Uncle Jun glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching.
The second he was certain we were alone, he pulled Mom close by the waist and pressed his lips hard against hers in a deep, hungry kiss.
My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe. Everything inside me froze, as if the world had suddenly paused.
Mom didn't pull away at all.
Instead, her body softened against him, her hands sliding up to rest lightly on his chest as she kissed him back just as eagerly.
I stared, wide-eyed, my mind blank except for one repeating thought: This can't be real. This can't be happening.
Their mouths opened almost right away, and I could clearly see their tongues moving together, slow at first, then more urgently, sliding and tangling in a wet, heated dance.
The soft, wet sounds of the kiss reached me even from the bushes, quiet smacks and faint shared breaths that made the heat in my cheeks spread deeper, hotter.
Mom let out a tiny, muffled hum against his mouth, her fingers curling into his shirt as he tilted his head to deepen it even more.
A strange heat rushed to my face and neck, burning hot. My stomach twisted in a way I didn't understand, something fluttering and wrong that made me feel ashamed just for feeling it.
I wanted to look away. I needed to look away.
But I couldn't move. My body wouldn't listen. I just stood there, hidden in the leaves, heart racing so fast it hurt, trapped in numb, burning disbelief.
After what felt like forever, Jun finally broke the kiss, both of them breathing harder.
A thin thread of saliva lingered between their lips for a second before it snapped.
I stayed frozen, barely breathing, the world around me silent except for the pounding in my ears.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
Not to my mom.
Not like this…
Still flushed and breathless, he grabbed Mom's hand and quickly pulled her inside the office, closing the door behind them with a soft click…
The sound of that door shutting echoed in my ears, final and quiet, like the end of something I couldn't name.
I stayed crouched in the bushes, completely frozen, my body heavy as if the air itself had thickened around me.
The shock from moments ago slowly settled deeper, turning cold and heavy in my chest, like the ground beneath me had quietly cracked open, leaving me teetering on the edge.
I'd known Uncle Jun since I was little. He'd always been there, bringing me small gifts on holidays, ruffling my hair, asking about school with that warm, easy smile.
He was supposed to be safe, someone I trusted.
And Mom… Mom was the center of everything good in my world.
How could she do this?
The question floated in my mind, small and lost, not angry yet, just hurt, confused, like a child who'd dropped something precious and didn't understand why it broke.
A growing fear started to creep in, cold fingers wrapping around my heart.
If this was real, if they had this kind of secret… then what else about my family wasn't what I thought?
The safe, warm world I'd always known suddenly felt thin, fragile, ready to fall apart.
I didn't feel hate. I was too stunned, too scared for that.
I just felt… lost.
Alone in the bushes, hidden from everyone, with no idea what to do next.
Then, like a flash, it hit me: Dad's words from last night.
He'd said it so casually, almost with a shrug: "Just looking for an excuse to visit your old classmates again, aren't you?"
At the time, it had sounded like his usual dry teasing.
But now… now those words twisted into something completely different, something dark and knowing.
A cold wave washed over me, starting in my stomach and rising to my throat, tight and nauseating.
Dad knew.
He had to know about this… this special, secret connection between Mom and Uncle Jun.
The thought made my chest squeeze so hard I could barely breathe.
If Dad knew, then everything I thought was safe and solid in my family was a lie.
All of it.
The warmth at breakfast, the playful kicks under the table, the way they still joked like nothing was wrong… it all felt fake now, like a performance.
Fear flooded in, sharp and helpless.
What was really happening?
Why was Mom doing this with Uncle Jun?
And why did Dad let it happen?
I felt small and alone, like the only one who hadn't been told the truth.
Panic pushed up inside me, hot and urgent.
I needed answers.
I needed Dad.
Even if he didn't know, even if telling him would break everything, I had to reach him.
Only he could explain this nightmare.
Only he could look at me and tell me it wasn't as bad as it looked, that there was some reason, some mistake, something that could make the world feel safe again.
Or, if it was all real… only he could fix it somehow.
I couldn't do this alone.
The fear was too big, too heavy for a kid like me.
I couldn't stay here another second.
Without thinking, I stumbled out of the bushes and ran.
I ran from the hospital without looking back.
My legs moved on their own, carrying me through the gates and down the street, lungs burning, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest.
The streets blurred past me: cars, people, traffic lights, all meaningless.
My mind raced in frantic circles: the kiss, Mom's hands on Uncle Jun's chest, the way she smiled at him afterward… every image flashed over and over, sharp and painful.
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, hot and threatening, but I blinked them back.
I couldn't cry. Not yet.
Not until I reached Dad.
He would know what to do.
He always knew.
He had to…
Behind me, as I fled, Mom rushed out of the office in a sudden panic.
"Wait, where's Lian? Didn't I tell him to wait at the door?"
"What? He came with you?" Jun stepped out behind her, looking completely confused.
He reached out to gently pull her back. "But… there's no one around here."
She brushed his hand away lightly, a small smile playing on her lips despite the worry.
Her voice turned sweet and teasing. "I need to find my son first… We'll talk another time. And don't let me catch you with any more nurses or doctors, okay?"
Then she turned and walked off, her slender waist and full hips swaying gently.
Jun's eyes followed her curvaceous figure, and he swallowed hard.
But I was already gone, running toward the only person I thought could save me from the nightmare I'd just fallen into…