So, it was still this answer. Before this moment, he had never been so disappointed in her.

What could possibly make her act so unreasonably difficult? Wasn’t everything I’ve done all these years enough? Just because she wants to go to Harvard, does it have to come at the cost of a breakup? Is Harvard really that important? Even when it came to having children, it’s not like anyone was forcing us to rush things!

He took a step back and placed the roses on the table.

I wish I could bite off my own tongue!

Yet, she kept her head bowed. In my heart, it feels like ten thousand trucks are running over me. It’s not like this, it really isn’t—I’d be willing to marry him ten thousand times over! But... but... What if I truly can’t conceive? What if we truly don’t have a child?

Perhaps it’s better to part amicably now. That way, I won’t have to wait to be abandoned for this reason, for us to hate, despise, and blame each other, to witness such ugliness, and then finally go our separate ways...

Deep in her heart, she still harbored an unmentionable secret: What if, as the doctor said, I exercise for two years and my body recovers? Could I make a comeback then?

This secrecy stemmed from the same fear that made her conceal this fatal flaw. If Liu Daqing knew, would he still marry me? Even if I accepted his proposal today, wouldn’t the Empress Dowager settle scores later? I may be a treasure in Wan Donglin’s eyes, but what am I in the Empress Dowager’s eyes? After all, Nanny Huang was so eager to please Zhou Ting, waiting on her like an Empress, precisely because Zhou Ting was pregnant. Similarly, Zhou Xiaoxuan played the part of a virtuous daughter-in-law for so many years, but once it was clear she couldn’t have children, her in-laws kicked her out, leaving her with nothing but tears. In the eyes of a mother-in-law, you’re just a hen that’s supposed to lay eggs. What happens if this hen can’t lay eggs?

That was what she feared.

Yet deep down, she was unwilling to tell Wan Donglin. It stemmed from a subtle, even despicable, selfishness—always clinging to a sliver of hope: I have to get better soon, so I won’t lose him completely.

I hope for a lifetime with him, not just a fleeting moment.

Perhaps her silence had lasted too long, long enough for him to become utterly disappointed.

He finally spoke, his voice very calm. "Yan Xixi, is this your well-considered decision?"

"I... I suppose so."

She finally summoned her courage. "I want to go to the United States alone this time! I’ll travel alone, register at the university alone, and manage everything by myself."

This was the first step towards independence. If I don’t even dare to take this step, what right will I have in the future to claim I want to be the matriarch of the Wan Family?

"If that’s the case, then I respect your choice."

"Thank you," she said in a low voice.

He turned and walked away. Reaching the doorway, he paused again, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and strode away.

The door closed. He hadn’t slammed it; there was no rage. Yet the sound struck her heart like a hammer.

Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. The entire world suddenly dimmed completely.

That night, for the first time, Yan Xixi felt how empty her surroundings were.

The room suddenly felt vast and empty, like an ancient tomb. She had already arranged for Xu Xiaoya to take care of the car. As for the house, she had initially planned to rent it out. But she cherished every blade of grass and every tree there too much, so she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she asked Xu Xiaoya to continue looking after it and clean it regularly. That way, if she ever returned, she wouldn’t be caught off guard and forced to stay in a hotel.

Just, someone was missing.