Asher sat by the river. Kellan and Jessa stayed by his side. Seeing me coming, Kellan frowned, and Jessa glared at me fiercely.

I ignored them, lowered my voice, and cautiously tested Asher. I asked, "Asher, it's cold by the river. Shall we not stay here?"

"Fortunately, Asher is emotionally stable, so I should be able to coax him well."

"Don't bother with me anymore. This is just the way I am. Stuck in an awkward place, I aim for the high and am too lazy to lower myself. It's normal for you to be impatient with me." Asher spoke indifferently without looking at me.

The wind by the river gave me a headache, and Asher's words made me disgusted. A thought suddenly came to my mind. I thought it would be better to jump in myself.

I was startled by such a thought. Panicking, I kept telling myself in my mind, "This is not my idea."

"Dad and mom need me. Asher is right in front of me."

I smiled stiffly and said, "No, your songs have always sold well. I assumed there wouldn't be any problems. I have always believed that you are the best."

Asher turned around and looked at me, saying, "But you..."

"I'm sorry, I was a bit impatient today, which was why I spoke harshly. I have reflected on it."

"But should I reflect on it?" Without much thought, I continued to smile, and said, "Can you forgive me?"

I spoke non-stop. Asher finally agreed not to stay here in the middle of the night. He forgave me generously.

"I can only be grateful for this."

Before leaving, Kellan grabbed me with displeasure. He said, "Asher is always more sensitive. Don't argue with him."

"He was willing to spend several months helping you find a discontinued doll for your birthday gift. Can't you treat him better? You have no conscience."

After Jessa said so, Kellan glared at her, but he did not refute.

"They always do this. Whenever Asher is unhappy, they will say that it is because I treat him badly. They will never be willing to believe that we don't even argue most of the time. No one cares about my emotions."

But I was so tired. I nodded silently. I wanted to get back to fall asleep as soon as possible. After all, it was not long until dawn.

"What I don't understand is why I was forgiven, only to be pushed to the edge."

As soon as I entered the house, Asher came up to me with beaming joy in his eyes.

"You're back? I made your favorite dish. Come and try it."

I was a little surprised. Asher was rarely happy like he was now. Then I realized that Asher was usually happy because of the songs he had written.

"Someone booked my song. This time, it's by a big star, it's going to be a theme song." Asher shared his joy with me incessantly. Then he looked at me, saying, "Why do you seem unhappy? You shouldn't impose negative emotions onto your partner."

In the end, he had a hint of warning in his words.

"What should I say? Should I tell him that I was informed to be mentally prepared? After all, my dad may not live much longer. Will Asher relate to and sympathize with me?"

"I don't want to take the risk. I don't want to be woken up and blamed in the middle of the night again."

So, I forced a smile like a puppet.

"I will pay attention to it. I won't do so again next time."

"Perfect. Go wash your hands. The food won't taste good if it gets cold later." Asher finally let me go, looking satisfied.

At the dining table, I dared not miss any of his words for fear of missing out on every emotion he expressed.

Luckily, I didn't make any mistakes today.

I watched as Asher had been smiling. Then I cautiously brought up the topic.

"I took a few days off."

Asher's eyes lit up. He asked, "So you mean you can stay at home all the time?"

I struggled to speak. But my words were getting stuck in my throat. I said, "Dad is not doing well. I plan to stay with Mom for a while. I must go to the hospital. So, I won't be coming back here for now."

Seeing him silent, I was frightened and nervous.

"Mom is not in a good state. She has been crying. I am a bit worried."

"What about me?" Asher no longer looked happy. He felt a little lonely.

"What's wrong with him? Is he sick or dying?"

I was confused again.

Holding my luggage, I was about to leave. Asher looked at me without saying a word.

"Aren't you going to stay at my mom's place for a while?"

I felt suffocating anxiety.

"No, I won't be there." Asher emphasized, saying, "That's not my home. Our home is here."

Asher's parents had been divorced early on. I knew he had always been obsessed with the idea of having a family. He wouldn't let me leave, so I wisely kept my mouth shut and refrained from saying anything that might upset him.

I kept thinking on the way as to whether I shouldn't have left him. Upon opening the door, I regretted not coming earlier to take care of my mother.

Clothes on the sofa were piled up randomly. It was hard to tell if they had been washed or not. The dishes and utensils from the day when my father fainted were still piled up in the sink.

There was a trash can by the bed filled with used tissues.

Since the day my dad fainted, the time had come to still be here.

Asher had been messaging me. It seemed like he had never been in a good mood.

[Is it because you hate me that you don't come home? Maybe I don't deserve to have a family. I'm not worthy of you.]

[Did I hold you back? Can I talk to you?]

[My new song is about to be released. I want to tell you such news, yet I dare not. Will you find me annoying?]

I tried my best to tell him that I was swamped, and I couldn't leave my mother. Her situation was quite bad. I reassured him that I loved him. I wouldn't find him annoying.

All my efforts were in vain. It seemed that he didn't believe anything I said.

"It's like he's forcing me to surrender and to bow my head."

"I won't do it. But I forget that Asher will always have helpers."

"Or maybe I don't expect that Asher will ever try to show consideration to me."