Chapter 9 Waking to Pain
I barely slept. It felt like something kept brushing my face, itchy and restless.
Near noon, my colleague’s call dragged me awake.
I opened my eyes and found myself in bed—I didn’t remember climbing in.
The room was perfectly quiet, as if no one had ever been there.
For a moment I thought last night had been a nightmare.
“Eight tonight, Guanyue Restaurant, Private Room. Client dinner. Dress nice,” my colleague said.
I rubbed my forehead and sat up. “Got it. I’ll be there.”
The call ended, and another came immediately.
From Hucheng.
Cold shock snapped me fully awake.
I closed my eyes and answered.
“Su Mian, your dad went asking for money again. Said you lost his grandson because of what happened back then, and the money he got wasn’t enough—he wants more.”
Aunt Liu’s voice was heavy with pity.
I gripped the phone until my knuckles hurt. That sticky, nauseating dread crawled over me again.
Bile rose in my throat.
“If he makes trouble, just call the police, Aunt Liu,” I said, exhausted.
I hung up and curled into the corner of the bed. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Pain bloomed from my stomach and spread everywhere.
Six years ago, when I decided to leave, Chen Yinian seemed to sense it.
He clung harder those last days. Half an hour apart and he’d blow up my phone.
In bed he was wilder than ever.
I didn’t know the protection could fail from being too rough.
I only found out that brand could tear when I looked it up later.
Lin Fei never knew I was pregnant.
I only knew myself the moment I lost it.
I never wanted our parting to be so ugly.
But my blood father was insane—he took hundreds of thousands in bride price behind my back and brought that “Fiance” right to Chen Yinian’s doorstep.
I was terrified Chen Yinian would get dragged in. And out of stupid pride, I didn’t want him to know what kind of father I had.
So when that man burst into the graduation party claiming to be my Fiance…
I pretended I didn’t know him, spat cruel words to cut all ties, and left with him in front of everyone.
I actually believed I could fix it.
Even on the ride back to Hucheng I was planning how to sweet-talk Chen Yinian into forgiving me.
One wrong step, and everything crumbled.
The second I stepped off the car, debt collectors took my ID.
Six years of paying for blood I never asked for began.
The baby was lost when I fought that man off and fell down the stairs.
My last shred of courage to reach Chen Yinian again fell with it.
Lying in that hospital bed, I thought:
Mom was right to leave me.
And I thought:
Who was I to think I could ever match someone like him?