Chapter 755 Johnny: Never Let Her See This for the Rest of His Life
Just then, the Hawkins family arrived. Kingsley didn't mention Lola's late-night speeding. Instead, he draped a coat over her shoulders on the chilly autumn night and gently held her. "Let's go."
Lola barely whispered, "Okay."
Before getting into the car, she couldn't help but look back at the villa where she had lived for several years.
Here, she shared good times with Johnny.
Here, she had been distant from Johnny.
Here, they had two children together.
But in the end, they went their separate ways, each following their own path.
Maybe it was a mistake when he came back from abroad.
Maybe she shouldn't have let Johnny drive her to meet a female client that night. Perhaps they would have missed each other again if that night hadn't happened. He would have gone abroad, and she would have stayed here, with only a faint regret when she occasionally thought of him. Everything would have been fine.
But after all that had happened,
Lola found it hard to imagine how bleak and colorless her life would be without Johnny's involvement.
It was time to say goodbye.
Goodbye to her youth with Johnny.
This time, it was really goodbye.
Lola got into Kingsley's car, and the black Rolls-Royce slowly left the villa, leaving behind all their memories. Soon, Lola would leave Syeattle to start her new life.
And this house where they had lived would remain here forever.
The moon hung high.
The villa was bathed in cold moonlight, with a row of luxurious cars parked in the front yard, all of Johnny's favorite models, each one shiny and expensive.
Only in the deserted backyard, a dilapidated car, unrecognizable from its original model, lay abandoned in a corner, covered in bloodstains.
The front of the car was almost completely wrecked.
Only half of the car body remained.
It looked like a damaged body, like a broken life.
Its owner deliberately hid it in the corner, perhaps never to see the light of day again.
A month later, Lola took Stella to Nebula City.
Charlotte and Sienna accompanied her.
During the trip, Lola saw a therapist and kept up with domestic news. Occasionally, there would be entertainment news about Johnny.
For example, attending events with a certain actress or having dinner with a socialite.
Sometimes he would call her to ask about Stella. Later, Lola thought carefully and realized that it seemed to be every Friday night at eight o'clock that he would call right on time.
Lola didn't delve into the reasons behind the weekly phone.
Maybe it was better to let go; they wouldn't disturb each other's lives.
Lola got better day by day.
Six months later, she returned to Syeattle with Stella. Charlotte and Sienna had returned a week earlier, so only Lola and Stella went through customs together, and she didn't notify anyone of her quiet return.
For six months, she and Johnny only contacted each other because of the children.
So she didn't expect to run into him so soon.
At the airport exit.
Lola took her luggage and pushed eight-month-old Stella out of the reception hall. She called for a car, and the driver was already waiting for her in the parking lot.
"Miss Hawkins, I'm waiting for you at the P3 entrance."
Lola smiled and said okay, then hung up the phone. But the next second, her gaze froze.
She saw Johnny.
Across the parking lot, a black van was parked, and Johnny was talking to someone by the side of the car. He was sitting in a wheelchair.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Johnny looked over.
The next second, his deep eyes locked onto hers.
Maybe neither of them was prepared for this unexpected meeting.
Lola stared at his legs.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she caught a moment of panic in Johnny's eyes. But it only lasted a second or two before he regained his usual inscrutable composure.
After a moment, Johnny stood up from the wheelchair.
Stella, who often video-chatted with him, recognized her dad at eight months old. She reached out to Johnny, babbling as if calling for him.
Johnny's eyes held a hint of a smile.
Lola walked over with Stella, and as soon as she got close, Stella wanted Johnny to hold her.
The person Johnny had been talking to was a company executive who recognized Lola. Seeing the scene, he nodded and left in another car, leaving Lola and Johnny, the former couple.
Lola handed Stella to him.
As Johnny picked her up, he took a step back, immediately using his hand to steady himself against the car.
Stella was very active.
In no time, Stella had covered Johnny's face with drool from her kisses.
Johnny kissed her back, smelling the unique baby scent. His sharp, thin face softened slightly. After holding her for a while, he finally spoke to Lola, his tone calm and indifferent, "Why'd you come back all of a sudden?"
Lola smiled lightly. "There were some changes at the firm, and I just felt like coming back."
"Not planning to leave again?"
Lola replied, "Probably not."
Johnny seemed reluctant to let go of Stella. At that moment, Lola noticed that his body was almost entirely leaning against the car, supporting his weight. She glanced at the wheelchair and couldn't help but ask, "What happened to your leg?"
Johnny followed her gaze and looked down for a few seconds. Then he looked up and quietly said, "I had gout from eating seafood at the beginning of the year. It comes and goes. Sometimes it's more comfortable to use a wheelchair when it flares up. I didn't expect the first time we met after so long, you'd see me like this. Sorry to make you laugh."
Saul got out of the car and added, "Yeah! I've been telling Mr. Flores to drink less. At his level, he doesn't need to push himself so hard, but he just won't listen."
Johnny smiled faintly. "Help me put the wheelchair away."
As Saul put the wheelchair away, Johnny kissed Stella again and said to Lola, "Unfortunately, I have a lunch meeting, so I can't take you home. Maybe another day, I'll come by to see the kids if it's convenient for you."
He spoke appropriately, with no inconvenience implied.
Lola also responded appropriately, "Sure."
Johnny handed Stella back to her, reluctantly kissing her one more time.
Stella, though young, was quite clingy. She was unhappy when Johnny put her down and sulked in Lola's arms, refusing to look at him.
Johnny patted her little bottom. "Quite the temper."
Stella buried her face.
Johnny watched her intently for a long time, then said to Lola, "She's very cute and well taken care of."
For a divorced couple, these words were already a lot.
Seeing he had things to do, Lola tactfully said goodbye. She pointed to the car approaching from the side. "My car is here! If you want to see the kids, just call."
Johnny's gaze was deep.
With a look, Saul quickly went over to help Lola with her luggage, putting it in the car's trunk, and personally saw her into the car. From start to finish, Johnny stood by the car, watching Lola get in and drive away.
When she was out of sight, his long fingers suddenly gripped the car tightly, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Saul, knowing his condition, quickly came to support him, muttering, "Why push yourself like this? You could have just stayed in the wheelchair."
Johnny leaned on him to sit in the back seat. His back was also covered in cold sweat.
Besides the physical pain, his male pride was hurt. He couldn't bear to show his imperfections to Lola. He feared seeing that look of disbelief in her eyes.
A man who couldn't walk properly!
Johnny closed his eyes, tilting his head back slightly, his jawline trembling.
Saul knew he was in unbearable pain and quickly brought him some painkillers. Even if they didn't help much, it was a psychological comfort. "Let's hurry back. I'll give you a hot compress."
Johnny quietly said no.
Saul had no choice but to drive him back to the villa so he could rest.
The villa was equipped with an elevator so Johnny usually took the wheelchair up and down, which was convenient and effortless.
But today, he insisted on walking up the stairs himself.
By the time he reached the top, he was drenched in sweat, his legs in excruciating pain.
The pain filled his entire body, washing away the joy and excitement of seeing Lola again. In that pain, he repeatedly convinced himself," Johnny, in your current state, what right do you have to pursue her and give her happiness?"
He forced himself to take a hot bath.
The pain eased a bit.
He returned to the bedroom, wearing a bathrobe, and lay down on the soft bed.
After lying there quietly for a while, Johnny suddenly opened his eyes.
His hand gently lifted the hem of his bathrobe, revealing the hideous scars. Deep, crisscrossing marks looked both terrifying and ugly as if his left thigh had been reassembled.
He gently touched those ugly scars.
What was he thinking?
He was thinking that Lola loved beautiful things. If she saw this, she might never be able to get over it.
He was thinking that he would never let her see this for the rest of his life.
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