Chapter 773 Johnny, It Turns out, Feelings Could Come Full Circle.
Lola's heart ached as she spoke.
She reached out to cover her heart because it hurt so much. She could accept Johnny's childishness and the way he used someone like Tracy to upset her; after all, she knew it was all fake.
But he went too far.
He has wounds; doesn't she have any?
Lola's eyes filled with sorrow as she blinked softly and continued, "If I could, Johnny, I would rather it had been me in that car accident instead of you."
If it had been her,
If she had lost a leg,
If she had become imperfect.
She thought she wouldn't wallow in self-pity. She would accept the love she desired with an open heart, rather than pushing others away in such a miserable manner.
She believed she had a lot of love around her and would be brave.
Johnny had so much love too. Everyone in the family cared about him, but he isolated himself in an ivory tower, refusing to get close to anyone.
He said they were even, and that her love was exhausting.
Exhausting... just like when she first brought him home.
She was full of enthusiasm, but he felt suffocated and wanted to escape. Eventually, he left and sent her a postcard.
It turned out, that feelings could come full circle.
It turned out, that neither she nor Johnny could escape fate. From the moment she brought him into the Hawkins family, the gears of their destiny began to turn.
The light was dim.
Johnny could see the despair on Lola's face. She had always been someone who loved to smile, but now she looked defeated. He knew she had given up.
Sure enough, Lola spoke softly.
"Fine! I won't bother you anymore. I'll let you return to the life you want. As for the child, I know you want to see them. It was only inconvenient because of me. From now on, you don't need to feel any burden."
She paused, then continued.
"From now on, we're just family."
"I heard from Felicity that you have a chance for rehabilitation. Remember to see the doctor on time. Don't worry Mom and Dad. Kingsley and Sienna are all very concerned about you."
"Johnny, I'm leaving!"
Lola finished speaking, her heart aching, but she forced herself to endure it.
She took a step back, blood dripping onto the carpet, staining it dark.
As she finished, her eyes reddened, and so did Johnny's.
Lola had truly given up, given up on pursuing him, given up on mending their broken relationship.
She hadn't expected it to be so easy.
Before, she always thought she would become more resilient with each setback. But in just a month or two, she had exhausted all her energy.
Love requires energy.
Both she and Johnny had none left, so their love couldn't continue.
Lola left.
It was drizzling when she arrived, but now it was pouring rain.
In the deep autumn of Syeattel, such heavy rain was rare.
Lola took a few steps, already soaked, but she didn't care. Blood from her arm mixed with the rain, leaving only a faint red.
The rain was getting heavier, making driving unsafe.
Jody, worried, tried to stop her from leaving. Lola got into the car, fastened her seatbelt, and said calmly, "Take care of Johnny."
Jody was stunned, then panicked.
Unable to stop Lola, she ran back inside to find Johnny. The bedroom was a mess, and Johnny was still leaning against the headboard, expressionless, but Jody saw tears in his eyes.
Jody, anxious and quick, said, "It's raining so hard, and Mrs. Flores insists on leaving! I saw her arm bleeding a lot. Doesn't she have a clotting disorder? This could be serious, Mr. Flores..."
Johnny's heart tightened.
He asked in disbelief, "Lola is bleeding?"
Jody nodded, "Yes, her arm is scraped in several places. Mr. Flores, you didn't know?"
Johnny didn't know.
The light was too dim, and they had argued fiercely. He truly hadn't seen... if he had, he wouldn't have let Lola leave like that.
In his panic, he didn't even put on clothes, just wearing his robe as he rushed downstairs.
His leg was unsteady, and he nearly slipped several times on the wet stone path in the courtyard. Jody held an umbrella in one hand and supported him with the other. At this moment, Johnny had forgotten his male pride.
They stumbled their way to the villa entrance.
Lola was stopped by the guard, and not allowed to leave.
She sat quietly in the car, the rain so heavy that the wipers couldn't keep up, blurring her vision.
She couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.
Johnny limped over, pounding on the side window, his voice low and suppressed in the wind and rain, "Get out of the car!"
Lola turned around and looked at him calmly.
Through the car window, Johnny could see the blood on her arm, dripping continuously.
But Lola seemed unaware, her face pale, hands trembling as she took out a pack of women's cigarettes from the glove compartment. She didn't smoke but lit one anyway. As the smoke filled the car, she turned to look at Johnny.
The window slowly rolled down,
Lola's tone was very cold, "Open the gate!"
On a rainy night, Johnny's face was stern. He looked down at Lola's arm covered in blood, a shocking sight. He knew Lola was usually rational, but now she was being irrational.
He wouldn't let her leave, forcefully reaching in to open the car door.
"What are you doing?"
"Johnny, didn't you say we were even?"
"Whether I'm okay or not, whether I'm injured or not, what does it have to do with you?"
Johnny roughly dragged her out, but seeing the blood on her delicate arm, he lightened his grip. His face was drenched, his eyes darker than the night.
His Adam's apple bobbed, his emotions deeply suppressed, "Don't be stubborn! Unless you don't want to live."
Lola looked up at him.
In the night, her face was radiant, her red lips trembling slightly. After a moment, she slowly said, "Don't worry, I won't lose my mind over you anymore. I'll live well."
Johnny held her with one hand, reaching into the car with the other to find her purse. He quickly found the hemostatic pills, poured out two, and brought them to her lips. When Lola didn't open her mouth, he pinched her jaw and forced them in. Lola choked and coughed, "Johnny, are you crazy!"
Johnny looked at the blood on her arm, gently holding it with a trembling hand. His voice was deeply suppressed, "Lola, I'm losing it!"
On the rainy night, all other noises seemed to disappear.
Lola grabbed his hand, trembling slightly, "Why do you keep pushing me away?"
Johnny couldn't answer.
Maybe he didn't even know what he wanted... or what he dared to want!
He forcefully brought Lola back to the house, not caring about his image, not minding his limp in front of her.
After some effort, they finally reached the second floor.
He took her to the guest room, not caring about the mud on himself, pressing Lola onto the living room sofa to keep her from moving. He raised his voice, "Jody, bring the first aid kit."
Outside, Jody responded.
Lola looked up, "Johnny, what does this mean?"
She tried to get up, but he pressed her down forcefully, his dominance making her tremble.
Johnny held her shoulder, turning to urge, "Hurry up!"
Half a minute later, Jody placed the first aid kit on the table, "I'll bandage Mrs. Flores. Mr. Flores, you should go take a hot shower, or your leg will hurt later."
Johnny said, "You go out first."
Jody looked at them worriedly but eventually left, even locking the door behind her.
Lola knew she couldn't escape.
She didn't plan to. She slumped on the sofa, glaring at him, "You don't care about me, why are you so nervous? Johnny, are you crazy? If not, I can introduce you to a doctor. I'm afraid you'll get dementia when you're old and get lost. Then Angelina and Austin might have to search the world for you."
He replied, "Why don't you say I'll need diapers too!"
Johnny knelt, rolling up Lola's sleeve. There were several wounds on her arm, not deep but still bleeding.
His heart ached, "Not treating it, waiting for the blood to run out? I can't donate blood to you anytime now."
Lola stayed silent as he quietly treated her wounds.
After bandaging, Johnny gently touched the white gauze.
His voice hoarse, "Don't shower tonight. If you're uncomfortable, use hot water to wipe. I'll bring you clothes to change into later."
The light was warm.
He didn't get up, and Lola looked down at him. After a long time, she whispered, "Thank you."
Johnny looked up, meeting her gaze.
It seemed they had finally reached a balance, neither having the energy to argue anymore.
After a moment, he stood up and left.
He didn't try to walk normally in front of her. His leg hurt badly, limping heavily, walking with difficulty and embarrassment. But he thought, as long as they weren't together, what did a little embarrassment matter?
Behind him, Lola's eyes were slightly wet.
When Johnny couldn't see, she suddenly covered her face; maybe it wasn't just Johnny who couldn't accept his imperfection, but Lola too. She couldn't accept it because he had been so dazzling in the past, now pushing her away repeatedly for a bit of pitiful pride.
Lola thought, if this was what he wanted, she was willing to give it to him.
Johnny returned to the bedroom.
Closing the door, Johnny panted heavily, the water from his feet dirtying the carpet, but he didn't care.
His left leg throbbed with pain, but he ignored it, going to the closet to get clothes for Lola.
She was so delicate, that catching a cold would lead to a fever.
But opening the closet, there was nothing she could wear, only men's clothes.
His long fingers moved through the closet, finally picking a gray shirt and a pair of shorts for her to make do with tonight. Tomorrow morning, he would have Felicity bring a set of clothes.
Johnny took the clothes and limped back to the guest room.
The hallway was quiet.
The rain was persistent, and as he walked through the empty hallway, his heart quietly melted.
Tonight, they had broken up, but now he had stolen a bit of time together. Lola didn't say she was leaving, she was willing to stay the night.
Johnny felt like a pervert, saying no but his body being honest.
He opened the guest room door,
Lola was still in the living room, the sound of water coming from the bathroom, she must be wiping her body. Johnny listened quietly, his mind filled with many thoughts.
They had been married for years, he knew every inch of her body better than she did.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
But he didn't go in, placing the clothes on the white bed where she would see them when she came out.
He went downstairs, instructing Jody to prepare a hot milk for Lola.
Jody said efficiently, "Already done. Mr. Flores, don't worry."
Johnny nodded, returning to his bedroom.
The mess had been cleaned by the servants, he sat on the sofa in a daze, sometimes touching his lips, sometimes smiling in a daze.
He took a shower and lay in bed, but couldn't sleep. With Lola around, the air was sweet.
He tossed and turned.
In the dark, he heard the rain outside, Jody's footsteps up and down the stairs, and the sound of doors opening and closing next door... all because of Lola.
About an hour later, Jody knocked on his door urgently, "Mr. Flores, come quickly, Mrs. Flores seems to have a fever, she's very hot."
Johnny's heart tightened.
He immediately got up, following Jody to the guest room. The room was lit by just a bedside lamp, casting a soft, hazy glow. Lola lay quietly on the bed, her hair spread across the white pillow.
Her eyes were closed, her face flushed unnaturally.
She looked very uncomfortable.
Johnny immediately sat by the bed, feeling her forehead. It was very hot.
Johnny slowly withdrew his hand.
He told Jody, "Call the doctor, and bring the alcohol from the first aid kit."
Jody hurried to comply.
At that moment, Lola woke up.
She lay there weakly, her eyes slightly red, not fully awake, dazed from the fever. She felt uncomfortable and moved her hand to grab Johnny's fingers.
Her voice was like a kitten's, "Johnny, I feel awful."
Her fingers were burning, the heat spreading from her fingertips to Johnny's heart, a mix of pleasure and pain.
He gently stroked her hair, speaking softly, "The doctor is on the way. I'll help you cool down with some alcohol, you'll feel better soon."
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