- 6.
I wanted to leave, to leave Johnny.
But an invisible barrier seemed to hold me
captive.
No matter how hard I tried, it was useless.
Suddenly, Johnny looked up in my direction.
My heart tightened, and I dared not struggle.
After a long moment, he frowned, turning
away. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Johnny irritably lit another cigarette.
Something was wrong today; his heart kept
bothering him, and he felt like someone was
following him.
Seeing his pale face and sweat on his
forehead, Ethan grew anxious.
“Johnny, don’t scare me. You didn’t party too
hard, did you? Let’s go, let’s go to the
hospital! If your old man finds out you got
sick from partying with me, will I even
survive?”
The words of refusal were on his lips, but
remembering Neena’s words about her
sister’s surgery, he thought maybe he could
run into them at the hospital, so he obediently
followed Ethan out.
He wanted to see just how sick Lily was.
If he found out Neena was still lying, he
wouldn’t be merciful!
Ethan quietly observed him, guessing his
After taking Johnny to the emergency room,
he went to the nurses‘ station.
“Excuse me, has a girl named Lily Grey been
here?”
The nurse looked up at Ethan, striking a pose,
then giggled and helped him search.
“No.”
Lily was in the inpatient ward; it was normal
not to find her information in the emergency
room.
But Johnny heard their conversation, and his
resentment toward Neena increased
threefold.
This liar was deceiving him again!
He stormed out; Ethan followed closely.
“Johnny, did you hear what the doctor said?”
Johnny scowled, gritting his teeth. “Find
Neena and bring her to me. A big liar! I’ll deal
with her today!”
Ethan was about to agree when he spotted
Wanda in black.
“Manager Wang, what are you doing here?
Dressed like that?”
Wanda glanced at them and quickly lowered
her head.
After discovering Wanda’s close relationship
with Neena, Johnny had investigated her.
He learned that Neena wasn’t just hired by
her; they were friends.
Seeing her in this attire at the hospital,
Johnny felt even worse. Impatiently, he asked,
“What’s going on? Tell me!”
“The doctor called. He can’t reach Neena and
asked me to collect Lily’s belongings.”
Johnny’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Lily’s belongings? Was she really sick?”
Wanda looked at him, deep sadness in her
eyes.
“Lily inherited her parents‘ kidney disease,
and it’s reached the point where a transplant
is necessary. Neena worked so hard to earn
money for the surgery.”
く
Wanda paused, then continued:
“Mr. Sullivan, Neena didn’t let me tell you
some things, but I still want to. To save Lily,
she donated a kidney. Then, because she was
so desperate for money, she got late–stage
stomach cancer. Her body couldn’t handle the
alcohol; she really wasn’t lying to you. She’s
been abusing herself because she knows she
doesn’t have long to live.’
Wanda continued talking.
But Johnny couldn’t hear anymore.
His ears rang, and his vision blurred.
Only the words “Neena has late–stage
stomach cancer, she doesn’t have long to
live” echoed in his mind.
<
Remembering Neena’s resolute expression at
the Jingting Manor earlier, Johnny’s heart
began to race.
He picked up his phone, dialing as he ran out.
Ethan cursed under his breath and followed
him. “Johnny, where are you going?”
Johnny, red–eyed, got in the car and sped
towards the East City slums.
His heart pounded in his chest; several times
he veered off the road, nearly colliding with
oncoming cars.
Finally, after running several red lights, he
arrived at the scene of the explosion.
It was Neena’s house!
Police had cordoned off the area, and
firefighters were clearing the scene.
Johnny rushed in, breathless, but was
stopped by a police officer. “Sir, please step
back!”
He saw firefighters carrying a stretcher out of
the damaged house and finally lost control.
“Is the stretcher empty? I’m asking if it’s
empty!”
The police officer looked at him seriously.
Sensing he knew the family, he explained,
“No, the homeowner committed suicide. Do
you know her?”
Upon receiving confirmation, Johnny fainted.
ᄀ
He stared at the body being loaded onto the
hearse, trembling.
Neena had killed herself.
She really was dead.
She hadn’t lied; Lily was really sick.
And he could have saved them both but
watched as they walked to their deaths.
Overwhelming regret consumed him.
Johnny passed out.
