floor, his senses overwhelmed by the fact that his wife was dying.

Chanyeol crawled closer and hugged him. "I didn't tell you because it was her request. Your wife implored us not to tell you about her illness, since she didn't want to be a burden to you; she didn't want to see you suffering. She just wanted you to be happy," he replied in a feeble voice. "I've always felt guilty for lying to you and hurting you. I'm sorry for everything wrong I've ever done." He rubbed Baekhyun's back to comfort him.

Baekhyun took deep breaths as he attempted to hold back the tears. He felt a knot in his throat, and his chest started to ache. He gripped Chanyeol's arm tightly, making his brother in-law's face scrunch up into a painful grimace. He suddenly choked out the words: "Jiyeon, you're a bad girl. You're not a burden to me. You're my wife, my responsibility, how could you have those stupid thoughts? How could I be happy when you left me without a word? You've tortured me, and now you just want to go away. You're a really cruel girl."

Baekhyun wept his heart out. Tears gushed out of his eyes like a raging river and flowed down his swollen cheeks. He felt his hope for having a happy family, which he had clung to, slipping away with each teardrop. He trembled uncontrollably as he cried and cried harder with the hopes that God would hear him and give his wife a miracle. His eyes were red and puffy and snot was running out of his nose.

"It's good to let your emotions flow out, so cry as much as you like," Chanyeol told him as he rested Baekhyun's head on the crook of his shoulder, tears rolling down his face. His arms tightened around him and let his wracking sobs of despair rush through him.

Moments later, Baekhyun stopped crying and withdrew himself from his embrace. He in his breath, wiping snot and tears off in his sleeve. "Please tell me where the hospital is. I want to see her," he pleaded, his voice barely audible to his ears.

His brother in-law brushed the tears away with his fingers before answering, "Your wife isn't in the hospital right now. She said she wanted to spend her time in her favorite place, a place where she expressed her feelings to her husband. Our mom accompanies her there."

Baekhyun immediately stood up and ran to the door without saying anything, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste. He opened it and dashed toward the left side of the courtyard of his house to grab his bicycle, ignoring Chanyeol's calls to him. He hopped on and pedaled as fast as he could towards the meadow, until his legs felt like concrete. However, he kept pedaling and pedaling, gaining the speed. He couldn't wait to hold her in his arms again. He wanted to take care of her and make her happy during her last days of life. As soon as he reached there, the boy hopped off and dropped his bike on the grass. He gasped for air and wiped the sweat away from his brow.

A warm feeling of contentment washed over him, eliminating the pain that he was feeling when he saw his wife and her mother sitting side by side on the riverbank, their back facing him. Jiyeon had her head rested against her mother's shoulder, dressed in a grey sweater, dark pants, a brown colored-knit hat, whilst her mother wore a light black knit cardigan and black pants, her hair tied up into a neat bun. His eyes slowly started to brighten and a smile spread across his face. He finally found his wife, his everything. Baekhyun bent down, plucked wild pink flowers from a scraggly patch at his feet and smelled its scent. He stood there for a few moments as he tried to gather the strength to be strong in front of her by taking slow deep breaths, then exhaling just as slowly.

He strode towards her, and her mother's eyes widened in shock, seeing him. He gave his mother in-law a faint smile and squatted down in front of his wife. Baekhyun felt helpless, numbed and heart-broken, seeing his wife suffer. She looked very thin, pale and lethargic.

"She is sleeping now," Mrs. Park told him, her eyes b with tears. "Son, I'm sorry. I—"

"It's okay, mom. Her brother has told me everything, and I understood," he cut her off, his voice shaking as he dropped wildflowers onto the grass. He brought one of his hands to his wife's face and pressed his lips together, trying to hold back his emotions as he caressed her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open at his touch, blinked slowly and rubbed one of her eyes. "How are you doing?" Baekhyun managed to flash a soft smile.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes unfocused like she was staring off into space more than she was actually looking at him. "Why did you come here?" she finally responded in the faintest voice and looked away from him. "I don't want—"

"Can't you stop being selfish and stubborn?" His voice tapered off into a half-sob. "You know, you've tortured me!"

"Daughter, listen to your husband." Her mother's voice took on a pleading tone. Jiyeon looked up at her mother's face. "You've always missed him, haven't you?" she added, a sad smile curving her lips.

She shifted her gaze to her husband who was narrowing his eyes, anger surging through him. Glimmering ethereal tears filled her eyes, and her lips were trembling. In a very low voice, she said, "I'm really sorry for being a bad wife."

He could hear the guilt in her voice, and the anger vanished from his eyes. Baekhyun shook his head and pulled her into his arms. "Sweetheart, I've already forgiven you. I'm so glad we are now back together again," he whispered into her ear.

"I've missed you so much." Jiyeon wrapped her arms around him.

"Me too." He looked up at the sky as her tears penetrated the fabric of his pajamas.

They both hugged each other in silence, simply enjoying the warmth and security of each other's presence. His mother in-law cleared , causing them to pull away. They looked at the old woman.

"I don't want to disrupt your reunion, so I'll go home. Baekhyun, take good care of her," she uttered softly as she touched his face. "Jiyeon, enjoy your time with your husband. I'm leaving first." She kissed her daughter's forehead before she got up.

"Mom, be careful," Jiyeon said, a smile lighting her pale face. Mrs. Park nodded, a bright smile chasing the earlier sadness from her face.

As her mother walked away, Baekhyun cupped his wife's face in his hands gently and brought his lips towards hers. He kissed her with all the tenderness he could find in his heart that tears sprang up Jiyeon's eyes. Their lips moved softly against each other and felt a wave of gentleness and felicity in their absolute togetherness.

Baekhyun traced his fingertips across her cheeks as he pulled away before he moved beside her. Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Jiyeon snuggled closer, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder; she nestled against him accepting gratefully the warmth and comfort he provided. They both sat there in comfortable silence while listening to the sounds of running water as if making up for lost time.

A few hours had passed, but they still stayed like that. It just felt right to be together. Jiyeon suddenly broke the silence, her voice soft, almost inaudible, an indistinct murmur: "My cute husband, if I die, I just want you to know that when I turn off the light, I'm not sad to go. Don't weep for me, because your tears burden me to see Him. Don't strew flowers over my grave, but sprinkle my grave with prayers from your heart through your sweet smiles. If I die, keep goal-"

"My beautiful wife, do you remember when you confessed your feelings to me?" Baekhyun interrupted.

He didn't want to hear the rest of her words. Her words were anguish-filled that he felt the sting of hot tears well up in his eyes. He tilted his head to the side as he tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat, blinking away the tears. The fear of losing her forever penetrated his heart and his soul. Emptiness that had been attacked him hadn't been this agonizing. He felt like he was breaking apart inside. He took a few deep breaths and looked back at his wife. She gave him a sweet smile, making him feel a bit calm. He her cheek softly with his thumb and kissed her forehead.

The sun was slowly setting, and the clouds were like thin sheets of cotton scattered in the sky. A warm breeze was softly blowing and the scent of wildflowers was in the air. They watched as the sky shifted from the palest of violet to yellow, orange and red. Baekhyun tightened his arm around her and rested his cheek against the top of her head, feeling the warmth envelop him as the wind caressed his skin.

Within a few minutes, the sun finally sank behind the horizon, but it was still illuminating several clouds in the sky, outlining them with a silver-gold paintbrush. Baekhyun smiled as he remembered his wife would always hum the words from her heart whenever twilight time arrived before he looked down at his wife. Jiyeon seemed trying to say something, her lips stirred, and her breathing ceased. Baekhyun was absolutely overwhelmed. It seemed to him so uncanny that he didn't even cry. 

There was a look of utter peace and tranquility on her face. Jiyeon, my beautiful wife, tonight you're the sun that's sleeping peacefully just like a good kid. Tomorrow morning, you'll rise to light my brand-new day. Baekhyun lightly her cheek with the backside of his fingers.