God, please punish me! Even if it means being torn apart by fire and water, or being sliced into a thousand pieces, I am willing to endure it all, just to get Yao'er back to me. Please give her back to me...
"Yao'er...my wife..." Huo Jingsha knelt beside her legs and called out in a hoarse voice.
Shu Yao suddenly opened her eyes, her expression full of surprise.
"I'm sorry I'm late..." he said, his voice trembling as he grasped her cold little hand.
She didn't reply. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, quickly withdrew her hand, and coldly questioned, "What are you doing here? Are you too impatient to come and see me off in my final moments?"
Huo Jingsha's face stiffened. "What nonsense are you talking about? I... I'm here to take you and your son home..."
"Go home?" Shu Yao asked, as if she'd heard a joke. Her tone was full of sarcasm. "Where is my home? This is my home now!"
"Let's go back to the capital, let's go back to our home in the capital," he said excitedly and eagerly.
“Why would I go back there? How could I, a divorced woman, have the right to go back? The Huo family mansion is your home, not mine.”
"Yes! Yes! It will always be your home! My wife... please forgive me, I was wrong, I was wrong, you are not a divorced woman..."
"What wrong has Lord Huo done? Is it because of Luo Wenpei before and Liu Yuefang after, or because you coerced the whole city to act with you, forcing your wife to leave the manor alone?"
"I..." He was speechless.
"Lord Huo, our fate has run its course. Please leave!" Shu Yao said resolutely, turning her face away as if she never wanted to see him again.
“I didn’t do anything with Luo Wenpei, and I didn’t fall in love with Yuefang, I didn’t! Come back with me, and I’ll do anything you ask, as long as you promise me.”
"Why bother? I'm already a dying man, what's the point of going back with you? You and Yuefang should live well together. Whether you love her or not, she's your only wife now. After I die, Xiaobao will be entrusted to Qi's care. Anyway, you said you and Yuefang can have more children. You don't need to worry about my son. Qi will take care of my funeral arrangements. You... you can go."
His face instantly turned deathly pale. "Shu Yao, are you trying to make me die of shame? I can explain everything to you. If you're still not satisfied, you can kill me, but we can talk about everything after we get back to the capital, okay? Your illness can't be delayed. Please, Yao'er... let me take care of you, please, please!"
"Don't beg me!" she snapped, stopping her. "How did you treat me when I begged you? Why are you suddenly like this? Weren't you determined to sever all ties with me? What's with all this crying and pleading now? Are you playing me for a fool?"
"I didn't play a trick on you, Yao'er. Because I still love you, I've always loved you deeply. Everything before was my fault, please forgive me." He sincerely repented and confessed his love. Originally, he hoped that after leaving him, she could be happy and live a long life. Now that was no longer possible, how could he bear to let her die in sorrow in the last period of her life?
Even if it's just for months, days, or hours, he'd be happy to stay with her, wanting nothing more than to be together with her every moment.
She was his wife, his wife for life, and the only woman he ever loved!
Shu Yao smiled calmly. "What's the point of saying these things to someone who's about to die? Who you love and who you don't love is your own business, it has nothing to do with me."
Looking at her haggard face, forcing a smile, he comforted her in a trembling voice, "My dear wife... don't be angry with your husband. I... I won't let anything happen to you. I'll get you the best doctor, you'll definitely be alright..."
"No, I want to die... Really, there's no point in living!" Her eyes dimmed.
With each word she uttered, it felt as if a thorn was piercing his heart, causing him unbearable pain.
Looking at his sorrowful face, Shu Yao sighed heavily. "I understand, maybe you still love me! Otherwise, you wouldn't have persisted in helping me from the shadows after I left the manor, and you wouldn't have sent carriages and men to personally escort me all the way to Suzhou, nor would you have knelt before me with red eyes, begging me to come back. It's a pity... you appeared too late. When you finally showed up to face me, I was about to die."
Suddenly, she was pulled into his arms. "I'm sorry, Yao'er, your husband is so sorry!" Huo Jingsha could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
Tears streamed down her face. "I know... I know you must have some unspeakable difficulties. Tell me the reason, please? Tell me everything that happened before. I want to know why you did this to me!" Her tone was firmer than ever before.
Huo Jingsha was taken aback. The reason? Knowing she was frail and might not have much time left, was it necessary to reveal all the things he had lied to her about? If he did, it would lead to a lot of problems. Would she blame herself? Would she take all the blame? Or would she blame him for being so stubborn, for doing anything cruel to save her life? Would she then spend all her remaining time worrying and unable to spend it peacefully with him?
He didn't want to do that. Heaven had already been unfair enough to them, so how could he tell the truth? If he had to tell her, he would have to wait until they returned to the capital, when she was more mentally prepared.
"Yao'er, I said I would tell you, and I will keep my promise, but not now. All you need to remember now is that I have never betrayed you. The only person I think about, miss, and care about is you. I love you, without the slightest falsehood. Let's talk about everything after you recover, okay?" He pleaded with her sadly.
Shu Yao's long eyelashes were glistening with tears. "What if I don't get better? Are you just planning to never tell me?"
"I swear, you'll get better!" he said through gritted teeth, his face resolute.
Her face darkened. "I don't even know if I'll live to see tomorrow. What good are your vows? You think I'll just leave when you tell me to, or go back when you tell me to? What do you take me for? What will the people in the capital think of me? Is it because I'm about to die that I don't care about saving face anymore? You'd rather I stay by your side and wait to die, wouldn't you?"
Her words struck at the heart of the matter, making Huo Jingsha feel as if her throat was being tightly gripped, and even her breathing stopped.
"I really don't care about saving face now, because keeping you alive is more important than anything else, my wife. If you still have even a sliver of trust in me, then believe me. This time... if you die, I die; if you live, I live. Let's go back to the capital, and the three of us, including our son, can live the happy life we used to have. Please, come back with me. For the rest of my life, I will never leave you!" He pleaded tearfully, his appearance deeply moving.
Shu Yao gazed intently at him. What earth-shattering secret was this man, who was begging her for the truth yet refusing to divulge it, hiding from her? The more he refused to speak, the more curious she became, extremely curious.
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