"Lin Qi, something has changed in my memories. You... must have done something, right?"
As soon as I tapped the message, Mu Ge's voice flowed from my phone. It was still gentle, with a calming quality.
"I found this in my voicemail. A Ling sent it to me... She called and sent it while we were meeting that child..."
A woman's voice came through in the message.
Her sobs, her pleading, her reluctance and grief—I had felt them all just as vividly in my dream.
"I'm sorry... Mu Ge... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
The woman murmured.
"I love you... Mu Ge..."
The recording ended there.
I let out a sorrowful breath. Even my sigh trembled.
Mu Ge's voice came through.
"The original message didn't have that last sentence... She didn't get the chance... She never got to say 'I love you.'"
My eyes widened as I stared blankly at the ceiling light.
The glare made my eyes ache, blurring my vision.
A trace of sadness and a hint of a smile crept into Mu Ge's voice. "She never said it before... When I remembered, I thought of you. Xiao Ai admitted it too—she went to find you. She... heard A Ling's last words as well. I..."
Mu Ge's voice faded, leaving only the sound of him crying.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and said, "Thank you. I've decided to send Xiao Ai to live with my in-laws. She might be in danger... I won't be there with her, so she might..."
Mu Ge choked up again. "She won't be able to forget all this for a while, but she'll get used to it after a few years. I'll ask some of the seniors in our circle to look after her. She's still young. In a few