"And about the prosthetic leg, Miss Maria was afraid that if Miss Olivia could stand up, she wouldn't be able to attend banquets and parties. She secretly cried and when Mr. Walter found out, he immediately canceled the prosthetic leg arrangements for Miss Olivia, telling her that the prosthetic leg was uncomfortable and that she should stay home to avoid any accidents. Actually, the best time has already passed."
So when he said "I'll be your legs for life," he meant I'd never be able to stand up again.
"If I knew this family despised me, I'd find an excuse to ask for some money and run far away."
My heart felt like it was being slowly sliced apart; the pain was unbearable. Tears fell silently.
"Olivia? What's wrong?" Among my sobs, John had knelt down in front of me without me noticing.
He looked at me with guilt. “I acted impulsively when I hit you, but you know I've been with Maria for seven years; it's impossible for me to have no feelings for her. I can't just watch her die. Her depression has relapsed. My parents want us to postpone the wedding.”
I never intended to marry him anyway. I nodded numbly. After a long silence, he didn't see any reluctance in my eyes.
So he tentatively spoke, “Could you go apologize to her? She feels you're angry with her and hold a grudge. She won't eat or drink. She won't be able to take it anymore.”
I wanted to refuse. But after hearing even harsher things, what did an apology matter?
“Sure.”
“That's great, Olivia. I knew you were the most understanding.”
He excitedly tried to hug me. It was just like the excitement I felt when I accepted his confession. I suppressed the bitterness in my heart and raised my hand to interrupt.
I said, “Five million in damages, isn’t that enough to win her favor? Consider it compensation for the emotional, physical and reputational damage over the years.”
John frowned, looking at me with unfamiliar eyes, “You…you weren’t like this before.”
I sniffed, chuckling softly, “Really? You weren’t like this to me before either. You never made me apologize to those who did wrong, never made me feel wronged, never gave my things to others and never hit me.”
His eyes reddened, his lowered brows filled with complex emotions. “I’m sorry, I…”
“No need to apologize, everything is fine once the money is there.”
He gave me a check, cooked dinner for Maria and then took me to the hospital.