Chapter 30 Not the One He Chose
“I didn’t fall out of love.”
Hearing her say that, a strange unease crept into John’s heart.
It felt like she might really leave him.
But then he remembered how she’d done grueling work just to pay for his leg treatment, how she’d even taken two stab wounds for him–loved him more than her own life. That restless panic slowly faded.
She risked her life to save me. How could she possibly stop loving me?
“Just lie down and rest. I’ll go get some fever medicine.”
He noticed a delivery bag on the floor nearby. Guessing what might be inside, he quickly picked it up and checked–sure enough, there were several boxes of medicine.
He took out two fever pills and poured some water. Carefully, he helped her sit up from the bed. “Lily, take these.”
Lily didn’t want him to feed her. She tried to take the pills herself.
But the fever made her vision blur and spin. Her hands were clumsy and uncoordinated–she couldn’t manage to take them from him. So she let him place the pills into her mouth himself.
“Lily, how do you feel now? If it’s still bad, we can go to the hospital.”
Of course the fever meds wouldn’t work instantly. She wasn’t suddenly back to her old, lively self.
She still felt terrible.
But the Lily who used to run to him over every minor discomfort, hoping for some comfort, was long gone. She’d grown used to him favoring Elsa, used to the coldness in his eyes.
They were broken up now. She wouldn’t act clingy anymore.
She simply closed her eyes in exhaustion, quietly thinking of how to make him leave.
Then he got a call from Wendy.
Before she could say anything, he told her, “Lily, Elsa’s not doing well. She’s trying to hurt herself again… I need to go to the hospital.”
He filled her glass to the brim. “Drink more water. If you still feel bad, call me, I’ll have Wayne take you to the hospital.”
He was clearly anxious that something might happen to Elsa. Grabbing the phone from the nightstand, he turned and headed toward the door.
When he reached the guestroom threshold, his steps faltered briefly. He didn’t feel quite right about leaving Lily like this.
But she had always been strong. A fever wouldn’t kill her.
Elsa, on the other hand, was proud but fragile–always on the edge.
So he left.
The door shut with a loud, final thud. Lily slowly opened her eyes.
He did care about her.
But not much.
Even when she was burning up with fever, all it took was a few tears from Elsa and he ran to be her knight.
4.05 PM
Chapter 30 Not the One He Chose
Back then, when he left her again and again to accompany Elsa, her heart had felt like it was being cut to pieces.
Especially that day at the registry office, when he stood her up. That had felt like dying.
Thankfully, now when he left her again, she didn’t feel pain or bitterness–just relief.
Turns out, as long as I don’t look back, every step forward leads to a better life.
After taking the medicine, Lily fell back asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already evening.
She was still weak, but no longer freezing.
She took her temperature. The fever had broken.
Tomorrow would be better.
She’d been so out of it all day, she hadn’t even checked the news after fighting back earlier.
Rolling over, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and started scrolling through updates.
Jones Corp’s official Weibo statement had made the trending list.
It was short.
But when Lily saw the words, it felt like her heart was frozen at the bottom of an ice pit.
“Elsa is not a mistress.”
Not a mistress?
Then in this three–person mess, who was the mistress?
Jones Corp posting something like this clearly meant John had authorized it.
He was always the type to separate business and personal matters. But for Elsa, he made an exception. He used the company’s official platform to protect her.
+8 Pearls
Just as Lily expected, after the post went live, the voices online accusing Elsa of being a mistress had almost disappeared.
There were still a few people expressing sympathy for Lily.
But even more were now supporting John and Elsa as a destined pair.
Someone dug up that John and Elsa had been together since college.
Now everyone was saying that while Lily wasn’t a homewrecker, she also wasn’t Mr. John’s true love.
During the years Elsa was abroad, Lily’s companionship may have warmed John a little. But his heart had always belonged to his unforgettable first love.
Seeing his true feelings clearly and reconciling with Elsa was the perfect ending.
People were obsessed with their undying love, their reunion after years apart. As if they’d forgotten that during that “reunion,” John and Lily hadn’t even broken up yet.
Plenty of people advised Lily to let go. That forcing a relationship never ended well. That she should stop pining after Mr. John.
Avery small number pointed out that even if Elsa had been his first love, Lily had been with him for years during her absence. She shouldn’t have been forced out like this.
4:06 PM
