The ambulance siren pierced the night sky.
I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, hands clenched into fists.
The doctor had just told me my parents were only suffering from shock–physically, they were fine.
I exhaled in relief and gently closed the hospital room door.
“Knox! Hang in there! This is all my fault…”
Vivian’s heartbroken sobs suddenly echoed down the corridor.
I looked up to see medical staff rushing past with a gurney.
Knox lay there, his white shirt soaked in blood, his handsome face deathly pale.
Vivian clutched his hand desperately, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sorry… it’s all my fault… you intercepted the plane to bring me back, and I grabbed the steering wheel trying to get out of the car..”
Knox weakly raised his hand to wipe away her tears. “As long as you don’t leave me, I’ll do anything…”
My heart clenched violently, and I turned away quickly.
I couldn’t watch anymore. I didn’t dare to.
Over the following days, I stayed at the hospital caring for my parents.
Every morning I’d make nourishing soup and watch them drink it spoonful by spoonful.
The nurses‘ gossip drifted through the corridors:
“Mr. Whitfield really spoils Miss Vivian. He’s so badly injured but still tries to make her happy every day.”
“Right? I heard Miss Vivian mentioned wanting cake from across town at midnight, and Mr. Whitfield drove there himself despite his injuries.”
Dad and Mom watched me with concern as I calmly peeled an apple, apparently deaf to the chatter.
“Celia…” Mom started to speak.
“Mom, I’m fine.” I cut the apple into small pieces. “I don’t love him anymore.”
This was the truth.
From the moment he strapped my mother to that operating table, my love for him had died completely.
Now my only thought was to take my parents and leave safely.
A week later, my parents had stabilized.
“Celia, we’re feeling better now. You should go home and pack,” Dad patted my shoulder. “We’re leaving soon, and once we go, we probably won’t be back. Everything needs to be settled properly.”
I nodded.
Back at the house, I was halfway through packing when the door suddenly opened.
Knox stood in the doorway, his face slightly pale. “Vivian’s been through a lot of trauma these past few days. Go to the temple and get her a protection
charm.”
His tone brooked no argument, as if he were giving orders to a servant.
In the past, I would have refused.
20.8%
But now, I just nodded muumbly, Tkay,
I didn’t dare resist anymore
Last time I’d refused, he’d nearly killed my parents.
I couldn’t risk it again.
The temple was shrouded in morning mist,
I climbed the 999 steps on my knees, one prostration at a time.
By the time I reached the top, my knees were bloody and raw, but I felt no pain.
As I stood up. I noticed the ancient bodhi tree.
Red prayer ribbons hung from its branches, fluttering gently in the breeze.
Curiosity drew me closer, but when I read the inscriptions, I felt struck by lightning
“May Celia be happy and safe. -Knox*
“Pray for Celia’s good health. -Knox
*Hope Celia will come to love me. -Knox”
Every red ribbon carried Knox’s heartfelt prayers for me.
The earliest dated back to our high school years, the most recent from just before our wedding.
I smiled bitterly and walked into the main hall.
This time, I not only got the protection charm Vivian wanted, but also a pair of marriage charms.
Before leaving, I borrowed scissors from the monks and returned to the bodhi tree. One by one, I cut down every ribbon bearing his loving words and threw them into the incense burner to burn to ash.
“Benefactor, what are you doing?” a young monk asked in confusion.
“Severing earthly attachments,” I replied softly.
Back at the house, I handed Knox both the protection charm and the marriage charms.
“What’s this?” He frowned at the marriage charms.
“Marriage charms. I hope you and Vivian will be happy together forever.” My voice was sincere, my eyes calm as still water.
Knox studied me for a long moment. “Is that really what you want?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Knox frowned and looked at me for what felt like forever, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he just turned and walked away without a
word.
