Danny was fine, just some broken ribs and scratches on his face.
Aunt and her husband Max were relieved when they found him and everyone was happy.
However, Max and my grandfather did try to make some comments about me and make it look like it was my fault, but my uncle came to my defence, Yanli and Cheng spoke too.
"Danny's drinking habits are not anyone's fault Max, help your son and look after him instead of blaming others." my uncle said.
Max spoke, "if only he had-"
"That's enough." my uncle said sternly, "today you are blaming him, but you know if Danny had come to me and asked for One million dollars without a proper presentation I would have asked him to leave as well, this is not children's play if you had taught your son this he wouldn't be here today, and dad," he said turning to grandpa, "and you just shut the fuck up, we all know how much of a good person you are, if you were a nice person then kai might be here today."
Grandpa was shocked to hear that, "What happened with Kai was not my fault."
"And what happened with Danny is not Zhan's fault if you guys can't be civil then stay the fuck away from him."
I love my uncle.
Here he was fighting my case, and he is the best when it comes to defending others, Grandpa and Max were quiet before they left.
My uncle then turned to me and kept his hand over my shoulder, "It wasn't your fault, don't let anyone else get to you."
"Yes, uncle."
~~
Danny was discharged the next day and things were normal.
Aunt was busy with Danny, she was with him constantly and showered him with all his attention and love, which I understood, but her calls and messages were not as frequent anymore.
Did she also think that it was my fault?
However, my uncle assured me that she does not think like that and I believed him.
I have also spent some time with Sarah, the cousin from my mother's side and I learned a lot about my mother as well, my mother's side of the story was rather tragic, two abusive parents with three daughters, my mother was the middle child, her elder sister was married off to an abusive man who beat her to death, and my mother ran away because she didn't want tp suffer the same fate.
Both her parents were dead, and her sister, that is my aunt Beck ,was the only one left.
She and Sarah were the only ones from my mom's side of the family.
"So you are telling me that your alcoholic, deadbeat, gambler brother asked you for one million dollars on just a whim and you refused so he drank and drove despite knowing it's not safe, got into an accident and your grandpa thinks it's your fault."
"Yup."
"What a bastard."
"Exactly," I said currently we were sitting at the cafe near my office and chatting about a lot of things. Sarah was fun and nice to be around.
I should have met her sooner and got to know her.
"You should meet my mother too, she is already thrilled to learn about you."
"I would love to meet her too."
"You know what? As soon as she gets free, I'll call you."
"Sure. I can't wait to meet her.
~~
By the time I came back home, I was exhausted, dozens of meetings and work drained my energy today.
My father's death anniversary was coming in two days, three years ago when my start-up became successful I went to visit my parent's grave, it was the first time in years, and I cried while telling them of my achievements, I couldn't stay there for a long time back then because of work but I was calm after coming back.
After that I go there once a year to offer flowers and prayer, this time I was thinking to visit my house as well.
I took a shower and collapsed on my bed, I decided to scroll on my phone before I went to sleep, so I opened social media, and there I saw something that stuck with me.
Lucy had posted a family photo, with a caption.
Introducing my boyfriend to the family
Everyone was there except me, Jessie was there too.
What the fuck.
Uncle and Aunt knew about Jessie and what he did, did they forgive him already?
Yanli and Cheng too?
And why didn't they invite me? Nobody even told me about the gathering.
Maybe they forgot.
I tried to find excuses but it hurt.
Was it because they knew that I would be uncomfortable around Jessie? Am I already getting excluded? Because Aunt was angry at me because of Danny, or Uncle was worried that I might be an obstacle in his daughter's relationship?
What about Grandma? Why didn't she tell me? Was she angry because of how my uncle talked to my grandpa because of me?
I was overthinking again. I should stop.
I couldn't sleep that night.
My thoughts didn't let me sleep, it was one of those days where my mind was filled with doubts and anxiety. Maybe I am just thinking too much.
I sat on my bed and did some breathing exercises trying to calm my mind, it's been a while since I have been excluded and left out.
But it fucking hurt when my family did it.
I suddenly missed my parents. I never stopped missing them.
The feeling of emptiness was always there, it never went away, I just never paid attention to it, but it was in moments like these,e when I am all alone at night, when I miss my parents the most.
I really wanted them to be here, to see what I have achieved.
I looked at my ring again, I want you here with me too Yibo. I have no idea how long I can keep up with the mask that your absence doesn't bother me.
And just like that my thoughts and anxiety kept me awake for the entire night.
~~
The next day I started packing for my trip to my hometown, I was going to leave one day early.
I sent a text to Yanli and Cheng telling them that I was leaving for my hometown.
I kept my luggage in my car before I sat in the driver's seat, ready for my five-hour drive to my hometown.
By the time I reached my hometown, it was late evening, I parked my car in front of the house.
My house.
After my father died this house was given to me. My uncle made sure to take good care of it and keep it well maintained and I was thankful to him for that, I took out my key and opened the door before entering. And as soon as I stepped foot in, I was hit with the feeling of nostalgia.
Fuck I missed this house.
Back then I only remembered the bad moments in this house, like my parents' fight, my mother's death, and my father's death, but now I can remember that there were a lot of good memories in this house as well.
Like how I would run down the stairs and my mother would always scold me telling me to be careful, I looked at the almirah in the living room and remembered hiding in it when my parents and I would play hide-n-seek.
I walked to the kitchen and remembered how my mother would make the best dishes whenever my father would get a bonus, on my birthdays, she would make me my favorite dish, which was nothing but fried rice with mashed potatoes, and a small homemade cake.
I slowly walked to my parent's room and looked around, everything was untouched, and my aunt and uncle made sure that everything was just like how I left it, I then went to my room and lay on my bed, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
When I woke up next, it was already morning, I got up from the bed, took a shower, got dressed, and left home to buy some flowers. I also got something to eat since I was hungry, and walked towards the cemetery.
My walk to the cemetery was peaceful, the roads were clear, the weather was amazing and the flowers were fresh, I got roses for my mother and Daisies for my father.
The air was cold, the sky a dull shade of gray, and the cemetery was nearly empty, just as it always was this time of year. I had come to stand in front of the gravestone and speak in quiet whispers, knowing I'd never get a response.
But then I saw him.
Standing a few feet away in front of my father's grave, his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets, his head bowed slightly. His presence knocked the air from my lungs.
Yibo.
My chest clenched so tightly it hurt. He looked the same yet differentâtaller, stronger, but still carrying that same quiet intensity, the same familiar warmth beneath the years of distance.
For a moment, I was afraid to move, afraid to blink, afraid that this was nothing more than a cruel trick of my imagination. But then he shifted, and I saw the way his shoulders tensed, as if he felt me there, as if he knew.
I felt time slow down, as I stood behind the man.
I swallowed thickly and took a deep breath gathering myself, I opened my mouth to speak but no voice came out I was scared what if this person was someone else and not him?
I would be shattered but I knew who it was.
I knew it.
So I opened my mouth and said, "Yi..yibo."
The man stiffened, he took out his hands from his pockets before he turned around.
Tears slipped from my eyes when I saw his face, it was him, it was Yibo, my Yibo. He had changed, he looked more mature now, he was still as handsome as before, and I felt like I could finally breathe, it really was him
He smiled at me and said in a slow voice "Hi Zhan."
I stared at him, looking at him up and down before slowly walking towards him and finally hugging him, bringing him close to me. He froze for half a second, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to hold me back. But then he broke, his arms locking around me just as fiercely, his fingers gripping the fabric of my coat like I was the only thing tethering him to the earth.
God, he was warm.
The familiar scent of himâsomething faintly musky, something achingly himâflooded my senses, making my throat tighten with emotion. My entire body trembled, my fingers digging into his back as I held on like I'd never let go.
I hugged him tightly as if my life depended on it, as if I would lose him if I let him go, I wanted to feel him, I had to make sure he was really here, and not my imagination, I cried when I realized that he was finally here in my arms.
I looked up at him, my hands still wrapped around him, I looked at his face, tears slipping down his face, he was happy to see me too. His eyes held a lot of emotions.
"I missed you," I said.
"I missed you too."
I pulled back just enough to look at him, my hands finding his face, tracing over his cheekbones, his jaw, his lips. His eyesâdeep, searching, unreadableâheld mine like they were seeing straight through me, straight into the parts of me that had been waiting for him all this time.
And then I kissed him.
I didn't think. I didn't hesitate. I just moved.
The second our lips met, the world disappeared.
He inhaled sharply against me, but he didn't pull away. He kissed me back just as desperately, his hands flying up to cup my face, to tangle in my hair, to pull me closer, as if closing the impossible distance between us.
The kiss wasn't careful. It wasn't slow. It was everything we had lost, everything we had buried deep inside ourselves, everything we had spent a decade pretending didn't exist.
I gasped into him, and he swallowed the sound, his grip tightening, his body pressing into mine as if he could brand himself into me. My entire world narrowed to the way his lips moved against mine, the way his fingers traced the nape of my neck, the way I felt like I was finally breathing after years of drowning.
God I missed him.
I was thankful for having him back and I will never let him go away.