One would think she didn’t have anything to worry about but the fact remained that the situation was too close to the bone for her.

Once upon a time she had lost, alone and dead inside; she idly wondered how her life would have changed if there had been someone to pick her up if there had been someone who had brought her ‘home’. She wondered how she would have turned out if she hadn’t had to pick up the pieces of her life on her own.

She knows someone would call her stupid for accepting her husband ex into her home but she had her reasons. For some reason, she saw herself in the girl’s shoes and she knew how much Yue Yan means to her husband.

Also, even though she doesn’t know if Yue Yan will be a friend or foe. She wanted to keep her close. Keep your friends close but your enemy closer they say. Hopefully, Yue Yan will not disappoint her goodwill.

The low-throated roar of the Jaguar filtered through her senses and she quickly unlatched the door, absentmindedly noticing the flurry of motion from the nurse and the housekeeper around her.

The first sight to greet her sense was the vision of her husband exiting the car, his face twisted in worry before he ran to the other side to aid the person seated beside him. Before he got there, the nurse and housekeeper had arrived, easing the girl to the ground and carefully aiding her to stand.

”I’m not an invalid” was the cutting response to their gestures but even from there, Yan Mei could see that her expression was more of frustration than anger. She could sympathize with that, being sick was stressful.

The girl lifted her head and caught sight of Yan Mei for the first time me after a long sweeping gaze, smiled brightly at her, at this point Yan Mei was almost to the car, within talking distance.

”I guess you’re the one who took enough pity on this guy and married him” the stranger gestured with her chin at Lei Zhao who was hovering.

Yan Mei couldn’t stop the smile that the comment brought to her face not when she was seeing Lei Zhao in full mother-hen mode.

”I object” Lei Zhao tensed, shifted back in an exaggerated motion, and sniffed in self-righteous anger.

”Shush” the girl merely rolled her eyes at his antics before smiling up at Layne

Yan Mei was happy at the camaraderie between the two of them, happier still that it included her “I think we both pitied each other” she offered as a compromise

”Keep telling yourself that,” the girl retorted with a smile that dimmed slightly “thank you for inviting me to your home”

”Please, it’s was not-” she never finished her sentence

”No, it’s everything” her guest replied with a determined gaze.

”Then I’m glad, where are manners, please let’s get inside the house,” Yan Mei replied ushering them through the door.

A few minutes later found all of them situated comfortably in the cozy living room with a drink, Yue Yan as she had introduced herself was demolishing a strawberry smoothie and crisp wafers with rabid hunger.

”Hospital food is the pits” Yan Mei commented, eyeing the methodological demolition of delicious stacks of wafers.

Yue Yan laughed as she slurped down the rich smoothie “That’s the reason he convinced me with, not that he had much arguing to do, I wouldn’t feed a dog that slop.”

Yan Mei laughed before she replied “They claim it’s healthy,” unable to keep the disgust out of her voice

”Not for my mind it isn’t” Yue Yan insisted impishly and the three of them laughed, then subsided into a comfortable long pause in which everyone focused on their meals or drinks in the case of Lei Zhao and Yan Mei.

She finally cleared her throat with her solemn words “I want you to know that you can stay here for as long as you want, I know how it is to get a jarring new lease on life.”

The words held more than their meaning, across from her Lei Zhao reached and caught her hands, squeezing them softly to comfort her and she squeezed right back.

Yue Yan smiled at the gesture that passed between the two of them but it was a rueful smile that said her mind was a million miles away in dark waters “I still can’t get used to it, the amnesia is not helping”

”Oh my God” Yan Mei couldn’t stop the gasp that spilled from her

”I’m still alive” Yue Yan replied, but her smile was bitter

”I’m sorry for ruining the moment.” Yan Mei scrambled to apologize but she waved it off.

”No, I’m just happy to be here, and that brings me to the second promise Lei Zhao made to change my mind”

”Anything” was the reply

”Careful what you wish for,” Yue Yan warned with a soft laugh before getting serious, her eyes riveted on hers, “he promised me I would be getting a cool sister to hang out with”

Yan Mei smiled, she couldn’t quite help it, tired, faded, and exhausted, Yue Yan looked so brave and hopeful with those words that she found that there was only one response to it “I guess you better rest and get your strength up sis, I’m a very demanding sister and I’m sure you have a million things to see”

Yue Yan smiled, a huge expression that exposed her teeth and drew attention to the faint glimmers of tears in her eyes “thank you so much Yan Mei , I’ll be the best sister ever”

An hour later when Yue Yan was nestled comfortably in bed, while she and Lei Zhao were ensconced in his study, sitting in the loveseat in each other’s arms she heard the words again “thank you so much, Yan Mei”

”Don’t, don’t thank me, love, I’m only being a decent human being.” She murmured, enjoying her closeness and warmth.

”There are so many reasons for you not to entertain the thought and you would be perfectly within your own rights” he replied, his voice raw with a curious quality.

”I know who she is to you” she replied as if that was all that mattered

”An ex-girlfriend” he replied acidly, it wasn’t exactly true but that was splitting hairs.

”A good friend, a tie with the past, and even if she wasn’t, I couldn’t have done anything else than what I did” she retorted, chasing the last of the tenseness away.

”You’re a better person than I, I don’t think I would have been that kind to your ex-husband.” He confessed, his voice a whisper between the two of them

She shook her head, rustling her cheeks against the fabric of his chest before she nestled back into his embrace “I can’t ask that of you”

He kissed her forehead “you are perfection”

”Besides I can’t hate her for the crime of loving you, I did exactly the same thing. Plus, I can just tell we’re going to be close friends and that’s everything in my books” she pointed out easily.

”I don’t deserve you” he countered,

”You do and I love you”

”I love you too!” his voice vehement with conviction