Dorothy asked Credence to arrange for Germaine’s ward to be next to Belle’s. It would be more convenient for her to take care of them, and it would also be safer.
Germaine curled up on the bed, burying half her face in the sheets. She was silent, and it was like she was trying to hide herself.
Dorothy sighed, then said lowly, “Germaine, get some sleep after taking your medication. All our pain will eventually go away.”
“Dory, tell me, did the pain that Credence brought to you go away?”
Germaine turned her head around. As she spoke, her face was ashen, and her lips trembled. She was trying her best to suppress her pain.
However, she could still think clearly.
This proved that she was slowly healing in all aspects.
At that moment, Dorothy’s emotions were a mixture of sorrow and joy.
In her memory, Germaine had always been proud and did as she wanted. She was beautiful, and she was the daughter of the Sherman family. There was nothing she feared.
However, she was now covered in wounds and her heart was heavily scarred. She was completely different from her old self.
Dorothy’s heart ached. She raised her head and took a deep breath to avoid her tears from falling.
She tried her best to calm herself down, her gaze focused on Germaine. She said hoarsely, “Germaine, to tell you the truth, I probably will never forget all the pain and hurt that Credence caused me in the past.”
“After all, a broken heart will never go back to how it used to be no matter how hard you try to piece it together.”
“However, life is short and difficult. We have to go through twists and turns everywhere, and nobody knows where the road will lead them to. Who knows what surprises you might encounter?”
“Credence and I were separated for six years. That’s more than two thousand days and nights, and I realised over that time that I couldn’t love any other man, even Juelz.”
“That’s why I gave in when Credence told me that he needed me, and that he might’ve fallen for me. I’ve loved him since I was sixteen, and I couldn’t resist the man that I’ve been in love with all this time. I couldn’t resist the hand that he’d held out to me.”
Dorothy pursed her lips, and her eyes flashed. She looked at Germaine and continued, “Germaine, if you truly still have feelings for Jeremy, maybe you should try forgiving him for this.”
“Forgive him?”
Germaine’s bloodless lips moved slightly. It had only been a day or two, but her plump face was now haggard, her jaw sharp.
As she spoke, she choked up, and her eyes were listless. She was dumbfounded for a long moment before she shook her head and murmured bitterly, “Dory, I was thrown into that dark room by his bodyguards, and I couldn’t see anything.”
Her body trembled. She bit on her lip, her face ashen. “The moment I was thrown in there, I was greeted by his whip. It was spiked, and every one of his whips was filled with strength.”
“Those spikes bit into my skin, and it hurt so badly that I couldn’t even cry.”
“I begged him to let me go, but he became even more excited by my cries, like a maniac. His whips came strong and fast, and I wanted nothing more than to die.”
“When I really couldn’t bear the pain anymore, I thought I’d die just like that.”
“Germaine!” Dorothy was trembling. She reached out and held Germaine’s cold hands. Her eyes had turned red.
Then, she watched a bitter smile form on Germaine’s lips, her voice hoarse. “Dory, if he cared about me, even just a little bit, how could he… how could he have whipped me so violently?”
“Even if he couldn’t see me clearly, couldn’t he hear my voice?”
“Soon, I figured it all out.”
“It has to be because he never truly cared for me. That’s why he completely ignored my pleas.”
“He doesn’t care about me at all. So why should I forgive him so easily?”
“Should I forgive him unconditionally just because I love him?”
“Dory, your love for Credence is too selfless. Perhaps you can bring yourself to forgive Credence regardless of all the pain and suffering.”
“But I can’t. I can’t just act like nothing happened.”
“If you can’t, then forget about him. Forget about him, find someone else, and start again.”
Dorothy looked at Germaine, whose face was twisted with pain. She held Germaine’s hand tightly, afraid that she’d completely lose the will to live.
Dorothy finally understood that what bothered Germaine wasn’t the fact that Jeremy had almost whipped her to death. It was that Jeremy hadn’t stopped his torment even though he’d clearly heard her voice.
What bothered her was that all the warmth that he’d given her in her memories was only her wishful thinking.
She minded the fact that Jeremy did not love her at all.
There was nothing more hurtful for a woman who realized that the man she loved had never loved her at all!
Dorothy knew this pain well.
For a while, she felt that there was nothing she could say to comfort Germaine.
In the end, Dorothy could only squeeze Germaine’s hand, saying gently, “Germaine, you have to make it through this, even if it’s just for me and Belle, and Juelz as well.”
“Once you get through this, you will change. You will no longer be the same Germaine that you are now. What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger.”
“I hope so.”
Germaine slowly closed her eyes, and she fell silent.
At the sight of the sweat beaded on Germaine’s forehead, Dorothy quickly got a towel and a basin. She filled the basin with water, wanting to wipe Germaine’s face and body.
“Germaine, this is going to hurt a little. Please bear with it.”
Dorothy wrung the towel dry, then carefully wiped Germaine’s body.
When she accidentally rubbed against Germaine’s wounds, she stiffened and trembled.
It was evident how deep the wounds were, and how badly they hurt.
Dorothy gritted her teeth and held her breath, buttoning Germaine’s hospital gown as lightly as she could. She cursed Jeremy in her heart.
With a creak, the door opened, attracting Dorothy’s attention.
She turned around to see Credence striding in. His eyes were focused on Dorothy, and he seemed to have a smile in his eyes. “Now that you’re done, shouldn’t you spare your man some attention?”
Dorothy’s face warmed, and she wanted to ignore him. She put down the towel and basin. Seeing that Germaine looked like she was going to fall asleep, Dorothy turned to walk out of the ward.
Credence did not even hesitate to follow her from behind.
As soon as they were out of the ward, his phone rang. Dorothy subconsciously turned around to look at him, and saw that he was looking at the phone extremely seriously.
Who on earth was this person who managed to make an ever-calm man react so seriously?