Chapter 767 Johnny, Let's Try Again!
Lola had no clue how long she'd been standing there or when the party had wrapped up.
As she left, she bumped into Johnny in the hotel lobby. Felicity was with him, whispering something Lola couldn't quite catch.
Lola felt a whirlwind of emotions when she saw Johnny again. She stared at him, the man she once loved deeply and hated just as fiercely. But now, knowing the truth, those feelings seemed trivial. Just like when she had tried to end her life in Sunset City and Johnny had compromised for her, her heart was now also making a compromise.
Despite the complicated mix of love and hate, she wished him well.
Johnny turned and saw her. The crystal chandelier in the lobby cast a pale light on Lola's face, giving her an almost ghostly appearance. Blood was dripping from her hand, staining the deep red carpet, but she seemed oblivious to it.
Johnny quickly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, noticing the wound on her palm. His tone was stern, "What happened? Where's your boyfriend?"
Before Lola could respond, he was already trying to lift her. But as his hand reached her waist, he remembered his leg injury. He couldn't even lift a one-year-old, let alone Lola. His arm dropped, and he spoke softly, "Get in the car. I'll take you to the hospital."
Lola continued to gaze at him with unshed tears in her eyes.
Johnny had no idea what she had been through. In a moment of urgency, he grabbed her delicate wrist and led her to the car. At that moment, even though walking was difficult and felt unnatural, he didn’t care. He gently pushed her into the back seat and climbed in after her.
Felicity, quick on her feet, jumped into the front passenger seat and told Saul, "To the nearest hospital."
Saul didn't waste a second, hitting the gas.
In the dimly lit car, Lola and Johnny sat side by side, closer than they had been in a long time. Johnny asked in a low voice, "Didn't you bring any first aid in your bag?"
Lola deflected, "Where's your girlfriend? Not with you?"
Johnny's gaze deepened, "Is this really the time to ask that?"
He rummaged through her bag and found some first aid supplies. Felicity handed him a bottle of water, already opened. Johnny took it and looked at Lola, "Take this."
Lola didn't move.
Johnny, unsure of what had upset her, fed her the medicine directly. When his warm, broad palm touched her lips, they both shivered. In the dim light, their eyes met, filled with complex emotions.
Johnny's voice was almost coaxing, "How old are you, still so stubborn? In the future..."
He couldn't finish the sentence. He hadn't forgotten they were divorced, that he couldn't give her a normal life, that she might belong to someone else now.
Lola's eyes were wet. She leaned in, her lips brushing his palm as she took the pill with her tongue, leaving a damp spot on his hand.
Johnny curled his fingers slightly and handed her the water, "Drink some."
After she drank, he took out a first aid kit and began to bandage her hand. The process involved unavoidable skin contact. Holding her delicate wrist, Johnny couldn't help but notice how much thinner the wrist was. He asked quietly, "How is he taking care of you?"
"Who?" Lola asked.
Johnny looked up suddenly, their eyes locking. After a moment, he said, "Don't you have a boyfriend? You seemed to be getting along well."
Lola didn't deny it. Once her wound was bandaged, she pulled her hand away and leaned back in her seat, silent.
Johnny was silent too.
The car's interior was dim, occasionally lit by passing headlights, casting fleeting shadows on their faces. Neither could see the other's expression clearly.
When the car stopped at the hospital, Johnny turned to her, "Get out. Let the doctor take a look."
Saul and Felicity got out first.
Inside the car, only Lola and Johnny remained. Lola sat still. Just as Johnny was about to call her again, she spoke suddenly, "Johnny, does it hurt?"
"Did it hurt lying alone in the hospital, undergoing surgery?"
"Did it hurt when I left, and you were forced to stay in the hospital room, unable to move?"
"Did it hurt seeing me from your wheelchair?"
Lola's voice trembled as she asked, and she even wanted to touch his injured leg, to see how bad it was.
Johnny's body tensed. He seemed to sense something, turning to look at her with a cool gaze.
After a moment, he raised his voice, "Felicity, come help her inside!"
Felicity, who had been standing outside in the cold, was taken aback. Before she could react, Johnny had already helped Lola out of the car, his demeanor much colder. He signaled Saul to get back in the car.
In the chilly night wind, Lola stood outside, watching him.
The car door closed, and the black vehicle slowly drove away.
Felicity felt a pang of guilt and stepped forward, "Ms. Hawkins, I'm really sorry. Mr. Flores has been acting strange lately. I think he might be going through early menopause."
Lola looked down at the bandage on her hand. The bleeding had stopped. She quietly said, "No need for more bandages. This is fine."
She hailed a cab and got in.
Felicity stood in the wind, feeling bewildered. She thought, "These two are both crazy."
When she told Johnny, she expected him to be angry. Instead, he just said calmly, "I know."
Felicity was even more confused.
Lola didn't return to The Hawkins Mansion and went to one of her apartments.
The night was deep and silent.
She didn't turn on the lights, standing in the darkness. She didn't even change out of her dress. She lit a slim cigarette but didn't smoke it, letting it burn slowly.
Discovering the truth had hit her hard.
But she was just an ordinary person. After experiencing so much, she couldn't be as reckless as she had been in her youth.
She had too many things to consider.
Family, marriage, children... these were all things she had to face when making choices.
The night grew deeper.
As dawn approached, Lola stubbed out her last cigarette. She picked up her phone and called Nola. When the call connected, she asked softly, "Was Johnny seriously injured in last year's car accident?"
Nola, who had been half-asleep, woke up immediately at the question.
She didn't dare to say.
From her hesitation, Lola knew the truth. After a long pause, she spoke again, "I want to see that car."
Nola tried to dissuade her, "I heard it was sent to the junkyard. It might be hard to find."
"Find it for me. No matter the cost."
Nola heard the determination in her voice and quickly agreed, "Yes, Ms. Hawkins."
Four hours later.
Lola drove to a junkyard. The place was filled with wrecked cars. The manager accompanied her, smiling, "These cars may look like junk now, but they were expensive when they were new. Most of them were totaled in accidents. For example, this one was wrecked by a rich kid. The car was destroyed, and so was the driver."
He spoke casually, clearly used to it.
Lola pulled her coat tighter around her, her voice hoarse, "Where's the car I want to see?"
The manager pointed, "Over there. Why do you want to see that wreck? It used to be a nice car, but it's bad luck now. It was in a major accident. I heard the driver's leg was shattered. It's probably still messed up."
Lola didn't listen to his chatter.
She walked quickly to the overgrown area where the rusted remains of a Lincoln sat.
The original color was long gone.
The front was completely smashed, and the driver's seat was reduced to a cramped space. Even after months of exposure, traces of dark red blood were still visible.
Lola's fingers trembled as she touched it. That was Johnny's blood, maybe even bits of his flesh.
When Nola arrived, Lola's eyes were wet. She stood there for a long time before saying softly, "Let's go."
Nola didn't dare ask where.
Lola drove back to the city and dropped Nola off. Nola stood outside the car, worried, "Ms. Hawkins, are you..."
Lola rolled down the window.
She spoke calmly, "I'm going to find Johnny."
The window rolled up, and the white Bentley drove away slowly. Lola drove carefully, her eyes misty.
Half an hour later, she arrived at the villa they used to live in. Jody was surprised to see her, "Mrs. Flores, what brings you here?"
Lola closed the car door and looked up at the second floor.
"Is Johnny home?"
Jody hesitated, "He is, but he hasn't come downstairs today. He seems to be in a bad mood."
Lola lowered her eyes, her long lashes quivering slightly.
After a moment, she walked through the lobby and up the stairs.
Jody wanted to say something but held back.
Lola reached the master bedroom door. It was quiet inside. She pressed her hand against the door.
She knew what coming to Johnny meant.
Finally, she gently pushed the door open.
Johnny was in the bedroom, sitting quietly on the carpet by the bed, surrounded by photos and a box of painkillers.
Hearing the door, he said irritably, "Didn't I say not to come in without my permission?"
The person at the door didn't speak, stepping softly inside.
Suddenly, he looked up and saw Lola.
Lola looked back at him.
She saw the photos scattered at his feet, all candid shots of her, some from abroad, some recent. Her throat felt tight, her voice hoarse, "Didn't you throw these away last time?"
Johnny's fingers curled slightly.
He realized she knew something. He tried to sound indifferent, "Does it bother you?"
Lola didn't answer. She slowly crouched down to sit beside him.
Johnny's body stiffened.
He heard Lola say, "Johnny, let's try again."
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