Chapter 34
Holding the red wine glass up in the air, Yolanda was struck by Aaron's words.
She lost the ability to manage her expression and there was just a frozen smile on her face. It was a few excruciating seconds later that Yolanda recovered from astonishment. She pursed her lips and tried her best to put on a smile, "Brother, I"
"The show is over."
"..."
Yolanda's performance was cut.
She had prepared the tricks for him as she had done during emergencies in the past.
But she never thought that when facing the cold eyes and words of Aaron, all her presumptions and gimmicks would just shatter in an instant.
When she sent the wrong message, Yolanda knew that once Aaron saw it, with his extraordinary sensitivity, he wouldn't take it as merely an accident.
It was just that Yolanda was saturated in all the positive assumptions back then. It led her to think that she could be lucky again this time since she had gotten away with many things before.
However, no one could live on the edge safely forever. The mistake had been made. Maybe God let her win for the last ninety-nine times and denied her the opportunity to confess for the last time.
Suffering from the emotional shocks one by one, Yolanda finally lowered her head sorrowfully.
"So, you saw that, right?"
Aaron did not answer her question.
In the study, when he saw the selfie of Yolanda and James leaning against each other, no one could understand how he collapsed in despair at that moment.
He didn't want to come to the restaurant at first, but he did anyway in the end.
He still hoped that maybe that was not the whole story.
"So have you ever lost your memory, even for one day?"
Yolanda shut her eyes, feeling that the world was spinning. Everything that happened in the past few months kept flashing like a movie. And, finally, she saw the night when she lost everything three months ago.
The night when she met Aaron.
The night when she started the game.
"No." Yolanda confessed calmly, "I didn't lose my memory when I woke up from the car accident. That was my intention. I did it on purpose to hook up with you to get revenge on him."
The beautiful sound of piano flowing in the restaurant stopped without any reason at this moment. Somehow all the freezing wind outside seemed to come pouring into this heated restaurant.
Piercing cold.
After a long period of silence, Aaron seemed to smile.
That was a smile full of mockery. He asked, "Is your name Yolanda Shaw?"
Like being dragged into a swamp by countless hands, Yolanda desperately tried to crawl out a little but found no exit at all.
Every exit was blocked by the lies she told.
Yolanda didn't answer immediately, Aaron understood what she meant.
Sometimes things were just too embarrassing to tell. You should know when to stop.
He didn't want to know about the rest of the story.
Aaron stood up abruptly, causing a harsh sound between the seat and the ground.
Yolanda raised her head subconsciously only to see the strangeness and indifference in the man's eyes that she had never seen before. "Brother" was already at the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't get it out anyway.
"You have three hours to leave."
Saying that, Aaron turned around and walked away. A few steps later, he stopped as if he was reminded of something. After a long time, he looked back at Yolanda.
"Is anything true about you?"
The three months of their getting together were nothing but her plan. And then he was told that even her name was faked.
Aaron didn't know what he was doing to have put his heart out there was a ridiculous game she set for such a long time.
He thought he was a hunter. But in fact, he had always been the prey on her plate all along.
Yolanda sat in her seat vacantly while watching Aaron slowly disappear in the restaurant.
So decisive, cold. So Aaron.
She should've known better.
Even though she was still wrapped in a thick coat, Yolanda was overwhelmed by the piercing coldness. The cold air spread from her chest to her fingertips, and her whole body went numb.
In such a romantic restaurant, other people's Valentine's Day continues, while Yolanda's was messed up by the revelation of truth. And the only thing left was frustration.
The wine was left untouched, and the gift was still with her. How ridiculous she looked in her splendid attire.
- Is anything true about you?
Thinking of the last question of Aaron, Yolanda's throat felt awfully sore, as if being run over repeatedly. So painful that she was bereft of any words.
On the way back to The Jensen in the taxi, the rain was getting heavier forcing people to hurry with hands covering their heads to avoid the rain. Among them, love birds were seen running in the rain under the same coat, laughing on the way.
Yolanda's attention was caught by the scene. She seemed to feel envious of the running couple.
She thought to herself that maybe God wasn't optimistic about the confession she prepared tonight, which was why it was raining heavily.
The rain came so fast and violent that even the weather station issued warnings and advisories.
On the radio, the host introduced how heavy the rain would be tonight and reminded people to bring rain gear.
Yolanda remembered when Aaron took her for hypnosis, she said to him in the car hypocritically, "Brother, if you are well, it will be sunny."
Unexpectedly, just as she finished that sentence, the radio station cut in with a forecast of the horrible weather the next day.
Yolanda still remembered the expression on Aaron's face at that time.
She also remembered the way she was back then. Everywhere he went, she would be following behind.
The lie she told at the very beginning destroyed her in the game she designed, step by step without her noticing.
To this day, there were no winners in this game.
The car pulled in at the door of the villa. Yolanda got out of the car and ran home while avoiding the rain with her hands covering her head. Ms. Twelve was surprised to see her in the living room, "Aren't you supposed to be having dinner with Mr. Jensen?"
Yolanda opened her mouth and immediately understood that Aaron wasn't back yet.
That sounded about right. He told me to leave within three hours. Why could he come back?
He was showing her mercy for the last time, allowing her quiet leaving.
Yolanda didn't know how to answer Ms. Twelve. So, she lowered her head, said nothing, and went directly to her room on the second floor.
During the three months of living here, Yolanda tried to leave once when she was a third-class citizen at first. And then she was taken by her own brother once when she finally integrated into the family. Well, they say the third time is a charm. The day finally came when she got driven away by the owner.
It was for real this time.
Yolanda silently looked around at the room where she had stayed for three months, which seemed like a second home. At the same time, she felt grateful to Aaron for giving her some time to say goodbye.
There was nothing much to pack. Just like the previous departures, except for her own bag and several small items, everything in this house belonged to The Jensen. She would not take anything away.
WhatsApp suddenly sounded at this time, interrupting Yolanda's thoughts.
Fully aware that Aaron would never talk to her anymore, Yolanda wished for the tiny possibility that it might be his message. Then she opened the software.
But the moment she saw who was texting her, her heart sank.
It was not him. It was Phoebe.
[Baby, is everything going smooth about your confession? Let me guess, maybe it's time for you to go back to the bedroom, right?]
How ironic.
She did go back to the bedroom, but it wasn't his.
Yolanda really didn't know why she was so sure that Aaron's love for her could be stronger than the blow of the cruel truth.
She seemed to hear Marc Walter talking. After all, she was just being naÏve.
Yolanda: [I'm packing my things at The Jensen now. I don't know where to go tonight......]
Phoebe: [? ? ? ? ? ? What's wrong?]
Yolanda: [I'm sorry Pheeb. I want to be alone for a while. I'll talk to you later.]
After sending the message, Yolanda turned off her phone and put it in her bag.
She had the final glance at her bedroom and walked out. Originally she was about to go directly downstairs, but she remembered something halfway and turned back, stopping in front of Aaron's bedroom.
After hesitating for a long time, Yolanda gently opened the door after making sure Ms. Twelve wouldn't notice.
She didn't come to Aaron's bedroom a lot. In the past, it was because she was not allowed to approach. Later, she was only allowed to ask him to wake up or eat at the door.
The only time she got in was when he forced her to have her first kiss behind the door in a panic.
Yolanda closed the door and walked into the room.
Aaron's bedroom bore characteristics of himself, with a dark and gray tone and simple lines. But everything featured a strong sense of coldness.
Yolanda could vividly picture the way he would be living in this room as she stood in there as if the next second he might appear, frowning, and ask her as usual,
"What are you doing here in my room?"
But that would never happen in real life again.
Yolanda couldn't help but getting a bit misty in her eyes. She forced herself out of that imagination and went directly to the cloakroom on the side to push open his wardrobe.
There was a neat row of couture shirts.
Although every shirt seemed black at first glance, they belonged to different subcategories indeed. They were black, brown-black, jet-black, blue-black, gray-black...
Yolanda's hand gently stroked along the hanger, and finally stopped on a piece of pure black.
She didn't want to take anything she had used here.
But she wanted one of his away with her, selfish as it might sound.
When she went downstairs again, Ms. Twelve was sat alone at the dining table, eating. Seeing Yolanda coming down, she called her as usual.
"Have you eaten yet? You didn't say anything just now when I asked you. I don't mean to probe into your privacy, but did you have a fight with Mr. Jensen?"
Yolanda shook her head, "No."
She stepped forward and took out the bottle of perfume from her bag, " Ms. Twelve, this is for you."
Aunt Twelve was stunned and looked down at it, "For me?"
Yolanda had to leave on such short notice that she couldn't prepare anything better for her. This bottle of perfume she bought from France had always been her favorite. She even brought it back from Darlington to Capital as a collection even when she went bankrupt. It had been a very beloved item to her.
It was also the only thing that she owned and could make a decent gift.
"Thank you for taking care of me in the past three months," Yolanda said sincerely.
"..."
Ms. Twelve suddenly stood up, nonplussed. She rubbed her hand on the apron twice, and took the perfume, "Wait, what is this about? You two shouldn't scare me like this now and then. That's just overwhelming for me."
Yolanda smiled, stepped forward, and hugged Ms. Twelve gently: "Perfume smells really good. You are such a pretty lady. It can make you even more attractive."
Ms. Twelve, "..."
After saying this, Yolanda let go of Ms. Twelve. She looked at her watch and pretended to be casual, "It's getting late. I should leave."
Although Ms. Twelve was still at a loss and didn't know what was going on, she looked at the bad weather outside and immediately took out an umbrella from the cabinet.
It seemed that she also had a feeling that the departure this time was different from the past. After a long pause, she handed the umbrella to Yolanda: "Take care, kid."
Yolanda nodded, holding back the tears brimming in her eyes while walking towards the entrance. When she was about to reach the door, she was reminded of something. So, she turned and asked.
"Did the brother and sister of " Endless Affection " end up together?"
"Ah?" Ms. Twelve didn't see that coming. After a pause, she shook her head regretfully, "No."
Hearing this answer, Yolanda mumbled something and then put on a calm smile, "Thank you, and see you, Ms. Twelve."
See you.
No, maybe she could never see her again.
Stepping out of the gate of The Jensen, Yolanda looked back again. The lights in the villa that witnessed her countless joys and sorrows for three months had nothing to do with her from this moment on.
On the night that was drowned out by the sound of rain, Yolanda did not take a taxi immediately, but opened her umbrella and left there slowly step by step. When she reached a circular green fountain not far from the villa, she suddenly stopped.
In the past few hours, she said goodbye to her room, this house, and Ms. Twelve.
But she didn't even have time to say sorry to the man.
Was this how she wanted things to end between them?
Twelve in the morning.
A black car slowly drove into the villa area, and the headlights shot light into the hazy rain.
Yolanda, who was leaning against the streetlamp beside the fountain, stood up abruptly, took a few breaths of warm air into her palm, and then looked carefully.
This was the seventeenth car that had entered the community. She didn't know if it would be Aaron's.
It had been five hours since he left the restaurant.
Yolanda also waited there for more than two hours.
Yolanda didn't call him, afraid that he would refuse to answer, and even more afraid that he had already blocked her number.
That was not something she could bear. So, she waited for him to come back here, and wanted to say sorry to him in person.
It seemed that only by doing this would the guilt in her heart fade a bit
The car was getting closer in the heavy rain. Yolanda tried her best to check the license plate. When she saw it clearly, she subconsciously clasped the umbrella in her hand, and her heart suddenly started to pound quickly.
It was Aaron's car.
It was him in there.
And Happer in the car caught the skinny figure immediately.
He thought he was not seeing clearly at first. But after the wipers scraped off the rain at a faster speed, he stopped the car in surprise and turned back to inform Aaron, "Boss, it's, it's Yura!"
Under the dim light, Yolanda saw that Happer turned around and said something to Aaron. Then the man raised his head.
He saw her.
Through a layer of glass and the heavy rain.
But his eyes were so indifferent that it seemed that he never knew Yolanda.
Yolanda felt her heart aching. Upset as she was, she tried to make her feet move towards him so that she could have a proper goodbye.
But maybe the weather was against her tonight, a strong wind rushed towards her just after a few steps forward.
She ate nothing at dinner and stood in the wind and rain for too long. The wind made Yolanda almost lose her grip on the umbrella in her hand, which was pulled back in the opposite direction by the wind. She staggered and managed to avoid falling. But the umbrella was taken far away from her.
That scene was funny and embarrassing.
Yolanda soon got wet, and all her beautiful makeup was messed up.
She stood in the rain, shamefaced, and wanted to go back and pick up the umbrella right away. But just as she turned around, she was reminded of the couple she saw at night.
Out of nowhere, she changed her mind, choosing to stand that way.
Staring at Aaron in the car, she tried her best to find a reaction other than coldness in his eyes, such as sympathy.
In the past, he would have compromised seeing her red-rimmed eyes.
Yolanda just stood silently, while the car stopped less than twenty meters away from her.
One car and one person appeared in a confrontational situation in the rain.
The rain was pouring like crazy under which Yolanda became soaked wet soon. Happer started panicking.
"Boss, boss! It's raining too hard, please don't let her stand out there. I'm begging you. Let Yura get in the car first, please."
But Aaron finally indifferently stopped his gaze on that figure.
"Drive," he ordered.
There was no emotional fluctuation in his voice.
"Boss,"
"I said drive."
"..."
Yolanda had no idea what they were talking about in the car. She was just waiting stubbornly, or gambling, to be precise.
A gamble on his remaining love for her.
However, a minute later, the car that she had been in countless times drove ruthlessly past.
The moment it passed by Yolanda, she froze.
All the memories that he would always compromise if she started to play cute came rushing back to her, forming a strong contrast with everything tonight.
Yolanda thought she should be sad, but it turned out that when all hope collapsed and the cruel reality shattered her self-confidence, nothing was left except endless shame.
At this time, she was just bold as brass to have the confidence that he might still love her.
Yolanda wiped her face, mocking herself.
Okay, it was officially done.
The rain didn't seem so cold anymore.
But she was really tired from standing for so long.
Yolanda squatted down slowly, only to feel that the voices around her ears were slowly getting farther. And her body was getting lighter, as light as the moment she was knocked out on the night of the car accident.
Chances were that Happer was intended to drive rather slowly at the speed of 20 yards per hour, increasing the time spent on the way home which was supposed to be about two minutes.
The car was moving at a leisurely pace in the rain. He dared not interfere with the boss's decision. All he could do was drive as slowly as possible so that it might be enough time for Aaron to change his mind.
At the turning intersection, Happer even made a bold decision to stop the car.
Aaron didn't say anything against that, like a silent consent to his move.
His eyes were fixed on the rearview mirror.
He acted like a bystander, coldly watching Yolanda chasing after the car for a while, standing blankly on the spot, and then squatting down slowly.
He thought he could go on like this without feeling anything. But when he caught the sight of her on the brink of falling. Something changed in his rational eyes.
However, the next second, someone appeared with an umbrella and hugged her.
Immediately afterward, the man helped her to leave slowly until they finally emerged into the darkness in the rain.
The little change of emotion in Aaron's eyes faded away accordingly as if it had never existed.
The rain was still pouring, and after a while, he looked away and said in a hoarse voice:
"Go home."