Huiyin went to a nearby washroom and dried herself after getting some clean clothes from her car. She wore a black cap, a black leather jacket and blue jeans. As soon as she got out of the washroom, she saw a tall and handsome man running to the nurses' station. He looked anxious, and a nurse showed him the way to the operation waiting area. Huiyin was debating whether to give the phone to the nurse or to the man, but she followed them secretly instead.
She waited behind a wall that was closed to the exit door because she didn't want to make a mistake in giving the phone to the wrong person. Few minutes passed and the operation door slid open and the leading surgeon came out. He took off his mask and asked them whether they were relative to Mrs. Ruining. The tall man immediately replied, "I'm her husband. How's my wife?" The lead surgeon didn't look too happy and said, "I'm sorry for your loss. We tried our best. Both the mother and the unborn baby didn't make it. I offer my condolences."
Zixin shook his head in disbelief. He didn't believe it. Ruining was perfectly healthy before he left for work. They kissed and hugged this morning. He didn't believe that his beloved wife had passed away before he could say anything.
"No, it's not possible! Please, look at her one more time! Please!" He begged the surgeon, but the surgeon asked a nurse to calm him down. Zixin's assistant sat beside him on the chair, and one nurse came to them and said, "Would you like to say anything to your wife before we take her to the morgue?" Zixin cried and tears streamed down his face. He nodded. The nurse took them to a private room and closed the door. After the nurse left, Huiyin looked around and there were only a few people left.
She went to the nurses' station hurriedly and asked for a pen and a sticky note.
She writes:
"Your wife said she loved you and asked me to save her unborn child. I wasn't able to save your unborn child because she was bleeding a lot and the ambulance arrived late because of the heavy rain. But I was with your wife at her last moment. She was sorry she didn't get to buy you a birthday cake, and she wanted to hear your voice one last time. I'm sorry for your loss. This is your wife's phone. You don't have to ask me who I am. But, take good care of yourself and for your wife. I don't think we'll ever meet again, but your wife is a really strong woman. She loved you until her last breath."
She reviewed the note and stuck it on the phone, then placed the phone on the chair beside the room then walked away.
***
Zixin walked out of the room while looking like he hadn't slept for days,his assistant found a note and gave it to him.
"CEO Lin, this is for you. Someone must've left it for you." Zixin sat down on the chair and took out the sticky note. His tears streamed down his face continuously while reading the note. He crumpled up the note and his face turned into anger.
"Chris, using all our resources, you must find out what really happened today. I will forgive no one who killed my wife and my unborn child."
"Yes, sir."
Zixin and Chris went back to their car after saying a final goodbye to Ruining. He could not forget the cold temperature of her dead body and he couldn't imagine the pain she went through. He was in a rage. Tears came down like a waterfall and it swelled his eyes. He was in denial, in anger, and he blamed himself as well. Chris, who was driving the car, looked in the rearview mirror. He couldn't say a word to CEO Lin. He didn't even know what to say. At the end, they went back to the company as they have to prepare Ruining's funeral in a few days.
Zixin locked himself inside his office and screamed in pain. No one understood his pain of losing his beloved wife and his unborn child. Why, he thought. Why me? He yelled. Chris asked other people who were in the office at the time to leave him be.
***
Huiyin went back home and lied on her bed. She couldn't believe what she saw tonight. It was absolutely horrifying. Her heart broke as well. The young woman whom she couldn't even save haunted her all night. Before leaving the hospital, she also secretly jotted down the phone number of the CEO. In case she found something that's related to his wife, she could contact him as soon as possible.
A few days later, Huiyin visited her grandfather's grave in Shanghai. Her grandfather was an amazing man, but it was unfortunate that he had died before Huiyin got married. She laid the bouquet near the grave and said a few words before leaving. On the other side, a group of people gathered around the grave. Huiyin didn't know any of them. She was about to leave when she saw the man from several days ago.
She remembered him, his wife, passed away just a few days back. Huiyin sighed and went her way. She didn't want them to know it was she who wrote the note. She could hear some people crying, sniffling, and wailing. She understood the pain of losing a loved one. It was unbearable to see people crying.
Huiyin lowered her black baseball cap and walked past Zixin. Both of her hands were inside her black leather jacket. She didn't want to disturb them. Huiyin walked out of the cemetery without saying a word. She told the man everything already. But in her heart, she felt the guilt and fear, even though she did nothing wrong. She drove to a nearby beach and got herself some iced Americano at the cafe. Whenever she's stressed, a cup of coffee will always brighten up her day.
As she walked on the beach, she remembered her time with her own mother. Her mother passed away a few years ago and her father remarried a rich woman. She missed her mother almost every day. When she saw that man again, he had the same expression as she did from before. They say time will heal everything, but for her, it doesn't heal. It pains her more.