Too late

"Mama!" Yun brightened and ran to Dai Meihui's side, hugging her leg. "I was playing with sis Juan. We are friends now! She showed me cool twicks!"

Dai Meihui bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her tears. She tremblingly kneeled before him and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears streamed down her face as she buried herself to feel his warmth. "Yun…"

He pouted. "Mama crying?"

"I am sorry, Yun…B-But Mama and Dada h-have to go…" a lump formed in her throat, "away for some time…"

Yun chirped. "I will come with Mama too!"

She broke into silent sobs, her words failing her. "You…you cannot come with us, dear…"

He frowned. "But I want to be with Mama."

Dai Fengge stood at a distance, unable to take a single step towards them. He felt he had no right to say his last goodbye to Yun, whom he didn't care about much just like Dai Meihui.

The thoughts of Yun's bringing up ate him from within. Neither he had any immediate relatives nor Dai Meihui from her side to take Yun's custody. Her parents had passed away a few years ago and none of them had any siblings. In this case, Jia said that Yun would be taken to a temporary foster care until some permanent arrangements would be made.

F-foster care…

He covered his face with his palms, regret seeping into every crevice of his heart.

If I had stopped Meihui, if I had stood beside her through those times, if I had toughened myself to face Mom, then Y-Yun…

"No!"

The daze of his remorse broke as Yun exclaimed his vehement rejection and furiously clung onto Meihui, refusing to let her go. His chubby cheeks had turned wet with his tears. "Why Mama go…? I don't want Mama to go. I will go with Mama…!"

"Be-because Mama made a mistake a-and I have to be punished. When you do something bad in school, the teacher also punishes you, right? It's…just like that…"

He vigorously shook his head. "I will talk to your teacher! Mama make no mistake. She cannot punish you!"

A similar emotional confrontation was happening at the Ma family's side too, where Juan didn't want to be apart from Ma Zhilan.

"Grandma…" she cried. "Grandma, you cannot go. Why do you want to go away? Did I do something wrong…"

"No, no!" Ma Zhilan took her into her embrace, her eyes aching with sorrow, "My Juan is always such a good and obedient girl. You didn't do anything wrong, dear…"

"Then why Grandma wants to leave me! I don't want Grandma to go…" she tightly held onto her, "I-I don't want Mama and Dada, I want Grandma!"

Ma Wenyan and Ma Yanyu closed their eyes, feeling that they deserved every bit of those bitter words from Juan. They had failed as her parents so terribly that she would rather live with her grandma than them. They had so many mistakes to apologize for but was it too late…?

Ma Yanyu pinched her lips hard and took trembling steps towards her, steeling her determination. "...Mo-Mom…"

Ma Zhilan patted her wailing granddaughter but didn't turn to face her daughter-in-law.

Her silence stabbed her heart, but she went on. "Please…please forgive me…"

Ma Wenyan stood beside her, holding her hand and letting her feel his firm support through his fingers. His tears silently traced a path down his cheeks. "Please forgive me too, Mom. We have been…very unfair to Juan. I am ashamed of myself," he felt utter loath towards himself.

Shame engulfed Ma Yanyu, as she processed the reality before her. "You don't de-deserve to go to jail, Mom. I was a nasty mother who dumped Juan's responsibility on you and Wenyan. I shouldn't have become so blind to put my daughter's life at risk and even shamelessly…blame her. I am sorry for being so awful. I p-pushed you this hard and it's all my fault."

Seeing that his mother would be taken at any moment twisted his heart with pain. Ma Wenyan kneeled and held her hand. "Don't worry, Mom! I will figure a way out for you-"

"There is no way out, Wenyan, Yanyu," She declared, her gaze composed. "I committed a crime for which I will accept my punishment. It's too late now."

They froze.

"Please don't ask for my forgiveness either. You have wronged Juan. Apologize to her and vow to yourself that you will strive to become good parents. Not just to her but to her unborn sibling too. I…" tears welled in her eyes, "won't be there to rebuke you anymore. That's why you must take it upon yourselves."

Ma Yanyu paled.

To go to jail and suffer at this age instead of enjoying a peaceful life with her family and raising her grandchildren…

She collapsed back on her knees.

What did I bring her life to…?

Huojin, along with the other officers, proceeded with the arrests. A few minutes later, two social workers arrived from a child-care services organization, who handled such sensitive situations for children where for any reason, both parents would be unable to raise their child and neither any immediate relatives were available to take the responsibility.

"Superintendent Mo. We are from the child-care services," the lead representative, Mrs. Shen, introduced herself. "She is my assistant."

Huojin softly nodded. Whenever an arrest was made where the culprit had children, the police would always be sensitive as to not carry out any arrests in front of them. Ma Wenyan and Ma Yanyu were there to handle Juan but for Yun who had no immediate relatives, they called for social workers to take him away for sometime.

He pointed his gaze at Yun and said, "That's Dai Yun…His parents Mr. and Mrs. Dai are arrested for a murder. There is no immediate family so…"

"We understand," she emphatically whispered.

As she walked towards Yun and greeted him with a warm smile, he immediately buried himself in his mother's chest, frightened.

When none of the tactics worked to make him talk to them, Dai Fengge clenched his fists and slowly approached him. "Yun…Mrs. Shen is a good aunty wh-who will take care of you…"

"No!" Yun became more withdrawn. "I only want Mama. I will go with Mama! Don't take my Mama away!"

His desperate sobs and pleas bled Dai Meihui's heart as if it was placed on a guillotine.

Jia gazed at everything unfolding from afar. She stood straight, her hands at the back.

But a dark presence sent tingles across her back as she felt a pair of cold hands slowly releasing her tightly shut fingers one by one.

"Anymore and you will break your beautiful nails dear," A sly and mysterious smile played on Mingshen's lips, "Ouch. Look, you hurt yourself."

Her nail dug into the soft flesh of her palm, revealing a red tear. Jia shook loose of her hand from his contact and gazed into his black, enigmatic pupils. He met her stare head on, thrilled to seek the challenge.

"You knew since before about Dai Meihui and Ma Zhilan being the culprits, didn't you?"