Wang's Pov.
For the next two weeks, I wasn't allowed to see him. Not even Cheng, his lawyer, was granted access.
I spoke to my dad, but all he said was, "Talk to your mother."
So I did.
"Mother, please... can I see him?"
"Am I the police station?" she hissed, not even looking at me.
"Please, mother. I'll marry Lusi," I said, my pride crumbling as the words left my mouth.
"If you don't, I will," she sneered.
"I will," I cut her off, voice firm. "Just let me see him."
And for once, she kept her word.
They brought me into the detention center through a back entrance. The walls were sterile, the air heavy with the cold scent of bleach and misery. A guard led me down a dim corridor without a word. At the end of it, he stopped, nodded, and pointed me to a booth.
I stepped inside, heart hammering. A thick glass wall separated me from Zhan, and beside it, a battered old phone rested in a cradle.
I sat down. Across the glass, he was already there, curled in his seat like he was trying to disappear. His face was even thinner than I imagined. His uniform hung loosely on him. His eyes, God, his eyes looked like they'd forgotten what hope was.
He blinked when he saw me, shock flooding his expression, then clumsily picked up the phone.
I grabbed mine, hands trembling.
"Zhan..." I whispered.
His fingers clenched around the receiver so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "Wang," he said, voice broken through the line.
He was thinner. His cheekbones are more pronounced, lips cracked. There was a fresh bruise on his jaw, one he didn't bother to explain.
Tears pricked my eyes. He was bruised. He was broken. And somehow he still tried to smile at me through cracked lips.
"I missed you," I choked out.
He nodded, swallowing hard. "I thought... you left. Like she said you would."
"Never," I said fiercely. "I just, I had to make a deal to see you."
"What did you give up?" he asked quietly, scared of the answer.
"I'm marrying Lusi," I said. The words felt like knives.
For a long moment, he didn't speak. He just sat there, staring at me like he was trying to memorize my face. His face didn't change. But his silence was louder than any scream.
"I just want to get you out," I added quickly.
"And after that?" His voice cracked. "What happens to us?"
I didn't know how to answer. I didn't have a plan, only desperation.
We both sat there, clinging to the sound of each other's breathing through the static of the phone line.
"I love you," he whispered suddenly.
"I love you too," I said without hesitation.
The guard banged on the door. "Time's up!"
I pressed my palm against the glass. Zhan mirrored me, his hand smaller, thinner, trembling slightly.
"I'll be back," I promised.
He nodded weakly. "Just... don't wait too long."
I left with my heart in pieces, but one thing was clear.
I would burn the whole world down before I lost him.
When I left that room, I was barely holding myself together.
The hallways blurred as I walked through them. My hands clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms, trying to focus, to breathe. The world outside the prison gates felt wrong. Too bright. Too loud. Too free when the one person I loved was still trapped inside.
Cheng was waiting by the car, his expression grim. He opened the door for me without a word, and I slid in heavily, feeling every bone in my body ache.
"He looks bad," Cheng asks quietly after a while, I nod staring outside while the driver starts the car.
"I'll work faster," Cheng added. "I don't trust your mother, Wang. Even with your agreement. She's playing her own game."
"I know," I rasped. "But I can't risk Zhan suffering longer than he already has."
Cheng glanced at me, his jaw tight. "We have to be smart. Let's play along for now. But when we strike, we strike hard."
I barely heard him. My mind was still in that cold room, still seeing Zhan's tired smile, still hearing his voice in my head. Don't wait too long.
I won't, I promised silently. No matter what it takes.
When we got back to the estate, my mother was waiting. She sat at the grand piano in the living room, idly pressing keys like she was composing a soundtrack to my despair.
"You saw him?" she asked sweetly without looking at me.
"Yes."
"Good." She turned, her eyes glinting like a predator who had cornered her prey. "You remember your part of the deal."
I clenched my fists harder. "I remember."
"Perfect," she said, standing. Her heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked past me. "We'll announce the wedding today and you will get married in two days. Everything is in order."
I didn't move. I didn't even breathe. Because if I did, I'd break everything in sight. But for Zhan... I'd endure this nightmare a little longer.
For him, I'd burn it all down later.
Piece by piece.
Starting with her.
And she wouldn't even see it coming.
The wedding came faster than I could have imagined.
It was grand, no, grand wasn't enough. It was the event of the year. Maybe even the decade. The kind of wedding people would tell their kids about, the kind that had its feature on television before it even ended. Hundreds of guests filled the massive hall, chandeliers dripping crystal light from the ceilings, roses, and gold everywhere, and orchestras playing from hidden balconies.
There were fountains of champagne. Ice sculptures carved into doves and dragons. Rows of waiters in white gloves serving imported delicacies. Security was tighter than a president's rally; politicians, celebrities, and businessmen all sat shoulder-to-shoulder in tailored suits and designer gowns. Cameras flashed non-stop, catching every fake smile and every staged laugh.
From the outside, it was perfect.
A dream.
Inside me, it was a funeral.
I stood at the altar, in a suit tailored to my body so precisely it felt like a second skin. But it was cold. I was cold. My heart wasn't here. It hadn't been here since the moment Zhan was taken from me.
Lusi walked toward me, stunning in her glittering gown, face veiled and radiant. People gasped at how beautiful she looked. I didn't see her. Not really. Not the way I was supposed to. My eyes, my mind, my soul, they were somewhere else. Locked in a cell, shivering and lonely, wearing a bruised smile meant only for me.
When the officiant asked if I would take her as my wife, I heard myself say "I do."
It felt like a betrayal.
It felt like dying.
I slipped the ring onto her finger with shaking hands. She smiled brightly for the cameras, squeezing my fingers. I forced my lips into a smile too, for the world, for my mother, for the prison Zhan was trapped in.
But I never took off the ring Zhan had given me.
Hidden under the sleeve of my tuxedo, on my finger where he had placed it with trembling hands months ago, it remained. Cold, a little dull, but still there. A stubborn, burning reminder that even if I was selling my soul today, my heart was already taken.
And no one, not even my mother could rip that from me.
The reception was even louder than the ceremony. Music thundered through the hall, laughter spilled from every corner, clinking glasses, shouting toasts, it was all a blur. I smiled where I was expected to, shook hands when necessary, and held Lusi's hand when the cameras demanded it. Every second dragged like chains around my ankles.
I kept glancing at the exit, at the heavy doors just beyond the endless parade of guests. It would be so easy to leave. So easy to run to him. But I stayed. Because that's what prisoners do, they stay locked up, even when their hearts are screaming.
When it was finally over, after the fake smiles, after the forced first dance, after the final toast. I slipped away. No one noticed. Or maybe they didn't care. I found an empty room down the corridor, a forgotten dressing lounge used earlier by the groomsmen.
The second the door clicked shut, I slid down the wall to the floor, burying my face in my hands. The tuxedo felt suffocating. The world felt suffocating.
Tears came before I could even think about stopping them.
I sat there in the darkness, crying like a child.
Not for myself.
Not because I hated Lusi.
But because he deserved better.
Zhan deserved better than this.
I twisted my wrist, pulling back the sleeve of my jacket, exposing the simple silver band still resting against my skin, his ring. The real one. The only one that mattered.
"I'm sorry, Zhan..." I whispered into the darkness. "I'm so sorry. Just hold on a little longer. Please..."
Because this wasn't the end. Not for us. I didn't know how yet, but somehow, I was going to bring him home.
Even if it destroyed me.
I gathered myself from the floor, wiped my eyes, straightened my jacket, and stepped back into the hallway. The buzz of celebration had dulled down to soft chatter and clinking glass. My chest still ached, but I kept my face calm.
Neutral.
Controlled.
Like nothing inside me was crumbling.
Cheng spotted me first. He peeled away from a conversation and casually drifted to my side, hands in his pockets like he wasn't worried about anything.
"You survived," he said lightly, flashing a small grin.
"Just barely," I muttered, my voice hoarse.
From the other side, my brother, Zewu Jun joined us, shoving a glass of champagne into my hand.
"Drink it. Pretend you're happy. It's tradition," he joked, bumping his shoulder lightly against mine.
I snorted, taking a sip only to humor him.
The bubbles stung my throat, but at least it distracted me from everything else.
"Big wedding," Cheng said casually, leaning against the wall. "Paparazzi are already calling it the event of the year."
"Mother must be thrilled," I muttered.
"She's been taking credit for everything, of course," Zewu Jun said, rolling his eyes. "Even the weather."
We shared a quiet laugh, low and bitter, but still a laugh. They were trying so hard. I knew it. Trying to act normal, to keep me from falling apart again.
"You okay?" Cheng asked finally, voice low.
I nodded stiffly. Because what else could I say?
"Good," Zewu Jun said, clapping my shoulder. "Because once the cameras clear out, we're sneaking you out of here."
Cheng grinned. "Yeah. A real party. Just us. Maybe some really bad takeout food."
I gave a real smile then small, cracked at the edges, but real. Because even if everything else was falling apart, at least I wasn't completely alone.
"Thanks," I said quietly.
"Anytime," they both replied, almost in sync.
And for a moment, just a moment, the weight on my chest felt a little lighter.
The night dragged on, endless smiles and congratulations I didn't want. Cameras flashing, hands clapping my back, face blurring into noise.
But just past midnight, Cheng slipped me a wink. Zewu Jun nudged me lightly.
It was time.
We moved casually like we were just stepping out for air. Down a side hallway, past the kitchens, through a service door. Outside, the air hit me like a slap, sharp and cold. I breathed it in like I'd been drowning.
Zewu Jun led the way up a narrow metal staircase that clanged under our steps. Higher and higher until we pushed through a heavy door onto the rooftop.
The city sprawled beneath us, glittering and alive. The air smelled of rain and freedom. I staggered a little, hands gripping the edge of the rooftop as I sucked in the night.
Cheng tossed me a can of soda. "No champagne up here. Just the good stuff."
I caught it with a short laugh. "Thanks."
Zewu Jun slumped down against a vent, stretching his legs out like he had all the time in the world. Cheng stayed standing, facing the edge like he was surveying an invisible battlefield.
For a while, no one said anything.
It was perfect.
Finally, Cheng broke the silence, voice casual. "You ever think about running away?"
"Every second," I said without thinking.
Zewu Jun chuckled. "Yeah. Figured."
I stared down at the city, my fingers absently brushing the ring still snug on my finger, the real ring. Zhan's.
Not the cold, heavy band they made me put on today.
"He's still yours, you know," Cheng said quietly, almost like he could read my mind.
I swallowed hard. "I don't know if that's enough."
"It is for him," Zewu Jun said simply.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the truth of it.
Somewhere, locked away and hurting, Zhan was still waiting. Still believing in me.
I wasn't going to let him down.
When I opened my eyes, the city looked different somehow, less like a trap, more like a map. A path I hadn't found yet, but would.
"I'll get him out," I said.
"Good," Cheng said, tossing his empty can into the dark. "Because I don't think any of us could handle watching you turn into a sad married guy."
Zewu Jun laughed. "Yeah. You're too annoying for that."
I laughed too really laughed this time and for the first time since the nightmare began, it felt real.
I wasn't finished.
Not even close.