The moon hung low in the sky, casting a soft silver glow through the window. The house was silent, wrapped in the stillness of the night. Only the faint rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl disturbed the calm.
Leon lay awake beside Yun Lan, his senses alert despite the late hour. His eyes traced the delicate curve of her face in the moonlight, but his heart tightened with a growing dread he could not shake.
Suddenly, his breath caught.
Yun Lan's chest barely rose. Her breathing was shallow, almost imperceptible.
Leon sat up quickly, panic blooming in his chest.
"Yun Lan..." His voice was a trembling whisper.
He reached for her, touching her cheek gently, but her skin was colder than before. Her small chest barely moved, and her lips were pale, stained faintly with the ghost of dried blood.
"No... no..." Leon's voice cracked, and tears welled in his eyes.
He wrapped his arms around her fragile body, holding her close as if sheer willpower could pull her back from the edge.
"Why? Why did you do this to me?" he choked out, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Why would you lose hope, when I'm still here? Please don't give up on me... don't give up on us."
His hands trembled as he stroked her hair, his heart breaking at the thought of losing her.
For a long moment, the room was filled only with his sobs and the stillness of her fading breaths.
Leon whispered softly, "You're my life, Yun Lan. You have to fight. Please... please don't leave me."
The night stretched on, heavy with grief and fear.
Then, slowly, almost imperceptibly, Yun Lan's eyelids fluttered.
Her breath hitched, and her fingers twitched weakly against Leon's chest.
Leon's tears doubled, and he tightened his hold.
"Yun Lan? You're awake..." His voice was shaky with relief and disbelief.
She blinked, her eyes meeting his. For a moment, confusion flickered in her gaze, then recognition.
"I... I'm here," Leon whispered, pressing his forehead gently against hers. "I thought I lost you... please don't scare me like that ever again."
Yun Lan tried to smile, but the effort was weak. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."
Leon cut her off with a fierce shake of his head. "Don't apologize. You don't have to say anything. Just... stay with me. I'm not going anywhere."
She nestled closer into his arms, drawing fragile comfort from his warmth.
Leon whispered again, "I'm here, Yun Lan. And I'm not letting go. No matter what."
The fear that had gripped his heart began to ebb, replaced by a desperate determination.
He knew the road ahead would be hard—filled with pain, uncertainty, and countless battles.
But in that moment, holding her close, he promised himself he would face them all for her.
Leon kissed her forehead gently. "I'll never give up. You're my everything."
As the night deepened, they stayed wrapped in each other's arms, two souls bound by love and an unbreakable will to survive.
[ Morning]
The sun had barely risen when Yun Lan opened her eyes again. Pale golden light filtered through the thin curtains, painting the wooden walls in warm hues. The silence in the room was gentle now—not like the suffocating quiet of the night before, but like the peaceful hush of a morning that had almost been lost.
Leon was still awake.
He hadn't slept at all. His back rested against the wooden headboard, one arm protectively wrapped around Yun Lan, while his other hand gently brushed her hair, as if he still couldn't believe she was real and alive in his arms.
He looked down and saw her eyes open—tired, clouded, but alive.
"Good morning," she whispered faintly, her voice scratchy.
Leon leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, his hand brushing her cheek. "You scared me," he said, his voice low, raw. "I thought I lost you last night."
Her fingers moved to grasp his shirt weakly. "I'm sorry, Leon. I didn't mean for you to see me like that."
"You don't have to hide anything from me anymore." His voice trembled as he spoke. "I know the truth now, Yun Lan" but Leon didn't know the whole truth, Yun Lan didn't tell him all or her grandmother.
She didn't reply immediately.
Instead, her eyes dropped to his chest, unable to meet his gaze. She already knew what he meant. Her secret was out,but not the full secret. Her illness, the slow poison in her blood, the pain she carried alone.
"I never wanted you to find out like this," she murmured.
"Then how were you planning to tell me?" His voice cracked with frustration. "Or were you planning to die in my arms before I ever found out what you've been going through?"
"I didn't want to burden you with it," she said softly. "You have so much to deal with already. I didn't want to make you suffer."
Leon sat up straighter, pulling away just enough to look her in the eyes.
"Suffer?" His brows furrowed, his eyes filled with anguish. "Yun Lan, I would rather suffer with you than live without you. You should have told me. I could've helped... I could've protected you sooner."
A tear slipped down Leon's cheek, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.
"Do you have any idea what it felt like to see you barely breathing last night? What it did to me?" His voice broke. "You are my heart, Yun Lan. If it stops beating, I don't want to keep going."
Her eyes welled up with tears. "Please don't say that."
"I mean it," he whispered. "You're not allowed to leave me. Never."
Yun Lan turned her head slightly, staring at the wooden ceiling.
"I don't know how much longer I have," she admitted, her voice quiet. "The antidote might work... or it might not. My body has been fighting too long already."
Leon gritted his teeth. "Then we fight harder. I'll get every physician, every herb from every corner of the land. I'll turn the world upside down if I have to. But you will live."
She let out a small, breathy laugh. "You sound angry."
"I am," he admitted. "I'm angry you didn't tell me. I'm angry I didn't see it sooner. I'm angry that someone like you—someone who deserves the world—has to suffer like this."
Yun Lan lifted her hand to touch his cheek. "You love me to much?"
Leon grabbed her hand, holding it against his heart. "More than anything. More than my own life."
A silence passed between them, heavy and meaningful.