After a few days of recovering, Shi Yen felt a hollow ache in her chest. She sent everyone home since the constant pampering and attention suffocated her. Yuan Shun had gone to get her some clothes and essentials before she got discharged.
She decided to rise out of bed—fully capable of walking—to get some air. She told the nurses that she was going for a walk before she left. And then she wandered down the halls until she found a small, empty courtyard.
She stepped outside, feeling the cool breeze caress her face and the locks of her long dark hair.
She sucked in a sharp breath as she moved towards a bench to take a seat.
She couldn't stop thinking about her parents, about the answers she still didn't have. She pondered over it. Shi Ma was dead, but she didn't feel any satisfaction from it.