Yue Ning was stunned into silence. She finally understood why Huo Feng had been so cold and distant earlier that morning.
She had thought she had done something wrong, but in reality… he was grieving.
"Yanyan," Yue Ning whispered softly, moving closer until she could pull the younger girl into her arms.
"You don't have to hold it in. If you feel like crying, then cry. Tears don't make you weak… they make you strong."
Perhaps those words unlocked the gates—Huo Yan suddenly burst into tears, her body trembling as she clung to Yue Ning.
"Sister-in-law… I miss them. I miss them so much…" she sobbed against Yue Ning's shoulder, her voice muffled yet heart-wrenching.
Yue Ning tightened her embrace, one hand gently rubbing Huo Yan's back, the other shielding her head as if to protect her from the weight of her own sorrow.
The maids passing by slowed, their expressions dimming. The entire villa seemed to quiet, the heavy silence broken only by Huo Yan's grief-stricken cries.
