°•Quiet Love⁴•°
°•Epilogue: A Year of Us•°
The first anniversary came quietly.
There were no grand parties, no extravagant dinners in high-rise restaurants. That wasn’t them. Instead, the day started with sunlight slipping through their cream-colored curtains, and the smell of warm croissants Zoey had woken early to make.
She wore his hoodie, three sizes too big, and smiled to herself as she set the tray beside the bed—croissants, jam, tea, and a folded piece of paper with careful cursive:
•'One year with you, my favorite quiet.'•
Yunrui was still asleep when she crawled beside him, brushing her fingers gently through his hair.
He stirred and blinked up at her, eyes soft and just a little confused.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“Happy anniversary,” (she whispered)
He looked at the tray, then back at her, then sat up and rubbed his eyes like he wasn’t quite ready to believe it had already been a year.
Li Yunrui
“A whole year,” (he said quietly)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(Nodding her head, she whispered)
“Of loving you.”
Li Yunrui
(His gaze lingered on her face)
“You make it easy.”
She flushed, ducking into the crook of his shoulder. Yunrui reached for the note, read it silently, then smiled—one of those rare, deep ones that made his eyes crinkle.
Li Yunrui
“I didn’t plan anything extravagant,” (he murmured)
“Just something small. After breakfast.”
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(kissed his cheek) “That’s perfect.”
Later that afternoon, Yunrui took her on a short drive to a quiet spot outside town—a gentle green meadow dotted with wildflowers and one old tree standing proud near the edge of a hill.
He led her under the tree where a picnic blanket was already laid out, soft music playing from a tiny speaker tucked into the basket.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“How did you...?”
Li Yunrui
“I’ve been planning it for two weeks,”
(he admitted, slightly bashful)
Li Yunrui
"Wanted somewhere quiet. Somewhere just ours.”
Zoey sank into the blanket with a soft smile.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“You still surprise me.”
Li Yunrui
(He poured her lemonade and offered her a strawberry)
“You’ve taught me how.”
They spent the afternoon talking—about everything and nothing. Laughing over memories. Teasing each other about the early awkward months. Zoey leaned into him and pressed a kiss to his jawline.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“I was such a mess back then,”
(she said, cheeks pink)
Li Yunrui
“I loved that mess,”
He said without pause, and it made her heart ache in the best way.
When the sky began to blush orange and gold, Zoey stood up, brushing her palms on her dress.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“I have a gift too,” (she said nervously)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“But I didn’t wrap it. Or bring it in a box.”
Yunrui looked up at her, curious.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“It’s not something I bought,” (she continued)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“It’s... something new.”
She bit her lip, fingers twitching nervously. Yunrui rose slowly, watching her.
Her hands reached into her pocket, pulling out a small card. Handwritten, no decoration. Just three words in black ink:
He stared at it.
Then at her.
Then back at the card.
Zoey’s heart pounded.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“I found out yesterday,” (she said, her voice trembling)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“I wanted to wait, but then I thought... today is perfect.”
He said nothing at first.
Then stepped forward and took her face gently in his hands.
Li Yunrui
“You’re... serious?” (he whispered)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(She nodded, barely able to breathe)
“We’re going to be parents, Yun”
For a moment, he just held her gaze.
Then he hugged her—tight and sure, burying his face in her neck, arms trembling slightly.
She felt the warmth of tears on her skin. And when he pulled back, there was something in his eyes she’d never seen so clearly before.
Awe. Joy. Fear. Wonder.
Li Yunrui
“Thank you,” (he whispered)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“For what?” (she laughed through her own tears)
Li Yunrui
“For this life. For letting me be the one you love. For... our baby.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
And just like that, the sun dipped behind the trees—and they stood there, in the hush of twilight, as two people about to become three.
The next few months were a blur of soft changes.
Zoey’s belly grew, and so did Yunrui’s quiet protectiveness. He read parenting books late at night and installed baby gates three months too early. He timed her naps, rubbed her back, and kissed her forehead every morning without fail.
Zoey found herself smiling constantly, even when she waddled around in pyjamas that no longer fit, even when the nausea was bad. Especially then—because Yunrui would hold her hair, then press his forehead to hers afterwards, whispering,
Li Yunrui
“You’re doing so well.”
The nursery became his passion project. Pale yellow walls, soft white furniture, and a tiny rocking chair by the window. One day, Zoey found him in there, holding a stuffed bunny, looking utterly lost in thought.
She leaned in the doorway.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“You okay?” (asks softly)
Li Yunrui
(He nodded) “Just... imagining.”
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“Imagining what?” (tilts her head)
Li Yunrui
(He looked up at her with a small smile)
“What she’ll be like.”
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(Feeling her heart melting at his thoughts)
“You think it’s a girl?”
Li Yunrui
“I don’t know why,” (he said softly)
Li Yunrui
“But I hope she has your smile.”
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(She stepped forward, took his hand, and kissed it)
“And your kindness.”
They stayed in the nursery that evening, slow dancing to music from her phone, their baby between them, listening from within.
When the time came, it was fast.
Too fast.
Zoey’s contractions started in the middle of the night. Yunrui was calm but wide-eyed as he helped her into the car, one hand on the wheel, the other tightly holding hers.
Li Yunrui
“It’s going to be okay,” (he repeated, more for himself than for her)
She screamed through the pain, clutched his arm, cried, laughed, shook—and he stayed, every minute, whispering steady things in her ear:
Li Yunrui
“Breathe, baby, you’ve got this. Just a little more. I’m right here.”
And then—there was silence.
Followed by the softest, smallest cry.
Yunrui stood frozen for a moment as the nurse wrapped the tiny baby in a blanket and turned toward him.
“A girl,” the nurse addressed gently.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“You were right.”
He reached for her like he was touching starlight.
And when he looked at Zoey, exhausted and radiant in the hospital bed, she gave him the faintest smile.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“Meet our daughter,” (she whispered)
Yunrui sat beside her, their baby in his arms—barely the size of his forearm, pink and blinking, yawning softly.
Zoey reached out and rested her hand on the baby’s chest.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“She looks like you,” (she said sleepily)
Li Yunrui
(He looked up, eyes glossy) “She looks like us.”
A soft, celestial name—just like the way she arrived.
The days that followed were sleepless, messy, magical.
Yunrui took paternity leave and became the most unexpected kind of father—gentle, clumsy, deeply in love with his daughter. He learned to swaddle, to warm bottles, to hum lullabies under his breath.
Zoey would sometimes wake in the middle of the night to find Yunrui sitting in the rocking chair, holding Elara against his chest, his eyes closed, one hand gently patting her back.
She’d stay still, not wanting to break the beauty of the moment.
Once, she walked in on him whispering softly to their baby:
Li Yunrui
“I used to be scared of saying how I felt. But with you and your mom… I don’t want to miss a thing.”
On the evening of their second anniversary, Zoey stood at the doorway of Elara’s room, watching Yunrui tuck their daughter in.
He pressed a kiss to her tiny forehead and whispered,
Li Yunrui
"Sweet dreams, little light.” (Said ever so softly with his eyes glimmering with shine and love)
Then turned—and saw Zoey.
Li Yunrui
“You heard that, didn’t you?” (squints his eyes at her playfully)
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
(She grinned) “Every word.”
Li Yunrui
(He sighed, mock-annoyed, pulling her into a hug)
"You’re going to tease me forever.”
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“Forever sounds perfect.”
They stood there, wrapped around each other, the soft glow of the nightlight filling the room.
Zoey looked up at him, heart overflowing.
Li Ziyi (Zoey)
“You know... I think she’s going to grow up thinking her daddy hung the stars.”
Li Yunrui
(Yunrui kissed her temple)
“Only because you showed me how.”
And with that, they turned out the light—stepping quietly into the next chapter of their life. Together.
Author
Another chapter on the way and then we are done with this story.
Author
ThankYou for reading😃
Comments
𝓽𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓴𝓴𝓲𝓮 🫐
Aish this EP was just so beautiful, and the progress of their relationship left me in awe /Whimper//Rose/
2025-06-22
2
𝓽𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓴𝓴𝓲𝓮 🫐
Aish their talks are like sweet poems, and I can't take it /Cry/
2025-06-22
2
𝓽𝓲𝓰𝓾𝓴𝓴𝓲𝓮 🫐
Oh gosh, the beauty of your words gonna kill me, author-ssi 🥹
2025-06-22
2