Lothar continued, "Before I graduated from university and when I was still a child, my mother took her own life by jumping off a building. Not only did I have to take care of myself, but I also had to care for my sister. We were a poor family. Do you know how I got through? Even when I was bullied and humiliated by others, I kept a smile on my face. It was all because I had no parents to rely on, and I needed money."
"Later on, when I started my acting career, I was the pushover in the crew. Even the people who ranked below me bullied me. Everyone knew the fact that I was such a pushover. Even if I was humiliated all over, I would only smile and brush it off. Do you know why?"
He looked at Essie.
She felt a her throat tightened and she couldn't say anything.
Then, he laughed. "Because I knew I couldn't afford to offend anyone. If I did, there would be no roles for me to film. Without any roles, I won't be able to earn any money. My sister was hospitalized at that time. No matter how bad the bullying got, I had to endure it all. It was just like the time when my mother passed away. I went to every relative's place to borrow money. But none of them were willing to help. One of them got mad in the end because I kept begging and clinging to them. He threw a stack of cash to the floor. Then, he asked me to kneel on the ground and pick them up. I had no choice. I could throw my life away, but my sister has to live!"
"Later on, I met Selina. She is a kind person. She found a doctor to operate on my sister. She solved the greatest problem in my life for me. Do you know why I dropped out from being an actor? I offended Leonard, a supervisor of the crew. But why was I not afraid of offending him? It was because I had no more concerns in life, and it was all because of Selina. I could finally live with my head high because of her."
His words completely shaken Essie.
She had always thought that he was helping Selina because he had feelings for her.
Even when he told her it was not the case before.
But she guessed it was so.
She didn't expect that there was such a story behind it.
He said, "Essie, I have been walking on eggshells my whole life. Let me free and be able to do what I want, for once. Even if you ask me if I would regret this, I really don't know the answer. I am just doing
this out of instinct. Just like when those people got me to kneel and pick up money from the ground like an animal. Even when my instinct told me I should have beaten him up, reality forced me to beg and obey. Do you know how much pain I was in back then? This is why I want to do what I want for once, and without a care for the world."
Her eyes were red already.
After he finished speaking, she said softly, "I understand, Lothar. I'll help you."
It was a full moon that day.
And soon it was midnight.
Essie asked Matthew, Tobias and Natalie to leave.
Selina and Lothar lay on two beds.
Essie gave each of them a glass of water, saying, "Drink this. You won't feel pain later. Otherwise, you would not be able to bear the pain of your chest being opened."
Lothar downed the drink, but Selina did not.
Her hand, which was holding the glass, was trembling nonstop.
"Drink it," Essie said to her.
Selina drew the glass to her lips, but she did not drink a sip. She placed the glass aside.
Under Essie's complicated gaze, Selina got out of bed.
She walked towards Lothar and said in a choked voice, "Lothar, if you regret it now, we can leave it here. You can do so many things even if you only have 15 days left. You can be with Yesseca and travel with her."
"Selina, you're really dumb." With that, Lothar sat up.
He patted her on the head.
This was the first time he had done something this intimate with her.
In front of her, he had always been like a teenager.
But this time, he was acting like a mature man.
Lothar stared into Selina's eyes, saying, "Didn't I tell you already? If I don't save you now, I would have to live the rest of my 15 days in pain. Do you want me to see Yesseca like this? It's not that I'm doing this for you. You're doing this for me. Promise me you'll take Yesseca with you to travel the world after this surgery. Okay?"
Selina's eyes gradually turned red.
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