Waking Up From A Dream, The Person Beside My Pillow Was No Longer There|✔️

4: 10 years of waiting

Outside the window, the first rays of sunlight shone into the room, illuminating Tan Duat's face. He uncomfortably opened his eyes, and habitually looked over to discover that Quach Phuong had long left the bed.

For the past three years, Tan Duat had always deliberately left early and came home late, rarely waking up at the same time as her. However, Tan Duat didn't know that Quach Phuong had always been an early riser. From a young age, she would wake up early to do housework, and even when she went to school, she would work day and night to earn money for tuition and make ends meet.

Quach Phuong would lie beside him with her eyes closed, waiting for him to leave the house so he wouldn't feel embarrassed.

But today was different; she no longer needed to pretend. Quach Phuong wanted to live freely for once, and to live life to the fullest.

After Tan Duat finished showering and getting dressed, he walked downstairs, and was greeted by a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen. This was soon followed by the sound of Quach Phuong's footsteps.

"Let's have breakfast, Tan Duat!" Quach Phuong waved a ladle back and forth, her face lit up with a bright smile. Tan Duat was a bit dazed; he had to admit that Quach Phuong looked beautiful when she smiled. Her pink lips, white teeth, and the gentle curve of her dove-like eyes. However, the number of times he had seen her smile or shared a meal with her could be counted on one hand.

Tan Duat nodded, walked over to the dining table, and sat down. Quach Phuong quickly brought over a hot cup of coffee and placed it in front of him. Tan Duat liked his coffee pure and was extremely particular about the brewing process. Every detail, from the sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and richness to the aroma, had to be just right.

Quach Phuong had spent half a year learning how to brew coffee, timing it every morning to coincide with the moment he woke up, even calculating the exact temperature of the coffee. Sometimes, she felt very funny; after 12 years of being a top student, and receiving scholarships throughout her four years of university, she had ended up wasting all her energy catering to a man's preference.

Tan Duat lifted the coffee cup and took a sip. The rich, perfectly balanced flavor spread through his mouth, and his eyebrows relaxed unconsciously.

Quach Phuong secretly watched him, a small smile curling on her lips. However, her expression did not escape Tan Duat's sharp eyes.

"What's so funny?"

"No, nothing. I just feel very happy."

Tan Duat glanced at her, "Happy about what?"

Quach Phuong propped her chin up and placed a piece of fried egg in her mouth, her voice drifting: "I had put in so much effort, at least there's still a dish that suits your taste. Tan Duat, you're really picky."

"Really?" Tan Duat cleared his throat. He had a feeling that Quach Phuong was acting differently from usual. She usually spoke very little, and never joked with him.
Tan Duat felt a bit uneasy.

The meal passed in an unusually harmonious manner. It was as if Tan Duat's outburst from the night before had never happened, as if they were just an ordinary married couple having breakfast and chatting together.

As Tan Duat prepared to leave for work, Quach Phuong leisurely walked up to him and adjusted his tie.

"You're already 26 years old, why is your tie still tied so loosely?" Quach Phuong adjusted the knot to make it even and tight, and fixed the length of the tie. Her hands were meticulous, and her eyes were incredibly focused.

Tan Duat looked down. Quach Phuong's pale face was covered with a layer of makeup, but he could still see the dark circles under her eyelids. Regardless of love, Quach Phuong was truly the standard of a perfect housewife— any man would want to marry a caring wife like her.

But when it came to love, no ideal image held any significance.

Quach Phuong smoothed out the folds of his shirt: "Done!"

Tan Duat suddenly felt uneasy under Quach Phuong's dove-like eyes, and averted his gaze: "Then I'm off to work."

"Wait!" Quach Phuong called out as he turned to leave.

He turned to look at her, losing patience: "Is there something else?"

Quach Phuong tucked her bangs behind her ear, and said carefully: "Come home a bit earlier today, let's go watch a movie tonight."

Tan Duat really wanted to laugh at Quach Phuong's strange request, and was about to refuse when she spoke in a clear voice: "Yesterday, you agreed to my conditions. You wouldn't be the type to go back on your word, would you, Mr. Tan?"

It was unclear if it was due to Quach Phuong's provocation or not, but his eyes darkened. Tan Duat curled his lips: "Of course, I'm not that kind of person. Watching a movie is no big deal. If you like it, then I'll indulge you."

Quach Phuong smiled faintly. "Thank you!"

Tan Duat huffed irritably and left the house. The woman who always followed his every word and minimized her own existence, since when did she learn how to make demands with him?

Quach Phuong was indeed very good at hiding her true self.

After Tan Duat went to the company, Quach Phuong stayed home and tried on all the clothes in her wardrobe. She realized she had been rather stingy with herself. Just Tan Duat's shirts alone outnumbered her clothes by double.

When she was a child living in an orphanage, Quach Phuong had gotten used to living frugally. Even after being taken in by the Ngo family, she didn't develop a habit of spending money. Any new clothes she had were all bought by Mrs. Ngo.

Quach Phuong treated the clothes like treasure, she kept them stored carefully and did not dare to take them out to wear. But she forgot that these clothes were nothing compared to what Nhan Tinh had as the Ngo family's daughter for 18 years.

When a person was used to living in hardship, receiving a bit of charity would make you feel incredibly fortunate, not realizing that the luck you spent all your life hoping for was something others could have with just a snap of their fingers.

Her gaze fell on a blue dress lying deep inside the closet. She curiously took it out and looked at it, then remembered that it was the dress she wore for her senior year graduation.

The dress was knee-length, off-shoulder, with a border of blooming blue roses. It looked very much like Cinderella's dress from the fairy tale. With sparkling eyes, Quach Phuong went to the bathroom to try it on. Just as she reached the doorstep, she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach.

The wave of pain suddenly hit Quach Phuong, who had no time to prepare, leaving her breathless. She clutched her stomach tightly, her face turned pale, and her temples were sweating like rain. Quach Phuong tried her best to crawl to the bedside table, and pulled out the drawer to grab a bottle of painkillers. Her hand tensed, revealing the prominent bone joints. The medicine bottle was not held firmly enough, and slipped out of her grasp.

The lid fell off, and pills scattered everywhere. She couldn't afford to pay attention, and directly picked the pills up from the floor, swallowing them without even having time to drink water.

Quach Phuong leaned against the side of the bed and waited for the pain to subside. Each second, and minute felt like torture, making her want to die. After a long while, she wobbled to her feet, and slowly cleaned up the bedroom.

Then she sat on the bed, holding her blue dress, and silently waited for Tan Duat to return.

Waiting for someone was truly exhausting. Yet she had been waiting for Tan Duat for 10 years. However, these long, tiring days of waiting were gradually coming to an end.