“I thought I was being good to her, and she will definitely forgive me after she learned the truth. I was well prepared to accept all the resulting punishment… sob, I thought I was doing something good.” Lea recalled that unforgivable period. Gu Mengmeng kept referring to him as an ex-boyfriend, making him keep his distance and asking him to stop pestering her. Every word spoken by her was like a sharp claw tearing into his heart. That pain was a constant reminder to never do anything that would make Gu Mengmeng unhappy again. He was unable to bear the consequences.
Looking up with a “been-there-done-that” expression, Lea said, “All the punishment includes her tears and rejection. If your only punishment is her crying while telling you that she forgives you, doesn’t hate you, and that you two owe each other nothing and should go your separate ways? You… are you prepared to accept that?”
Lea was speaking lightly but Carter felt as if his chest was being viciously torn apart. It was as if he was seeing those limpid eyes, shining with tears and speaking of a forever farewell, right in front of him now. At that moment, he felt as if every drop of blood in his body had hardened. He was frozen and unable to move.
Lea chuckled. “See, you aren’t ready and cannot accept that.”
With his temple throbbing, Carter remained silent for a long while before recovering his voice. Like a drowning person clutching desperately to his last hope of survival, he said in a trembling voice. “But you eventually gained her forgiveness… didn’t you?”
Lea looked at the mark on Gu Mengmeng’s ear with gentleness. His eyes were filled with gladness and cherish. He reached out and caressed Gu Mengmeng’s little ear before gazing rather arrogantly at Carter. “The difference between you and me, apart from Mengmeng, is that I will never listen to the words of any other female. Every mistake I made was by my own hand. But you… you listened to Dora and hurt Melinda. This is a fundamental difference. Understand?”
“I… I just didn’t want Melinda to leave me…” Carter felt deeply stricken by Lea’s words. There was nothing between Dora and him, so why was he feeling so sheepish after hearing Lea’s admonishment?
Lea snorted scornfully. “Oh, so your own wishes overrides her happiness….it seems like you don’t like her that much.”
“No, it’s not like that!” Carter wanted to explain but he didn’t know how to.
Gu Mengmeng smiled. There was no way Carter could out-talk Lea.
She said with a wave, “Carter, you must first be clear on what exactly it is that you want? Do you only wish to keep her by your side, or do you hope for her to like you, love you and then accept you?”
Carter asked helplessly, “Is there a difference?”
Gu Mengmeng chuckled. “Of course. There is a huge difference between doing something out of one’s own free will, versus being forced to do so. The former represents happiness while the latter represents torment. How can there be no difference?”
Carter didn’t hesitate. “I want her to be happy.”
Gu Mengmeng nodded. “The first step is to clear her name. Make amends for all the wrongdoings you committed. Only then do you have the right to stand before her and pursue her.”
Carter nodded. “Alright, I will go back now to announce that Melinda never stole anything.”
Gu Mengmeng held her own cheek as she laid against Elvis’ shoulder. She looked at Lea with a pleading gaze.
Lea smiled warmly as he stroked Gu Mengmeng’s head. “Leave it to me.”