Chapter 221: Ophelia, Can People Die from Pain
At the hospital, after Paul wrapped up the discharge stuff, he trailed behind Magnus into the elevator.
As soon as the elevator hit the basement parking lot, the doors slid open.
Magnus and Paul stepped out through the left door.
Juniper, head down, slipped in from the right.
She rode it all the way up to the sixth floor of the inpatient wing.
Juniper dashed to the reception desk and asked, "Hey, can you tell me which room Magnus is in?"
"Magnus? Lemme check," the nurse replied.
A few minutes later, the nurse said, "Magnus is in room 615."
Juniper tossed out a quick "Thanks" and hurried to room 615.
The door was wide open, but the room was empty.
Had she spooked him, making Magnus bail overnight?
Was he that scared to see her?
Juniper stood there, stunned, for a long time before slowly turning around and leaving.
She drove out of the hospital's underground lot.
Once again, she spotted that familiar black Volkswagen.
She remembered that car—it had been tailing her for the past couple of days.
She decided to follow it, and the two cars merged into traffic.
That black Volkswagen was a rental Magnus had picked up.
Paul drove to the rental shop. He joked, "Mr. Blackwood, you came to Southern City to see Ms. Beaumont, and this outfit is quite trendy."
Paul almost said the outfit was a bad choice but held back.
Magnus was rocking a casual jacket, sneakers, a black baseball cap, and driving a black Volkswagen. If you ignored his sharp, intimidating eyes, you might mistake him for a college kid.
Juniper definitely wouldn't recognize him.
Soon, they pulled up to the car rental shop.
Magnus stood outside, smoking, while Paul drove the car in to return it.
Juniper's car was parked across the street.
Through her window, she eyed the tall figure at the shop's entrance and clearly saw his face.
Even though his outfit was totally different from usual, that cold, striking face was unmistakable.
It was Magnus. He was definitely in Southern City.
Juniper stared at him, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tighter.
She called him again.
On the other side, Magnus saw the caller ID, paused for a few seconds, and picked up, "Hello."
"Magnus, I'll ask you one last time, where exactly are you?" Juniper demanded.
On the other end, there was a long silence.
Juniper sniffed, her voice icy, "Since you're in Southern City, do you want to meet?"
She rarely made the first move.
Especially after he dodged her question, normally she wouldn't ask again.
But for some reason, she just had to ask one more time.
This was her only act of bravery.
The few seconds waiting for Magnus to respond stretched out like an endless night.
Her knuckles whitened as she tightly gripped the steering wheel.
Magnus's voice was calm. "If it's just to meet, there's no need. Juniper, you should know what I want."
If they really met, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from hugging her, kissing her—he wanted to make love with her.
But Juniper, whether physically or mentally, instinctively resisted him, even hated him.
In her mind, Magnus and Ava were in cahoots, both responsible for Lyra's death.
He didn't want to burden her any more, nor did he want Juniper to tremble and turn pale in his arms.
He wanted to shield her from the storm, but now all the storms were brought by him.
The call was still connected, but neither spoke.
It was so quiet they could hear each other's breathing.
After what felt like forever, Magnus took a deep breath and said, "If you're trying to repay me for saving you at the theater, don't bother. You're Jenny's mom. It's only right that I save you."
Juniper swallowed hard, her eyes stinging like crazy.
Her attempt to reach out was completely shot down.
The words "I want to see you" got stuck in her throat.
She forced herself to sound calm, "I get it. My bad. If I bothered you, I'm sorry."
If she kept pushing after he flat-out rejected her, she'd just look desperate.
After that, Juniper hung up.
She floored it, and her white car sped off, blending into the night.
She felt awful. After a sudden brake, her slender body jolted in the seat.
She always thought she could handle Magnus giving up on her, but she was dead wrong.
She gripped the steering wheel, leaning back in the seat, taking deep breaths. Yet, the intense pain in her heart left her limbs numb and her hands and feet cold.
When you were super sad, your whole body just shook uncontrollably.
Juniper hugged herself, trying to pull it together for what felt like the hundredth time. She was used to swallowing down the bad, pushing it back down time after time.
When she was young, watching soap operas, she didn't get why the leads always argued without talking it out.
But later, when she was deep in love, she realized that some things were pointless to explain, even if you said them out loud.
All she could do was stay quiet.
Didn't Magnus get what she was trying to say?
He did.
He knew that even meeting once would be pointless, only causing more pain for both of them.
Juniper had no right to ask him to give her more time, nor to ask him to wait for her.
What stood between them was deep-seated hatred, not some small misunderstanding that could be cleared up.
Her phone rang.
She froze for a long time before answering, "Hello?"
It was Ophelia. "You've been back in Southern City for over two weeks. Are you really not coming back to Imperial Capital? I just heard from Robert that Magnus went to Southern City for a concert. Did you two meet?"
"No, he's already gone."
Ophelia was super puzzled. "So, he went to Southern City just for a concert?"
"I don't know." Juniper's voice was hoarse, with a hint of barely detectable choking.
Ophelia, who had known her for years, sensed something was off. "Juniper, have you been crying?"
When sadness welled up, a single word from someone could cause the tears to flow freely.
Juniper fought back her tears. "Ophelia, can pain really kill a person?"
"Don't scare me. What happened between you and Magnus? Did he hurt you?" Ophelia was worried.
"No," she paused and said, "He didn't hurt me. He just clearly gave up on me. It was me who forced him to give up on me. Ophelia, why am I the one feeling sad now?"
Ophelia sighed, "When he was ready to commit, you pulled away. And when you finally wanted him, he was already gone. Men are more decisive and ruthless."
In a relationship, if a woman turned a man down, but he remained persistent, they could still stay together.
However, once the man hardened his heart, the relationship would be over for good.
If a woman wanted to break up but the man did not, there would be minor conflicts. However, if the woman's resolve wasn't too strong, they would eventually reconcile.
But if a man wanted to let go, there was no chance.
Despite her best efforts to hold back, Juniper sobbed. "Ophelia, I want him to give me more time, but what right do I have to ask him to wait for me?"
She felt as though she were adrift in an endless sea, unable to reach the shore. She wasn't drowning, but merely surviving, clinging desperately to the last thread of hope, rendered painfully mute.
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