After My Rebirth, My Husband Pampers Me Everyday!
Chapter 208: I ENDED UP HURTING YOU MORE
When Liuxian stepped through the gate, he found Guiying immediately.
The courtyard was crowded with people, and several tables were covered with vegetables, spices and baskets of duck eggs waiting to be prepared.
Despite all the activity, Liuxian’s eyes went straight to Guiying as though they had been searching for nothing else.
The omega sat beneath the canopy with a knife in one hand and a cabbage in the other while listening to something Auntie Mo was saying.
A small smile rested on his face, and the sight alone eased a burden Liuxian had carried for an entire month.
For a moment, he simply stood there and watched. Guiying looked healthier than he had when he left. His complexion had brightened, his hair had grown slightly longer, and the tension that had once followed him everywhere seemed to have disappeared.
The villagers had clearly taken good care of him, and Liuxian found himself smiling despite the exhaustion weighing on him.
Auntie Mo was in the middle of speaking when her voice suddenly disappeared. The change was so abrupt that several people instinctively looked in the same direction she was looking, and before long the conversations around the courtyard began fading one after another.
The lively atmosphere gradually quieted until an unusual silence settled over the gathering.
Guiying frowned slightly as he looked around. The silence felt strange because nothing in this village was ever truly quiet. Just as he was about to ask what had happened, a familiar scent drifted into the air and wrapped itself around him with frightening ease.
His hand froze.
The pheromones were gentle and comforting, carrying the familiar allure that had accompanied Liuxian from the day they met. Out of everyone in the world, there was no possibility of mistaking that scent for somebody else’s. The realization struck him so suddenly that his fingers began trembling around the knife handle.
The knife slipped from his hand and landed against the table with a soft clatter. The sound seemed unnaturally loud within the silence surrounding him.
Slowly, Guiying turned around.
The moment he saw the man standing near the entrance, every thought in his mind disappeared. Liuxian was standing only a few steps away, looking at him with eyes full of relief and longing.
For an entire month, Guiying had missed him, hated him, worried about him and dreamed about him more times than he cared to admit. Yet none of those emotions prepared him for the reality of seeing him again.
Liuxian looked exhausted.
The dark circles beneath his eyes were impossible to miss, and the beard covering his jaw made him look older than usual. His clothes hung slightly looser than before, making it obvious that the past month had not been kind to him. The sight caused something painful to tighten inside Guiying’s chest.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke. The distance separating them was small enough to cross within moments, yet after everything that had happened between them, neither seemed to know where to begin.
In the end, Liuxian was the first to surrender.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked at the omega standing across from him.
"Guiying."
His voice sounded rough from exhaustion and lack of sleep.
"I’m sorry I was late."
The apology shattered whatever restraint Guiying had left.
He pushed his chair back so quickly that it nearly toppled over behind him. Before anyone could react, he was already moving. The distance between them disappeared in seconds as he crossed the courtyard and threw himself directly into Liuxian’s arms.
Liuxian caught him immediately.
The force of the impact almost pushed him backwards, yet he did not loosen his grip for even a second. Instead, his arms wrapped tightly around Guiying as though he was afraid he might vanish again if he let go.
"What took you so long?"
Guiying buried his face against Liuxian’s chest as tears finally spilled over. The words came out broken between sobs, carrying a month’s worth of fear and longing with them.
"Didn’t you want me anymore? Don’t you love me anymore?"
Liuxian’s heart nearly broke.
He lowered his head and pressed a kiss against Guiying’s hair before gently stroking his back. The familiar warmth in his arms made the past month feel both unbearably long and painfully short at the same time.
"Don’t say things like that."
His voice was quiet, yet every word carried certainty.
"You told me that if I chased after you, our marriage would be over. I ignored that warning the moment you left because there was never a world where I could stop looking for you."
Guiying’s shoulders trembled.
Liuxian tightened his embrace slightly before continuing.
"I’ve been searching for you every day. I followed every lead I could find, and I checked every place that seemed even remotely possible. I’m sorry it took me a month to find you."
The apology only made Guiying cry harder.
He shook his head repeatedly before finally lifting his face. His eyes were red and swollen, and tears continued sliding down his cheeks despite his attempts to stop them.
"No, it’s not your fault."
His voice trembled with emotion.
"You weren’t the one who was wrong. You were trying to protect me, but I was too hurt to understand that at the time. I said so many things because I was angry, and I kept convincing myself that I hated you."
Guiying’s grip tightened around Liuxian’s shirt.
"But I don’t."
The confession escaped before he could second-guess himself.
"I don’t hate you at all."
His eyes filled with fresh tears.
"I love you."
The courtyard remained completely silent.
Several aunties quietly looked away while pretending to focus on vegetables that clearly no longer held their attention. Even Auntie Mo suddenly seemed fascinated by a cabbage sitting in front of her.
"I love you so much," Guiying continued. "I don’t want our marriage to end, and I’m sorry for giving you that ultimatum. Every day I kept thinking about it, and every day I regretted it more."
Liuxian immediately shook his head.
"There is nothing for you to apologise for."
His hand moved gently through Guiying’s hair while his expression softened.
"You were overwhelmed and heartbroken, and I understand that now. I was so focused on protecting you that I completely failed to see how much pain you were carrying."
The admission was simple, yet entirely sincere.
Liuxian lowered his gaze briefly before looking back at him.
"I wanted to shield you from the truth because I thought it would hurt you. Instead, I ended up hurting you even more, and that’s something I’ll regret for a very long time."