hapter 197
Although my parents had always thought highly of Russel and hoped for us to hit it off one day, their expressions were anything but happy due to the
situation.
My mom suggested that I head to the hospital first.
“Alright.” I said to Russel, I reckon you should come with me to the hospital.”
We had just been spooked by a sudden crowd and were slowly regaining our senses,
Russel nodded, “Yeah, alright”
As I was passing by Neil, he called out to me, “Irene, I wish you two happiness.*
This was the first time I had heard such kind words from him. Did it mean he was finally willing to let go? That would be a good thing for me. But while looking into his cold eyes, I felt a twinge of sadness and regret.
Maybe he was finally getting a taste of the pain I had been through, and we could call it even
My parents glanced at Neil, then led me away. Soon after, we heard sirens. The cops must be on their way.
At the hospital, Russel and I received treatment. Even after the drugs wore off, they still did damage to the body, so we needed to handle this carefully.
That Bonnie really grinds my gears” Stella complained loudly by my side, ‘She clearly has a heart condition, why hasn’t Lucifer come to drag her soul to hell yet?”
Right now, all I cared about was whether the police could arrest Finn and Bonnie. As a victim, I could press charges myself. I was just worried that Bonnie might weasel her way out of it.
*Stella, you should head home; it’s getting late. I told Stella.
She had two kids at home and hadn’t been home all night. It wouldn’t be good if she didn’t go back soon.
Barbara and Alicia also urged her to go home, saying they’d stay with me.
Giving in, Stella said, “Alright then, I’ll go find Mitch and head home to the kids. Call me if anything comes up!”
“Sure thing, head on home.” I nodded.
Once Stella left, Alicia sat down by my bed and asked with a serious face, ‘Rena, are you really planning on dating Russel?”
I didn’t respond.
Barbara then asked, “You’re not being forced into accepting him because of the situation, are you? Or are you trying to piss off Neil?”
I shook my head and sighed, “No, I really want to give it a shot with Russel. But part of it is that I want Neil to give up.”
Barbara and Alicia exchanged a glance, both looking quite puzzled.
If I told them that the Dawson family didn’t approve of me and Russel, they’d be even more confused. But I had no intention of bringing it up. It was pointless; they’d find out sooner or later.
“I think Neil’s about to blow a gasket.” Alicia shrugged, “But he had it coming. Especially with the way he treated you before.”
“Exactly, and with Bonnie constantly hounding him and now taking revenge on you because of Neil, who knows what kind of trouble she’ll bring in the future? It’s better if you cut ties with Neil completely” Barbara chimed in.
I felt the same way I thought that if I started dating Russel, Bonnie would stop bothering me like a mad woman.
The three of us chatted for a long time until my mom arrived.
I told Barbara and Alicia to go home, and they did. My mom told me, “Your dad is still at the police station, he’s furious.”
“Isn’t my testimony enough to deal with Bonnie and Finn’s mess?” I asked.
Finn will likely be caught, but Bonnie… she’s really thorough. It’s hard to say.” My mom took my hand, “You’ve faced so many difficulties since you came back; what are you going to do?”
All my troubles were orchestrated by Bonnie. Every time I thought of her, I’d get pissed. I didn’t want to waste time on her, yet she kept targeting me
Then, my mom asked me with a stern face, “Rena, are you sure about being with Dr. Russel? This isn’t child’s play
“Yes, I’ve decided” I answered without hesitation, “Don’t you and Dad want me to try dating him too? Why do you look unhappy?”
My mom was silent for a while before saying, “When I took you to the tarot reading, I got a reading for you and Neil, and one for you and Dr. Russel Both weren’t good, and I’m worried you’re not taking this seriously”
Was that why my mom was upset the other day? Because of the bad tarot reading?
There was no need to guess. The tarot reading must have predicted that Nell and I would end up together, and Russel and I were not meant to be. Otherwise, my mom wouldn’t be upset
“Mom, that’s superstition. Can I ask you a more realistic question?” I tried asking.
“Go ahead.” My mom nodded.
“What if Russels parents don’t approve of us because I’m divorced and Neil’s ex-wife?” I asked seriously.
My mom was taken aback, apparently not having considered this. As parents, they always thought their child was the best and wouldn’t even have imagined that they’d be looked down upon.
After reminding her, my mom fell into a long silence before finally saying, “Rena, if his family really looks down on you, let Russel handle it. If he can’t, then you shouldn’t be with him.”
In my mom’s heart, her daughter’s dignity was more important
I sighed in relief and said with a smile, ‘Okay, got it. Mom, you should go home and rest too. I’ll be home in a couple of days; it’s not that serious.
“I want to stay with you.” My mom disagreed.
In the end, I convinced her to go home and wait for my dad, and she reluctantly left.
I was alone in the ward and struggling to fall asleep. Every time I thought of the almost intimate moment with Russel, I felt awkward and depressed.
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I saw a figure at the door
Limmediately opened my eyes wide. It was Neil standing at the door.
We looked at each other from a distance of two to three meters.
“Why are you here?” I asked first.
“Do you like him? Neil asked, his voice unusually hoarse.
I chuckled, ‘Neil, were thirty years old, why are we still talking about this childish stuff?”
Did it really matter whether I liked him or not?
When you reached a certain age, you realized that love wasn’t all that important. Finding the right person was what mattered.
Neil strolled in, reeking of smoke and looking like he’d been puffing away like a chimney.
“Irene, do you really have zero feelings for me now?” He stood by my bed, looking down at me. His features were still as sharp as ever, but now they were tinged with a sense of loss and grievance.
He reminded me of a kid who had just been abandoned by his parents, looking all pathetic and sad.
Neil had always been a cocky guy; he was never one to pull a sad puppy face. This was the first time he’d ever shown such a pitiful look in front of me.
I answered him, cool as a cucumber, “Yeah, we should let bygones be bygones, Neil.
After twelve years of emotional entanglements, it was about time we called it quits.
