Chapter 228 The Price of Loyalty
Chapter 228 The Price of Loyalty
“We’ve <b>known </b>each other for so many years, John. In your heart, do you really see me as some selfish, vicious snake who lives to ruin others?”
Elsa’s voice trembled, and then steadied with practiced poise.
“I admit it. I threw myself down the stairs tonight to frame Lily. But in doing that, I only hurt myself—1 didn’ty a single finger on her. I did it because I was desperate to save my mother, to spare her from prison. I have my pride. I have my principles. I know how important a woman’s dignity is You think I’d stoop so low as to strip Lily and take those kinds of photos of her? John, you shouldn’t be doubting me like this.”
In truth, Elsa felt nothing but relief.
When she’d thrown herself down the stairs and slipped that blood capsule into her mouth, her back had been to Lily. The camera hadn’t caught a thing. <b>And </b>just now, she’d discreetly slipped another capsule between her teeth.
As her final words left her lips, she bit down. The thick, crimson fluid spilled from the corners of her mouth and dripped onto the floor, one heavy drop after another. It made her look stunning and fragile. like a shattered porcin doll.
With an air of stoic pride <b>and </b>quiet pain, she closed her eyes.
“I didn’t do those things. I have a clear conscience. But if you insist on seeing me as a heartless, scheming woman, then I guess I’ll just have to ept it.”
Then came the coughing–deep, gut–wrenching spasms <b>that </b>made it seem like she might cough up her
very organs.
“Elsa…”
John had only suspected her involvement in those two earlier incidents. Seeing her in such pain now made him regret his own doubts.
His tone softened. “I shouldn’t have questioned you. But you shouldn’t have framed Lily either. Iid <b>hands </b>on her just now. I’m sure she’s hurting. I’m sure she’s disappointed in me.”
“I’m sorry…
Elsa lifted her chin. Her pale face looked even more stubborn, even more pitiful.
Her voice <b>rang </b>out–clear, cold, and full of helpless defiance. “I’ve never stooped to underhanded tactics. I despise that sort of thing. But I just.. I couldn’t stand to see my mother suffer. Four years ago, after your car ident, the Quinn family forcibly sent me overseas. I was alone. I didn’t know anyone. I suffered so much. My mother missed me, worried for me, so she came to be with me. We leaned on each other, struggling to <b>survive </b>in a foreign country.”
“One time, a scumbag tried to take advantage of me. My mother fought to protect me. She ended up with three broken ribs. John, my mother’s given me so much. She’s getting older. Her health is fragile. I <b>just </b>couldn’t bear to see her rot away in prison. That’s why I made a foolish decision. That’s why I framed Lily……
Chapter 228 The Price of Loyalty
Three broken ribs…
The phrase pulled Joluy’s thoughts away, yanking him back into memories long buried.
+20 The Com
Four years ago, when the doctors told him he’d never walk again, the Jones family had abandoned him like trash. Elsa, too, had broken things off without hesitation.
He’d been hollowed out. Broken. He didn’t want to drag his ruined body through a life full of ridicule and cold stares. He’d wheeled himself to the riverbank, ready to throw himself in.
And Lily… Lily had stopped him.
She <b>had </b>dragged him back to her tiny basement rental. That winter had been brutally cold. They’d hudilled together for warmth in the darkness.
She told him jokes. She shared her dreams. She made ns for their future. <b>She </bforted him, encouraged him, and slowly, step by step, pulled him back into the light..
She was the only one who ever said–again and again, with unwavering certainty–that he would walk
<b>again</b>.
She’d heard about a hospital overseas that might be able to treat his condition. To raise the money, she sold her own blood. She worked as a human punching bag for the rich.
She’d often return corered in bruises, her <b>face </b>swollen, ck and blue..
But every time she walked through that basement door, she’d still beam at him.
“John. I’m amazing, she’d say. “I made a hundred thousand today.”
“John, can <b>you </b>believe <b>how </b>incredible I am?”
The most she ever made in a single day was 230,000 yuan.
That day, she’d had three ribs broken–just like Wendy.
After bing a cripple and being cast out by his family and Elsa, John had felt like he’d died inside.
He thought he had no more capacity for love, no more strength for rage or joy or grief.
But that night, seeing her smile through the pain, something inside him cracked open. He felt something.
He felt pain. Bone–deep, soul–wrenching pain.
And in <b>that </b>pain, love bloomed quietly, deeply, until it consumed him.
Thinking about that frail girl enduring so much for his sake… It left him <b>aching</b>. And in that ache, he found himself unable to feel sympathy for Elsa.
His voice turned hoarse. “Elsa, Wendy may have broken <b>three </b>ribs for you… But Lily broke three ribs for me too. You said being sent abroad, suffering for four years, was all because of me. Out of duty. I’m willing to take care of you. I’m willing to stay with you to the end.”
“But Lily is my girlfriend. The woman I want to spend my life with. We are one. I take care of you, and you
Chapter 228 The Price of Loyalty
turn around and hurt her? What the hell is that?”