Falling For You

Chapter 9: Walking Away from the Shadows

Gap's face twisted with rage as he cornered Ling in the dimly lit hallway outside the hospital room, his voice barely contained as he seethed through gritted teeth. "You embarrassed me in front of everyone, Ling. How could you choose to be with that—" he spat the words like venom, "that lesbian—"

Before he could finish, Ling's hand shot up, stopping him mid-sentence. Her gaze was ice-cold, her expression hard as steel, and her voice rang out with a deadly calm. "Careful, Gap," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Say one more disrespectful word about her, and you'll regret it."

Gap's eyes widened, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he quickly masked it with arrogance. He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a menacing hiss. "You'd throw away everything? The life we're supposed to have, for her?"

Ling's eyes held his, unwavering. "You think I'd regret choosing her? Choosing honesty over this sham of a marriage?" She shook her head, a bitter smile curling at her lips. "The only thing I regret is wasting my time with you. You think I'd stay silent just to preserve your pride? You were never half the man you pretended to be."

Gap scoffed, his face turning red with fury. "You think this is a game? That you can just run off with her?" He sneered. "What future do you even see with her?"

Ling crossed her arms, her gaze unyielding. "A future that's real," she replied. "One where I can finally breathe. Orm gave me something you never did, something you never even tried to give me: love without conditions. Unlike you, she doesn't need me to fit her image or satisfy some twisted sense of control."

Gap took a step back, his face tightening with barely suppressed rage. "You really think she'll be there for you, Ling? What happens when she realizes the baggage you bring? When you're no longer useful to her?"

Ling laughed, the sound sharp and cutting. "You're projecting, Gap. Orm's been by my side when I had nothing to offer but myself. She's been there through more than you'd know, more than you'd ever have the patience to endure." Her voice lowered, each word a dagger. "The real question is, what's it like to be so empty that you think everyone else is as shallow as you?"

Gap clenched his fists, his composure fracturing as he glared at her. "You'll regret this, Ling. You'll regret throwing everything away for some fleeting—"

"Enough," Ling cut him off, her voice resonant with finality. "I'd rather risk everything for someone who makes me feel alive than waste another second pretending with you. You can cling to whatever power and status this wedding gave you, but it ends here. You were never a partner; you were a prison."

Gap opened his mouth to argue, but Ling had already turned her back on him, her stride confident as she walked away, leaving him standing there, his face flushed with humiliation and anger.

As she walked down the corridor, Ling felt a strange sense of relief settle over her. For the first time in years, she was stepping out from under the weight of expectation, leaving behind the charade that had kept her from living on her terms. She quickened her pace, her heart pounding as she moved closer to the room where Orm rested.

She slipped into Orm's room, closing the door softly behind her, and sat by her side, taking Orm's hand gently in hers. In the quiet of the room, she finally allowed herself to exhale, her mind swirling with everything that had happened.

"I'm here, Orm," she whispered, brushing a strand of hair from Orm's forehead. "No one will ever make me leave your side again."

Ling sat by Orm's bedside, her thumb tracing gentle circles over Orm's hand. The stillness of the room was a stark contrast to the chaos she'd just left behind, a calm that wrapped around her like a blanket, reminding her of why she'd chosen this path. Here, with Orm, she felt at home, a feeling she hadn't known in years.