"But… but Mommy…" Shen Xuan whimpered, tears pooling in his lashes as he looked longingly at the closed bedroom door.
Bai Zhi's smile sharpened subtly as she bent down to scoop him into her arms. She held him close, pressing his tear-streaked cheek to her chest as she turned gracefully away.
"It's alright," she whispered, her voice soft as silk but her eyes cold and glittering over his small head, locked onto Shen Xiao's stoic face. "Mommy Zhi will always be here for you. You don't need anyone else."
As she walked down the dim corridor with Shen Xuan clinging to her, Shen Xiao stood silently, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the polished marble floor.
Behind him, the heavy mahogany door remained closed, sealing Yueyao away in her silent prison as the scent of sandalwood and roses seeped faintly through the crack beneath it, mingling with the cold, suffocating stillness of the mansion.
His jaw clenched imperceptibly.
