As they disappeared under the shaded veranda, Zi Zhen lowered his phone and exhaled a long, shaky breath. A faint, bittersweet smile tugged at his lips. He flicked through the photos and saved them into a hidden album titled:
"Mom & Dad – Real Love."
His fingers lingered on the screen for a moment before he placed the phone down on his desk. Leaning back in his leather chair, he rested his elbows on the armrests and closed his eyes, letting the fading golden light wash over his tired features.
For so long, he had wondered if love was meant only to destroy, to belittle, to break, but seeing his mother now, held so gently, so reverently, and feeling the strong, stable home they had built with Lu Zhi Hao, something inside his chest loosened, releasing a pain he hadn't even known he still carried.
"Someday…" he whispered quietly, his voice soft and raw, "…I want to love someone like that too."
