The scent of hospital disinfectant was pungent and icy. Lin Xia stood before her husband's hospital bed, gazing calmly at that familiar face that would never open its eyes again. The car accident three days ago had been like a nightmare, instantly tearing her life apart.
Her mother-in-law's eyes were red-rimmed, and her voice trembled as she broke the devastating news. Yet Lin Xia simply nodded gently, as if hearing of something that had nothing to do with her. Returning home, she looked at the empty apartment, her gaze sweeping over the sticky notes her husband had left behind, her heart still entirely undisturbed. Those notes read, "Breakfast is in the microwave, remember to heat it up," "Don't forget to take an umbrella if it rains"... Once, she had found this nagging utterly trivial; now, it was the only warmth left in the cold room.
On the day of the funeral, the weeping of relatives and friends rose and fell, sorrow permeating the air. Lin Xia stood among the crowd like an out-of-place outsider. Watching those around her crying bitterly and comforting one another, she felt not the slightest stir of emotion. To match everyone else's mood, she went to the restroom, faced the mirror, and tried hard to squeeze out a few tears. But no matter how hard she tried, her eyes remained dry. She gave up, smiling self-deprecatingly—her feelings for her husband, it turned out, were this shallow.
Chapter 167