On the night of Fu Yannian's engagement, Tao Silu stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and watched him casually place the diamond ring on the coffee table.
"The ring suits her perfectly," she said.
He raised his eyes and glanced at her, as if inspecting a well-behaved collection: "Are you jealous?"
Tao Silu shook his head and pushed the agreement that had been signed long ago: "Mr. Fu, it's time for me to go."
He stared at the pages and suddenly smiled, reaching out to hold her chin: "Silu, who allowed you to leave the golden cage without permission?"
Three months later, she was hiding in the hospital corridor, trembling as she looked at the two red lines on the pregnancy test stick.
When her friend urged her to tell him, she just shook her head. She remembered the look in that man's eyes on the engagement night too clearly - looking at her was like looking at a piece of jewelry that had been forgotten in a corner by its owner and could be picked up and put on again at any time.
But she doesn't want to be jewelry anymore.
Tao Silu changed cities and numbers. In the past three years, she went to prenatal check-ups alone, comforted crying babies late at night, and learned to change diapers at three in the morning. When she was most tired, she would think of Fu Yannian - the warmth of his arm around her waist. When he was in a good mood, he would ruffle her hair with his fingertips and say, "Be good."
But she never called the number.
Three years later, Tao Silu took his daughter for a walk on the beach. The little girl was squatting on the beach picking up shells. Suddenly she stood up and pointed forward: "Mom, that uncle has been watching you."
Tao Silu looked up.
Fu Yannian stood a few steps away, his suit jacket draped on his arms and his tie loose, as if he had just rushed from an important occasion. He looked at her and then at the miniature version of himself, his eyes slowly turning red.
"Tao Silu." His voice was hoarse, "... You hid my daughter for three years."
