Lu Shiyan strode quickly to the nurses, startling them. When they saw it was him, their faces turned ashen. "M-Mr. Lu," one stammered.
Watching Lu Shiyan's frantic demeanor, I thought if the other party weren't women, he might have already grabbed them by the shoulders.
His face was etched with anxiety. "Repeat what you just said. What happened to Mrs. Lu and the child?"
The two nurses exchanged glances, seemingly confused by his apparent ignorance.
"Mrs. Lu had a miscarriage before and had the procedure done here," one nurse ventured.
The other, slightly braver, asked cautiously, "Um, Mr. Lu... did you not know about Mrs. Lu's pregnancy?"
That simple question hit Lu Shiyan like a thunderbolt. His gaze grew unfocused, as if he'd suffered a massive blow.
"She was pregnant?"
The nurse looked embarrassed, unsure how to respond.
Indeed, what kind of man doesn't know his own wife is pregnant?
"Yes, I remember when Mrs. Lu was admitted, her progesterone was low, posing a miscarriage risk. On top of that, she'd had a shock. It was already difficult to keep the baby. She grabbed the attending physician's hand, crying so pitifully, begging him to save her baby no matter what."
Lu Shiyan closed his eyes tightly, forcing the words out. "Who was her attending physician?"
"Dr. Zhan."
I stood in the corridor, watching coldly as a visibly shaken Lu Shiyan made his way to the attending physician's office. The truth was finally coming to light.
Lu Shiyan, when you learn you killed our child with your own hands, what expression will you wear? Will you feel even a fraction of my pain?
I followed slowly. By the time I arrived, I saw the shock on Lu Shiyan's face. "It's you. Zhan Xi."
Sitting across from him was a thin, scholarly-looking man with silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
This man was my high school classmate, someone who had pursued me back then. He later went to medical school. When I was admitted to the hospital in a weak state, he took extra care of me, given our past acquaintance. Facing Lu Shiyan now, Zhan Xi seemed to have expected this day. He was far calmer, even cold, compared to Lu Shiyan's shock.
"Mr. Lu, please have a seat." He glanced at his assistant. "You may leave."
"Yes, Dr. Zhan."
Lu Shiyan had no patience for pleasantries. He got straight to the point. "I want to know about Su Wan and the child."
Zhan Xi gave him a cool look. I didn't miss the mockery in his eyes.
"So Mr. Lu does care about her and the child? I thought only your unrelated 'sister' mattered in your eyes."
The words were heavy with sarcasm and hostility, but Lu Shiyan had no energy to engage in a war of words.
"Stop being cryptic! Just give me the answers!"
"Fine. I'll tell you. Su Wan was admitted to the ER and diagnosed as pregnant, with signs of impending miscarriage. She was transferred to my care. She was already bleeding then. I told her the chances of losing the baby were high, but she begged me insistently to save it."
"She suffered greatly to keep that child. Her morning sickness was severe, to the point she'd vomit even after drinking water. Despite that, she insisted on staying in the hospital to preserve the pregnancy."
Zhan Xi stared directly at Lu Shiyan. "What I'm curious about is how you, as her fiancé, managed to come to the hospital every day without visiting her once?"
"I..." Lu Shiyan faltered, his face full of unease. He didn't know how to explain.
"I heard Su Wan was pushed to the ground before being admitted. Who was so cruel as to lay hands on a pregnant woman?"
Lu Shiyan's face grew even paler. I guessed he was remembering.
That day at the café, during my confrontation with Su Ning'an, I had told him. This time, there was surveillance footage. It was Su Ning'an's own staged act.
He hadn't believed me. Instead, he pushed me to the ground. That's why I was hospitalized.
In his eyes, I was just a scheming liar. Why would he think a simple push could land me in the hospital?
Finally, a look of guilt appeared on Lu Shiyan's face. He looked down at his own hands, muttering, "I didn't know... I truly didn't know she was pregnant. I was just too agitated, I..."
"Just as I suspected. It was you."
Zhan Xi sneered. "Mr. Lu, what did you say to me when I stepped back for Su Wan's sake? You promised you would treat her well, always. How many years has it been? You pushed your pregnant wife to the ground for the sake of another woman. Is this your promise?"
All the former conviction had vanished from Lu Shiyan's face. He looked at Zhan Xi with deep unease. "If she was preserving the pregnancy, why did she miscarry?"
"You should ask your precious 'sister' that. In those days, Su Wan strictly followed medical advice, staying in bed to protect the baby. Even when vomiting severely, she forced herself to eat. She never even flinched during the progesterone injections. She did everything she could to keep that child. Yet, the moment your 'sister' showed up, she lost it."
Even now, Lu Shiyan still defended Su Ning'an instinctively. "That can't be. There must be some misunderstanding. An'an is so kind, she would never harm Su Wan. Besides, Su Wan is her own sister!"
Zhan Xi's expression mirrored the cold smile on my lips. Whenever Su Ning'an and I were involved, he never listened to the whole story before condemning me. But for Su Ning'an, he instinctively made excuses.
The difference in our weight in his heart wasn't hard to guess at all.
Zhan Xi crossed his arms. "If you think she's innocent, then I have nothing more to say."
Lu Shiyan made a call and soon obtained the hospital surveillance footage from that day.
The room itself wasn't monitored, but it showed Su Ning'an walking in. Not long after, I crawled out, like a vengeful ghost.
A large pool of blood stained the floor beneath me.
Another person appeared in the footage: Lu Shiyan's uncle, Lu Yanchen.
I only remembered seeing a pair of custom-made men's dress shoes near a wheelchair before losing consciousness. Through the surveillance, I saw how terrifying Lu Yanchen's expression was at that moment.
Lu Shiyan's hand clicked the mouse, freezing the frame on the image of me crawling into the hallway. He stared at it for a long time, his eyes complex. I didn't know what he was thinking. Regret? Remorse? Or perhaps a sliver of heartache? His hand clenched the mouse tightly, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "She must have been so scared during the surgery..."
"The procedure was quick. My colleague is professional. The D&C was thorough. Don't worry, it didn't hurt for long."
Zhan Xi stared straight at Lu Shiyan. "How long do you think the wound in her heart will hurt?"