Chapter 393 Lily, Come with Me
Thomas saw her clenched fingers trembling slightly.
He wanted to reach out and hold her like he used to, pull her into his arms and comfort her.
The funny thing was, he no longer had the status or position to do so.
He took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left without saying goodbye, and I shouldn't have broken up with you so suddenly."
Ophelia tilted her head slightly and chuckled, "Saying this now is meaningless. But you're right, our relationship ended so ambiguously, it needs a period, so it doesn't feel like some ceremony was left unfinished. Be honest, what happened back then? Or did you meet someone you liked more?"
Thomas sneered, "I didn't meet anyone I liked more. Whether it was five years ago or five years later, the only person I've ever liked is someone named Ophelia."
"I also wish I had met someone I liked more. That way, I wouldn't have come back to find you, and I wouldn't have learned that you had already married someone else."
"I was so self-righteous to think that you would stay in the past five years, just like me."
Each word he spoke was like a bell hammer striking her heart, causing a dull pain.
Ophelia's fingertips dug into her palm, the pain making her a bit more clear-headed.
She smiled expressionlessly, "What makes you think I would wait for you forever? What if you disappeared for ten, twenty, thirty years..."
He interrupted her, his eyes showing a hint of suppressed pain. "I wouldn't let you wait that long, I couldn't bear to let you wait that long!"
Ophelia was stunned for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind.
She slowly looked up at him, "What do you mean?"
Thomas looked at her too, his eyes faintly red, "Back then, your dad said that if I could come up with a hundred million dollars in cash, he would agree to us being together. At that time, I couldn't come up with it. But I thought, give me a few more years, give me some time, and once I succeeded in my business, maybe your dad wouldn't stop us."
Ophelia was stunned. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, "Was it my dad who forced you to leave?"
Thomas shook his head.
He lowered his face, his emotions unclear, "My mom had a tumor in her brain, I remember telling you about it. Later, the tumor suddenly ruptured, and the doctor said she needed brain surgery. At that time, I had no money, so I borrowed a lot of online loans, probably tens of thousands of dollars in total, some from unregulated platforms with quickly accumulating interest. Those creditors found me and forced me to repay the debt."
Ophelia could hardly believe it.
Thomas had never confided these things to her.
She didn't even know his mother needed brain surgery at that time.
For a moment, various emotions overwhelmed her, too complex to digest.
She only heard Thomas continue, "Your dad found me again and forced me to break up with you, just as those creditors showed up. He threw a fifty-thousand-dollar check at me and told me to get lost."
Ophelia opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a long time.
When she finally spoke, tears silently fell, landing on the back of her hand. "Did you take that check?"
Thomas's lips twitched, his tone light, "No. Those creditors quickly found the hospital. My mom had just woken up from surgery, her condition still unstable. Those people stayed there, forcing me to repay the debt. My mom soon found out about it. One night, I was too tired and dozed off by her bedside."
"In just that moment... just that moment, she jumped out of the window."
Ophelia's heart jolted, the color draining from her face.
She stared at him, stunned.
Thomas lowered his face, hidden in the half-light, but his Adam's apple bobbed violently.
He said hoarsely, "My mentor valued me a lot, you know that. He helped me apply for a full scholarship to study abroad and gave me some money to leave Imperial Capital. He knew that if I stayed, my life would be ruined."
"Too many things happened at that time. After my mom passed away, your dad came tome again. He said many humiliating things. Lily... I'm sorry, I was too upset, and I hit him."
"I didn't know how to face you. At that time, I was completely broken. Those creditors almost came to the school. I couldn't face myself, let alone you."
"My mentor found someone to help suppress these things and urged me to leave. I got an expedited visa, and once it was approved, I left immediately. Before I left, I didn't dare to see you. I was afraid you would find out about these things, and I was afraid that seeing you would shake my resolve to leave."
"So I chose the most cowardly way, leaving without saying goodbye."
He tried his best to suppress the emotion in his voice, but the slight tremor still betrayed his surging feelings.
When he looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot, as if about to bleed.
Ophelia's face was already wet with tears.
They sat across from each other, in the dim light, quietly looking at each other.
She had so many questions, but now she couldn't ask a single one.
She tried hard to control her emotions, but her heart felt like it had stopped beating.
Tears numbly slid from her eyes.
She heard Thomas speak hoarsely, word by word, "Lily, I'm sorry."
This apology was five years late.
The overwhelming information hit Ophelia.
She felt as if she were tightly wrapped in an airtight cocoon, almost suffocating.
Her clenched fists showed the blue and white of her knuckles.
She slowly hugged her arms, her back bending inch by inch, curling up there.
She looked down at her shoes, tears falling in large drops.
She cried and laughed, "But it's too late, really too late, Thomas. Why didn't you come back to find me sooner? There's no way back now."
Thomas, usually restrained, crossed the line this time.
He reached out and wrapped her trembling fist, his voice hoarse beyond recognition, "Is Robert good to you? If you want a divorce, I can help you. Lily, I came back this time to take you away. Didn't you always want to settle in Tranquil Lakeside Town? I bought a villa there. Come with me, I'll take care of everything here."
Ophelia slowly looked up at him, both of their faces wet with tears, almost blurring their view of each other.
Five years, everything had changed.
She was no longer his Lily.
She looked down at his hand holding hers, crying and laughing, "Thomas, do you know what it means for you to hold me like this now?"
"I don't care."
Ophelia pried his fingers off one by one, "But I do. I'm not as brave as you. I'm scared, Thomas."
Thomas's eyes were bloodshot, "Have you fallen in love with him?"
The phone rang, its ringtone unusually jarring in the quiet car.
It rang for a long, long time.
Ophelia finally took it out of her bag.
Through her blurred vision, she saw the caller ID: Robert.
She held the phone, her whole body trembling, sobbing uncontrollably.
She was in no condition to answer the call.
Her hands shook as she put the phone on silent, the screen staying lit for a long time.
Ophelia covered her face with both hands, almost breaking down, "Thomas, why did you tell me all this! Why did you disappear and then reappear! I can't go to Tranquil Lakeside Town anymore, I can't go, never again."
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