Chapter 5
“Were there no passing witnesses that day?” I clung to the officer’s uniform as if it were a lifeline, my voice desperate.
“I’m very sorry, but no.”
“Wait, Jack was in the passenger seat. He’s a witness!” I pointed at Jack, my eyes filled with pleading.
“Lily, you really did fall down the stairs on your own. I know you can’t accept it…”
A buzzing sound filled my ears. How could I ever believe Jack would testify for me?
Haha.
A wave of helplessness surged in my chest, and I could feel the sting in my nose as tears began to fall.
“I apologize again, Officer,” Jack said as he escorted the police out.
He entered the room again, sitting down by my bed.
“Do you feel any better now?”
“Jack, it’s only now that I see you clearly. If I die, you’re an accomplice.”
Jack seemed startled by the hatred in my eyes, as if he couldn’t bear to face it.
“Lily, please don’t look at me like that. I’ll be hurt too.”
“Don’t try to deceive me. Once I’m out of here, we’ll get married. Do you want a Western–style wedding or a Chinese
one?”
Hate? I’d rather kill Jack myself.
The police hadn’t gathered a single piece of evidence. I wasn’t going to accept that!
“Jack, just seeing you makes me sick.” I lowered my gaze, hiding the coldness in my eyes. Once “m out of here, I’ll make sure you and your slut pay the price!
Jack sighed. “Lily, no matter what happens, I still love you. Please, don’t think too much about it, okay?”
“Don’t insult the word ‘love.‘ You ‘t deserve it!”
I had always been indifferent by nature. My life had revolved around dance, and I had no friends.
I couldn’t even ask a friend for help.
14.06
Screw You, Ex! My New Life’s Holter Than Your Money!
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Chapter 5
Since I couldn’t leave the hospital, I was left wasting away in this hollow waiting.
Lately, Jack seemed to be busy. Every day, he’d talk to himself in front of me, saying he was going to look at wedding dresses today, or booking venues tomorrow, asking for my opinion.
I’d cover my head with the blanket whenever he came in.
He thought that marrying me would erase the pain of losing my legs?
Marrying him would only make me die faster.
With nothing else to do, I had the nurse buy me some paint and paper. I would doodle on it, recording the feelings of these days–the pain I would never forget.
“Oh! My God! What am I looking at?!”
One day, while I was painting in the garden downstairs, a voice in heavily accented Chinese suddenly came from behind me.
I turned around and saw a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes.
His tone was so surprised that I felt embarrassed and instinctively tried to cover my drawing.
“No, no, no, why are you covering such a beautiful painting? Beauty deserves to be seen,” he exclaimed.
“Thank you, but it’s just something I painted to kill time. It’s not as amazing as you say,” I replied. Compliments from strangers were probably just out of politeness, and I didn’t want to be so shameless.
“No, I mean it. Do you have any more paintings like this?”
“It’s not that the technique is outstanding, but it’s rare to see one so full of soul!” The foreigner’s gaze shifted to my amputated leg. “I’m so sorry.”
In the painting, a legless dancer lay on an empty stage, with only a single beam of light shining down on her. She wore a large set of wings on her back, and the audience seats were full.
“My name’s George. Can I see more of your paintings?”
I handed George my sketchbook, and with each of his gasps of admiration, my face grew a little warmer.
“Did you give them names?”
“In the face of adversity, blooming flowers. I call them ‘Flowers Blooming in Adversity.“”
George gave me a thumbs–up, and we continued chatting, enjoying the conversation.
Screw You, Ex! My New Life’s Hotter Than Your Mo
