After the Divorce, the Heiress Omega Regretted It - Chapter 7

The cemetery was quiet and desolate. Occasionally, a bird would fly past, its chirps briefly breaking the silence.

Qin Yiwan knelt stiffly in front of a gravestone—the name carved into it read Qin Yiyao, her younger sister.

Her eyes rested on the photo mounted on the stone. In it, five-year-old Qin Yiyao smiled brightly, all innocence and sunshine. Yiwan couldn’t help but reach out, her fingers brushing the cold surface, as if she could still feel the warmth of her little sister’s soft, chubby cheeks.

The icy touch brought tears to her reddened eyes. She couldn’t hold them back any longer—she sank down, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed.

“Mom was right. It was my fault. If I hadn’t taken you out that day, nothing would’ve happened… It’s all my fault.”

Luo Yunye had just arrived when she saw the small figure crying with her shoulders trembling. Alone in this vast, lonely cemetery, she didn’t seem afraid at all.

“Sis.”

Qin Yiwan jerked her head up at the familiar voice, eyes searching blankly in every direction.

Luo Yunye mimicked Qin Yiyao’s childlike tone, “Don’t look around, sis. I’ve become an angel, you know? I’m doing great up here, and I’ve made so many friends. I’m not lonely at all.

So stop crying, okay? Crybabies always get teased!”

“Yiyao? Is that really you?” Qin Yiwan choked out. “You… you’re not mad at me?”

“Of course I’m mad,” Luo Yunye said in the same gentle voice.

Yiwan froze, her eyes going wide, tears still clinging to her cheeks.

“I’m mad at you for not taking care of yourself. You cry too much. What if you cry so hard you go blind? Then you won’t be able to see the world for me.”

More tears spilled down Qin Yiwan’s cheeks. The fact that her little sister still cared about her, even in death, made her cry even harder. She threw her arms around the gravestone, hugging it tightly.

“Yiyao… Yiyao…”

“Sis, you have to live well, okay? Live for the both of us. I want to be happy, so you have to promise me.”

Yiwan was sobbing too hard to speak clearly. “Okay… I promise. I promise, Yiyao…”

From a distance, Butler Mo watched silently as Luo Yunye comforted Yiwan by pretending to be Qin Yiyao. He said nothing and quietly brought the car around.

Yiwan stayed for a while longer, talking softly to the gravestone. When she finally walked down the long staircase, she saw Luo Yunye waiting for her at the bottom, smiling gently.

She quickly wiped at her eyes and walked up to her. “Why are you here?”

Even as she asked, she realized it was always the same question with her. She didn’t even need to hear the reply to know. So she changed the topic. “Are you coming back because of me?”

“Of course.”

They walked side by side, and Luo Yunye glanced at her red-rimmed eyes. “Do you visit her often?”

“Sometimes… I always end up crying when I do.”

Every time she visited Qin Yiyao, the tears would come.

Whenever Qin Rushuang lost control of her emotions, she would drag Yiwan here and make her kneel in front of the grave—all day long, until the sun had set, and only then would someone be sent to bring her home.

Yiwan was stubborn, too. If she was told to kneel all day, then all day it would be. She would grit her teeth and endure it, waiting—hoping—her mother might soften and let her up. At the same time, she believed she deserved this punishment. It was how she atoned her sin.

Yiyao’s death was a wound that neither of them could ever erase.

Yiwan had begun to accept that things would never go back to how they were. That maybe living separately but peacefully was the best they could hope for now.

The car drove past a large estate in bloom, the sweet fragrance of gardenias drifting through the open window. The scent was intoxicating.

“Yiyao used to love gardenias,” Yiwan murmured, leaning against the window. Her voice was dreamy, nostalgic. “She said gardenias smelled like summer. They reminded her of her birthday… and all of us together, happy as a family.”

So that’s why you started loving gardenias too, huh? Luo Yunye watched her small figure in silence, the breeze lifting her long hair, gardenia-scented air swirling around her like a memory.

“Do you know the meaning of gardenias?”

Yiwan turned to look at her. “The meaning?”

“Joy. Strength. Eternal love and promises… a lifelong waiting.”

Yiwan silently mouthed the words over and over again. Something in her heart stirred—like she’d found a new strength.

“Yiyao told me to live for the both of us. That’s our promise. I’ll live well… for her.”

******

Dreams passed quickly, and time flowed on. Before long, Qin Yiwan had grown into a middle schooler, her figure suddenly became taller and her features starting to show the grace of a blooming young lady.

Luo Yunye waited outside the school gates. As Yiwan walked out with her classmates, she drew plenty of attention. Students came up to talk to her, and some handed her love letters.

Yiwan accepted them with a gentle smile, tucked them into her bag, and made her way to the gate. When she saw Luo Yunye leaning against a flashy red sports car, looking as stunning as ever, she broke into a grin and jogged over.

“You’re picking me up today?”

Luo Yunye opened the car door for her with a smile. “Butler Mo had something to do. Trust me, he would never let me come pick you up if he had a choice.”

“Yiwan!”

A voice shouted behind her, and a girl rushed over like a gust of wind, stuffing an envelope into her hands. “I wrote everything I wanted to say in here.”

She gave Luo Yunye a polite nod. “Hi, sis.”

“Good girl,” Luo Yunye replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“We’ll be off, then,” Yiwan said as she climbed into the car.

Even after they’d driven quite far, Luo Yunye could still see the girl standing at the school gate, staring after them. She glanced sideways at Yiwan’s envelope.

“Aren’t you going to read it?”

Yiwan tore it open and began reading aloud like she was reciting a textbook:

“Dearest Yiwan,
From the moment I saw you, I liked you. You’re like a fairy from the heavens—more beautiful than any Omega I’ve ever seen.
If you’re willing, I want to stay by your side and protect you for the rest of my life.
Love you forever,
Lu.”

Luo Yunye nearly broke out in goosebumps. “You’re at that age now, when springtime feelings start blooming. Those Alphas are like bees to flowers—they can’t help themselves around you.

I know you aren’t interested in them, but they don’t know that. They think if you accept their love letter, maybe you’re into them too. Alphas are weirdly confident like that. You wouldn’t believe it.”

Yiwan listened and nodded thoughtfully. “But how do you know I’m not interested in them? I actually think one of them’s not too bad.”

“Who?”

Luo Yunye shot her a casual glance. Yiwan hesitated, then said offhandedly, “Luo Yunyi. She’s sweet and thoughtful, and she doesn’t have any of the usual Alpha flaws.”

“Her?” Luo Yunye scoffed. “That fragile little twig? You’d be the one protecting her. What kind of Alpha is that?

Xiaowan, you really have no standards.”

“I told you not to call me that—it sounds awful.”

Yiwan turned toward her. “Then tell me, what kind of Alpha does count as good?”

“Someone like me,” Luo Yunye said with a perfectly straight face. “Pretty and fit. Strong enough to lift you with one hand. Loyal, emotionally stable, great at her job. I could totally support you in the future.”

“I don’t need you to support me!” Yiwan laughed. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“Confidence is a good thing. I’d make my wife very happy.”

“Oh right, didn’t you say you’re my future wife? How old are we supposed to be when we get married?”

“I’ll be twenty… you’ll be twenty-two.”

“What?!” Yiwan stared at her, horrified. “So I’m older than you when we get married?!”

“Yep. Technically, I should be calling you ‘big sis.’”

“Ugh…”

Yiwan looked crushed. So she’d age normally, and Luo Yunye would still look like… this?

“But for now, since you’re younger than me, I’ll be the older sister. Come on, call me ‘big sis.’”

“No way.”

Yiwan rejected her outright. That kind of dynamic just gave her the creeps.

******

By eighth grade, even though Yiwan never went looking for Alpha–Omega drama, she’d learned a few things from classmates’ idle gossip.

It was probably time she bought inhibitors.

Before going home, Yiwan said she wanted to stop by the supermarket. Butler Mo dropped them off and waited in the car while Luo Yunye accompanied her inside.

Yiwan tossed some snacks into the cart to act as cover. When they neared the inhibitor aisle, she pointed to the far-off fruit section. “Can you go get me some grapes?”

“Let’s go together. What if you want something else too?”

“I-I need to buy something… else,” she mumbled, cheeks flushing.

“Alright,” Luo Yunye said with a nod, heading off toward the fruit section.

Yiwan let out a sigh of relief and quickly wheeled the cart to the inhibitor shelf. It was her first time buying them, and she hadn’t expected there to be so many scents, styles, and options. She stood there for ages, completely lost.

When someone else walked by, she awkwardly stepped aside, watching as they casually grabbed a milk-scented one. Her heart still hadn’t calmed down when a voice beside her said:

“Why didn’t you ask me to help you choose?”

Yiwan jumped, her face instantly turning bright red. She turned to leave, but Luo Yunye grabbed her arm.

“Come on, let’s find one you like.”

“N-no need! I’ll come by myself next time!”

Buying inhibitors with an Alpha? Way too weird.

“What if I’m not free next time? You’d rather ask Butler Mo to come with you?”

That would be even weirder.

“There’s nothing shameful about buying inhibitors. Everyone needs them.”

Hearing that helped calm her a little. She followed Luo Yunye, who picked one up, examined it, then put it back.

“Durian, strawberry, blueberry, mango, jasmine, rose, lily…”

Finally, they found the gardenia-scented one. Luo Yunye beamed and held it out to her. “Found it!”

Yiwan’s cheeks were glowing red. She hadn’t expected Luo Yunye to remember she liked gardenias. Taking the inhibitor from her, her heart beat a little faster.

“L-let’s go check out now.”