Chapter 708 Lola, remember you are mine!
Even with all the bright lights, Lola felt weighed down by the heavy mood.
She had no idea how much time had passed, but her eyes were killing her. She muttered softly, "I never had anything with him! Johnny, believe it or not, I'm only saying this once!"
It wasn't really an explanation, but she couldn't leave things hanging.
Johnny clenched his fists and said slowly, "I didn't have anything with her either."
Lola laughed, tears shining in her eyes. She looked at Johnny and asked, "You and her? Johnny, Darren was the one who was there when I had Angelina. He's like a brother to me. But this Shirley chick, she is just some woman who wants to sleep with you!"
Johnny's eyes were cold. "Even if that's true, do you care?" he asked.
He moved closer, trapping her on the bed again, gripping her tightly. He demanded, "You don't care at all. You're just waiting for me to cheat so you can ask for a divorce and leave me! Now you're upset because I mentioned... But Lola, it's been three years since he died. Shouldn't he be out of our lives by now?"
Lola was pinned down, her wrists turning blue and purple. She tried to fight back, but he only held her tighter.
Johnny's touch was rough, almost brutal. His kisses were angry, desperate, driven by a painful, unrequited love. He said, "Lola, remember you are mine! You'll always be Mrs. Flores. Your eyes and your heart belong to me. Got it?"
Lola couldn't break free. She turned her face away in anger. "I will always be myself! Johnny, I don't belong to anyone, especially not to you."
"What?" He propped himself up slightly, looking at her with a mocking expression. Lola glared at him, refusing to back down. Neither of them would give in.
Under Lola's gaze, Johnny unzipped her dress with one hand. Lola struggled hard. "Johnny, do you know what you're doing?"
He sneered, "Of course I know! I'm commanding my wife to engage in marital relations!"
Lola's lips trembled. "Don't act like a dog in heat!"
Johnny's smile was cold, almost twisted with a hint of sadistic pleasure. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Soon, Mrs. Flores, you'll be screaming."
"Johnny, you are a bastard! If you do this, my father won't let you off."
With a sound, the dress fell to the ground, looking erotic under the light.
Johnny's gaze was proud but lustful. He kissed her chin and sneered, "Before that, I won't let you off!"
Under the dim light, their bodies were tangled together. In the dead of night, the light felt even colder. The luxurious bedroom echoed with their sounds... it went on for what felt like forever.
When it was finally over, it was nearly four in the morning. Johnny rolled over and lay flat, covering his eyes with his hand, breathing heavily.
After a while, he turned to speak to Lola.
Lola's wrists were covered in bruises, as were her neck, back, and legs. She didn't want to talk to him at all. Under his gaze, she pulled a thin blanket over herself.
Right now, she didn't want to talk, didn't want to shower, and didn't want to do anything. She even wanted Johnny to disappear from her sight.
Having acted bravely under the influence of alcohol, Johnny was now completely sober. He put on his pants and turned to hug Lola, his face buried in her neck... it was wet there.
Was he crying?
Johnny's voice was painful and hoarse. "Lola, I'm sorry!"
Lola's response was to turn her back to him. Johnny looked at her back, lost in thought for a long time. Finally, he leaned against the headboard and silently lit a cigarette.
As the smoke filled the air, he asked with difficulty, "Can you not go see him tomorrow?"
Lola gently closed her eyes. She didn't answer him. Just now, Johnny had broken the last protective layer in their marriage. Although he had forced her before, it had never been like today.
Marital rape.
The next morning, Johnny woke up, and his eyelids were dry.
Maybe it was because he had indulged too much last night, drinking and having sex. There was an indescribable fatigue in his body... He was the only one left in bed. The person beside him must have gotten up long ago because it had already lost warmth.
Johnny stared blankly out the window. The treetops were wet and shiny; it had rained.
At that moment, the bedroom door was cautiously pushed open, revealing Angelina's young face.
She ran over, climbed onto the bed, and hugged Johnny, calling him daddy. Johnny looked down at her... only to feel like he was seeing a replica of Lola.
He reached out to touch Angelina's head and asked gently, "Where's mommy?"
Angelina said sadly, "She went to see Darren."
As she spoke, she became sad, leaning on Johnny's shoulder and murmuring, "Mommy didn't take me, but I miss Darren too... Daddy, is Darren really gone? Will he never come back?"
Johnny's heart ached, almost numb. He managed to squeeze out a smile. "Yes, he went to another world."
Angelina hugged him tightly, extremely sad.
Johnny silently comforted her for a while. Once Angelina was no longer so sad, she ran off to play. After she left, Johnny sat in a daze for a bit, then pulled back the quilt and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom.
In the mirror, he saw a handsome yet haggard face, looking like a beaten fighter. Like a deflated balloon. He had lost to a dead man. No matter how much he demanded, Lola still went.
Johnny gazed at his reflection in the mirror, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. He suddenly punched the mirror whose smooth surface shattered, the cracks filled with blood.
But he felt no pain at all.
Half an hour later, a black car slowly drove into the suburban cemetery.
The car stopped, and the driver wanted to hold an umbrella for Johnny, who raised his hand and said calmly, "Wait for me in the car."
The driver looked at the sky, wanting to say something but holding back.
But Johnny was already walking towards the cemetery.
The road glistened with moisture, and water droplets clung to the soft grass on either side. Soon, Johnny's clothes were soaked, but he didn't care. His black Manilove shoes splashed water as he walked.
Soon, he saw Darren's grave and a person standing in front of it.
Lola was dressed in black, unable to hide the bruises. She held an umbrella, quietly gazing at the photo on the tombstone. It was a 20-year-old Darren, young and vibrant.
After many years, Lola could still remember the first time she saw Darren, looking at her with such despair, the ground covered in blood of his parents who had taken their own lives.
At that time, Lola thought, he lost his parents, and she lost Johnny. So she became Darren's salvation.
The years when Johnny was not around, she practically raised Darren by herself. They were like family, yet not quite lovers, until Johnny returned.
Now, Darren's young life rested here.
Lola gently removed a small white flower from her lapel and placed it in front of the tombstone. Her slender and white fingers lightly brushed over the young, handsome face, and she said hoarsely, "It's been a long time since I visited you."
No one responded to her, only the soft, hurried breath behind her.
Lola knew it was Johnny. She didn't turn around, quietly accompanying Darren for a moment before standing up. When she finally stood up, she turned to face Johnny. The two of them stood silently in the rain, the tension between them palpable. One holding an umbrella, the other getting drenched.
Johnny suddenly remembered, when they were young, it rained on their way home from school. That day, Lola got her period, so he took off his uniform and held it over her head, then hugged her and walked on. There were people everywhere, all watching them.
Lola felt both embarrassed and angry, but seeing Johnny getting soaked, she felt a pang of sympathy and threw the clothes back at him.
But now, she wasn't willing to share an umbrella with him.
After a long stare, Lola finally spoke, "Johnny, I think it's time for us to get a divorce."
Johnny's lips moved. At that moment, he couldn't hear anything but the sound of rain... He wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.
But Lola had already turned around, walking towards the cemetery exit, passing by him.
Raindrops fell on the umbrella and splashed, hitting Johnny's face, sending a chill through him like ice.
He suddenly snapped back to reality, quickly grabbing her hand. "Lola, we won't get a divorce!"
Lola stopped, lowering her gaze to the wrist he was holding, still bruised from his violence last night... but he seemed completely unaware of how he had treated her.
And Shirley, the woman he had an suggestive relationship with.
Johnny followed her gaze, his voice urgent and hoarse, "It won't happen again! I drank too much last night."
Lola lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. Getting drunk gave him the excuse to fool around with other women and even to be rough with his wife. If that were the case, everyone could use "getting drunk" to cover up their mistakes.
She no longer had any attachment to this marriage. After a pause, she said softly, "Let's part on good terms. I'll send the divorce agreement to your office. If you want to stabilize the company's stock, we can keep it private. After dividing the assets, we can discuss living arrangements."
She felt she had made herself clear, broke free from his hand, and left. At the moment when it slipped from his grasp, Johnny instinctively wanted to hold on, but ultimately didn't.
He watched Lola's back.
She walked slowly, her black attire in the rain exuding a sense of peace. He stared at her, suddenly asking hoarsely, "Is it because of Shirley or Darren that you want to divorce?"
Lola paused, giving him the answer, "Both."
She left, leaving Johnny standing in the rain, letting the rain wash over him just like many years ago. She was born into privilege, always the princess of the Hawkins family, while Johnny was just someone she chose and wanted. Now she didn't want him anymore, so she could cast him aside.
Lola walked out of the cemetery, opening the car door to get in, when a wet body pressed against her, pinning her against the car. He hoarsely and unwillingly said, "I won't agree to the divorce! Lola, you have no chance of leaving me."
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