Ren was even more surprised than when he had seen his father at the door.
The girl standing there was young, beautiful, and almost his same age. The idea that she was his wife seemed so absurd to him that for a second he thought it was all a cruel joke.
That woman's face showed nothing. No smile, no sadness, no discomfort. Only absolute calm, as if she were disconnected from the world.
'She's like an empty doll,' Ren thought.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Sanli cleared his throat and broke the ice.
"Her name is Yaina," he said, nervous. "Yaina, this is Ren, my son."
Ren felt his throat tighten as he tried to say a word.
"Hello."
Yaina slightly tilted her head.
"Hello," she replied in a soft voice.
After being introduced, Yaina stepped inside and remained standing near the door, several meters away from Ren and Sanli.
In the living room, the tension between father and son was present.
"Forgive her, son, Yaina is… very reserved with people she doesn't know. It's nothing personal. In fact… you're very similar when it comes to privacy."
Ren didn't smile. He only looked at his father and then at Yaina, who remained motionless.
Sanli tried to resume the conversation.
"Do you want to know how I met her?" he asked, trying to fill the silence.
Ren answered uncomfortably.
"How?"
"At work. She joined as an administrative assistant a year ago; back then, Yaina was nineteen and I was forty-eight. It was love at first sight, at least for me. I asked her out, she accepted, she became my girlfriend that same day, and three months later, I proposed to her. Everything happened fast, but it felt right, as if destiny had put us on the same path."
At that moment, Ren noticed the gold rings on both of their ring fingers.
"It doesn't make sense," Ren murmured, almost to himself.
Sanli let out a nervous laugh.
"I know, I know. It sounds crazy. But love doesn't always follow rules, son. She makes me happy. And I… I try to make her happy."
Yaina said nothing. She kept staring forward, expressionless.
Sanli sighed.
"Look, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you're okay with it, I can stay a few days to help you with everything. Or… I can come tomorrow. Just to see how you are."
Ren looked at the floor.
"You don't need to stay," he said, voice low. "It's fine like this."
Sanli nodded slowly, with a sad smile.
"I understand. I don't want to pressure you. I'll come tomorrow afternoon, all right? Just for a bit. Nothing more."
Ren didn't answer. Sanli stood up, gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder, and left with Yaina behind him. She didn't say goodbye. She just walked in silence, like a shadow.
When the door closed, Ren was left alone. His heart was pounding hard.
Suddenly, his cellphone vibrated.
It was Miya calling him.
"Ren?" Miya's voice came with a hint of concern. "Is everything okay? I just saw an older man and a girl leaving your house."
Ren let himself fall onto the couch, his body heavy.
"No… it's not okay. Something very strange just happened."
A small silence followed. Miya didn't interrupt; she just waited.
"What happened?"
"My dad came. After eight years."
"...What did he tell you?"
"He said he wants to help me with the house, that he's sorry for not being there for every important moment… That now he wants to be by my side."
Miya took a deep breath on the other end.
"Mmm, and the girl who was with him, who is she?"
Ren closed his eyes, confused.
"His wife."
There was silence.
"Wife?" Miya's voice rose slightly.
"Yes."
"How old is she?"
"Nineteen or twenty. Almost our age."
"Your dad is… how old? Almost fifty?"
"Forty-nine."
"God…"
"Yeah."
"Ren… this is heavy. If you need to talk or—"
"No, thanks. With everything you did today, it was enough."
"All right. I won't pressure you. Call me whenever you want. Or tomorrow. Or anytime. Okay?"
"Okay."
Before hanging up, Miya quickly added:
"Hey… wait. What's that girl's name?"
Miya's voice, for some reason, sounded a little strange to Ren.
Ignoring that intuition, he answered.
"Yaina."
Chapter 10: Miya