My mother and I rushed forward, desperate for news of my father. I was so choked with emotion that my mouth hung open, unable to form a single question. The doctor’s gaze softened with pity as he looked at us, a faint sigh escaping his lips. "We did everything we could. It was a sudden heart attack. He didn't make it. You can go in… say your goodbyes." A thunderclap seemed to detonate in my head. My mind went numb, a roaring in my ears drowning out everything else. Then my mother collapsed, her body crumpling to the floor without a sound. The doctor rushed to her side, and what little rationality I had left screamed at me to stay calm. After they moved my mother to a room, I crouched by the door, feeling as if all the blood had been drained from my body. I still couldn't accept that in the span of a few short hours, my father was gone. The phone in my pocket began to shriek incessantly. It was Tang Chen, who was still at home. "Sis," he cried, his voice trembling with fear, "how's Dad?" I didn't know how to answer him. I just soothed him as best I could, telling him to be good and that we would be home soon. It was the middle of the night when my mother woke up. She stared at me, her eyes vacant, her voice a dry rasp. "Where's your father?" Looking at her, I couldn't get a single word out. A sharp pain clenched my heart, and tears began to stream down my face against my will. Seeing my reaction, she started to get out of the bed on her own. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I threw my arms around her. "Mom," I sobbed, "Dad's gone!" I felt her body go rigid in my arms. The pain in my chest intensified. "He's gone," I repeated, each word a torment. "They've taken him to the morgue." She shoved me away with a sudden, violent force. Her eyes, fixed on mine, were terrifyingly cold. "You're cruel, Tang Li." With that, she got out of bed and dragged her exhausted body out of the room, heading for the morgue. I knew she had to see him for herself. The man she had spent half her life with was suddenly just… gone. My mother didn't cry. She just stood there, calmly gazing at my father's body, holding his hand, her eyes never leaving his face. She stayed like that for the entire night. When she finally came out of the morgue, her face was a pale, vacant mask. She looked at me and said, "Tang Li, I've imagined a thousand ways he and I would part. Old age, sickness… but never, not once, did I imagine he would leave early because of you." Her voice was a whisper, but every word struck me like a thousand-pound hammer. "Mom, I'm so sorry," I choked out, a crushing weight of guilt settling on me. If I could, I would trade places with him in a heartbeat. My mother didn't spare me another glance. "Just go," she said, her voice heavy with fatigue. I understood. She couldn't bear to look at me right now. I nodded, swallowing the pain in my chest. "Mom, I'll go check on Tang Chen. I'll be back to see you later." She didn't respond, simply turning and walking back to her room alone. Leaving the hospital, I was swallowed by the surging crowds. My mind was filled with images of my father's cold body and the icy resentment in my mother's eyes. Lost in the haze, I wandered into the middle of the street. A shrill horn blared, snapping me back to reality. I looked up at the car speeding toward me, my mind a complete blank. For a split second, I actually thought that joining my father might be a release. But the impact never came. Instead, a strong arm yanked me back, pulling me into an embrace. The familiar scent sent a wave of dizziness through me. A deep, furious voice boomed over my head. "Tang Li, do you have a death wish?" Staring up at the man so close to me, I murmured, dazed, "Gu Zhizhou… you're here." His brow furrowed, his grip tightening for a moment before he let me go, his voice turning cold. "There are plenty of ways to die. Don't take innocent people with you." The color drained from my face. I managed a bitter smile. "Right." He shot me a look of displeasure, then turned and walked toward Lu Ke'er, who was waiting for him a short distance away. I couldn't help but laugh bitterly to myself. So much for heroes in this world. There was no knight in shining armor, no grand rescue. He hadn't swept in to save me; he had just pulled me out of the way, perhaps only to show his princess what a hero he could be.