Ponda looked at her, uncomprehending. “Why?”
Lisa refused to look at him. “I can’t convince myself to face you again!”
Even the doctor, who was used to seeing such things, was shocked by the injuries on her body. So what about Ponda?
Would he find it unacceptable?
After all, those wounds were man-made, created by someone with some object, on her body. She hadn’t been wearing clothes, otherwise it would have been impossible to create such wounds.
Maybe he wouldn’t realize anything now.
When his emotions calmed down, would that disturbing image appear in his mind? Would his feelings for Lisa change?
But at this moment, Ponda’s emotions had not yet calmed down. The emotional fluctuations were still dominating him. He stood up abruptly and shouted, “Why?”
“Just because someone hurt you, you’re going to leave me?”
“It’s not your fucking fault!”
Lisa cried again.
Before, when she was still at Red High Heels, although she felt pain, it was at least within her tolerance.
Since marrying Ponda, her tolerance for some things had become worse and worse.
She didn’t speak, but her crying broke Ponda’s heart.
He walked back to the bedside and held Lisa in his arms. “I swore to God, no matter what you’ve been through, I will always love you!”
An unprecedented sense of grievance rose from the bottom of Lisa’s heart. She could no longer control her emotions and, like a child, she held Ponda and cried her heart out.
It seemed that such crying could vent all the pain, grievances, and unwillingness.
She had made up her mind. She wanted to confess to Ponda, to confess her past.
There should be no concealment or exploitation in love and family affection. No matter whether Ponda could still accept her in the end, she would confess.
Loving someone shouldn’t be about hiding things, it shouldn’t be about hurting them.
“I have something that has been buried in my heart for a long time. I think it’s time to tell you…”
She talked about how she had been tricked from the Empire to the Federation, about how she had been controlled by the Camille Gang, and how she had been forced to be a call girl at Red High Heels.
She talked about her past of working for some of the rich in the Bay Area, and also about how Lance had later intervened and rescued her.
But that was all. There was a deeper secret that she had always hidden in her heart and would not tell Ponda.
She didn’t want Ponda to realize that their initial relationship was not pure. Even though she now loved him deeply, she did not want this secret to be exposed.
Because once she said it, some things would change.
Ponda found it hard to imagine everything his wife had been through. He was a little dazed, bewildered.
The person he loved… was actually a high-class prostitute?
For a moment, the whole world seemed to shatter before him.
Looking at Ponda, who was lost in thought and unable to say a word for a long time, Lisa once again made her initial request—
“Let’s get a divorce. You deserve someone better, not me.”
Ponda, who seemed to have turned into a wooden man, seemed to have lost the ability to speak, standing there foolishly.
The next morning, Ponda sat in his office in a daze. His mind was a mess.
He had hardly slept all night, only dozing off for a while around five in the morning, and then the alarm went off at 8:30.
For a moment, he really didn’t know how to face Lisa. He loved Lisa deeply, but the Lisa he loved and the real Lisa seemed to be two different things.
He was very confused now and didn’t know what to do.
His colleagues also saw that he was in a bad state and were not in the mood to talk, so they did not disturb him.
At a little after ten in the morning, a colleague walked to his desk and knocked on it. “Webber wants you in his office, with your files.”
Ponda went to Webber’s office in a daze. As expected, he was given a good scolding for delaying his work.
Dale had also heard that he seemed to be having some problems and had him come to his own office.
“Have you found Lisa?” he asked.
The keyword “Lisa” made Ponda focus a little. He looked at Director Dale for a while and nodded. “Thank you for your concern. We’ve found her.”
“It’s good that you’ve found her. Did anything happen to her?”
Ponda shook his head. “Everything is fine.”
Director Dale showed a slight smile. “It’s good that nothing happened. There are no difficulties that a husband and wife can’t overcome. As long as you truly love each other, nothing can stop you from getting closer.”
“You look terrible. Do you want me to give you a vacation?”
He thought highly of Ponda. After all, Ponda was naturally on his side.
Ponda was not a native of Golden Port. Although he was from Likalai State, he had no connections or relationships here.
He was innately on Director Dale’s side, and the only one he could rely on was Director Dale.
These rulers have always been lenient with their own people.
Ponda nodded. “I do need a couple of days off.”
“Alright, you hand over your work, and then go and rest,” he looked at Ponda. “Remember, we are your strong backup.”
After coming out of the director’s office, he handed over his work to his colleagues and then drove away directly.
He desperately wanted a drink now, had never had such a strong desire to get drunk.
He knew where to buy liquor. As a Prohibition agent, he was familiar with the liquor sales situation in his jurisdiction.
Sometimes leaving some of the small-time dealers alone was for the purpose of getting more clues and intelligence on smuggled liquor.
He got a whole bottle of inferior whiskey from a bootlegger for $8, which was ridiculously expensive.
In the past, liquor of this quality would at most have been a little over a dollar, but now it was $8.
He wrapped the bottle in newspaper and took a swig from time to time.
It had to be said that although this bottle of inferior liquor didn’t taste very good, the alcohol in it was not cheap at all. Soon he began to feel drunk.
He sat on a park bench. The sun couldn’t bring him the slightest warmth. He felt that his life seemed to have become gray.
He didn’t know how long had passed. Suddenly, someone next to him spoke to him, “Sir, can I have a drink too?”
He turned his head to look at the person next to him. It was a homeless man. He had a fawning smile on his face, his eyes fixed on the newspaper in Ponda’s hand.
It took Ponda several seconds to react. He handed the bottle to the other party. “You can. It’s just right to have a drink with me.”
The homeless man was overjoyed. “Thank you so much, sir. Your kindness and generosity are warmer than the winter sun.”
He held up the newspaper and took a swig. The inferior whiskey instantly made the homeless man shiver, with pleasure.
The alcohol that went straight to his nose made his whole person relax. After letting out a heavy breath, his mood became exceptionally relaxed.
The two of them drank a lot, one sip for you, one for me. With liquor, once you start, you drink a lot.
The homeless man seemed to be embarrassed to have drunk so much of Ponda’s liquor for free and couldn’t help but say, “You look very worried. Maybe you can talk to me.”
“Although I look down and out now, I’ve been successful before. Maybe I can give you some free advice.”
Ponda was taken aback for a moment, then laughed twice. “I do have a problem.”
“What would you do if the person you love deceived you?”
“Is that all?” The homeless man, who had taken the bottle from Ponda’s hand, took another swig. “Did she betray you?”
Ponda blinked and said with his head down, “No.”
“Then did she hurt you?”
“No.”
“Did she make you feel pain during the time you were with her?”
“No, I was very happy when I was with her.”
“She didn’t betray you, she didn’t hurt you, and she even made you feel happy…”
“Although I thank you for your generosity, sir, you are a fucking sentimental person.”
“Who doesn’t have some secrets? Don’t you have something you haven’t told your loved one?”
“Have you also deceived your loved one?”
Ponda snatched the bottle and took another big gulp. “But she hid some of her past experiences.”
The homeless man took off his hat and scratched his head. His matted hair smoked in the cold air. “Do you love her past, or do you love her present and future?”
“Listen, young man. Love is love, and not loving is not loving.”
“Don’t find excuses for not loving. If you don’t love her anymore, then end it all.”
“If you still love her, and she loves you too, then why torture each other?”
“You should be each other’s support, not hurt each other.”
The homeless man’s words left Ponda in a daze. After a long while, he suddenly stood up and gave the homeless man a hug.
“Thank you, thank you, brother. You have helped me a lot.” He took out all the money from his pocket, about thirty-something dollars, and stuffed it all into the homeless man’s hand. “This is what you deserve.”
Under the homeless man’s somewhat bewildered expression, Ponda ran away.
Yes, what he loved was Lisa after she had ended her previous life, not the her before.
She had started everything over after ending that terrible life, and her previous life was not her own choice. He wanted to be Lisa’s most reliable support, not a sharp knife that stabbed her.
She had already been hurt and pitiful enough. He couldn’t hurt her anymore.
Now, he was going to see Lisa and tell her that no matter what she had been through, he would continue to walk with her.
Sometimes when people are fragile, what they need most is a support.
Just like Lisa at this moment, she had been waiting for what she wanted.
Until Lisa was discharged from the hospital, nothing about what had happened that day had circulated in society. No one talked about it, including Hunter and Charlie, who did not know what had really happened that day, only that the conflict between Lance and the Bay Area had become greater.
But for the two of them, this was a good thing. At least Lance would not be competing with them for power in this area, and at the same time, their value would continue to rise.
A hound is only valuable when there is prey.
Once there is no prey, then the hound will become the new prey, to be hunted by the hunter.
In late January, after a period of thought and mental preparation, Ponda took the initiative to contact Lance.
What had happened this time had left him with the deepest impression: power is greater than everything.
When a person has enough power, even if what he does is illegal, the law will be on his side.
After the old worldview and values had collapsed, on the ruins, a new worldview, a new set of values, was being rapidly built, and it would be bigger and higher than the previous one.
Although the weather at the end of January was cold, some places were exceptionally hot, for example, the boxing ring.
Ethan, after four fights, had already made a little name for himself in the light heavyweight boxing matches.
Fame is not only useful in the political arena, but also very useful in the sports world, especially if you want to challenge a more famous athlete. You can’t be an unknown person.
Ethan’s four wins in four fights, with four knockouts, had made him famous. The Boxing, an authoritative magazine, had also given him a space about the size of a palm.
The magazine said that Ethan’s matches were extremely visually impactful. His heavy punches were like a super-heavy cannon that had shot through the enemy’s defense line. One punch could decide the winner.
Through his coach’s operation, Ethan’s fifth fight had been set. His opponent was the somewhat famous “Steel Jaw,” also a big guy, and he fought with a very distinctive style.
This guy rarely made defensive moves. The thing he loved most in the ring was to trade punches with his opponents.
You hit me once, I hit you once. Let’s see who falls first. That’s why he got the nickname “Steel Jaw,” describing his chin as being as fearless of punches as steel.
Speaking of Ethan, there was actually another very interesting thing. The film crew had originally found someone to play the role of the demon Jason in Angel Lake, but in the actual filming, they simply couldn’t give people that thrilling and oppressive feeling.
Jason needed to give people a gloomy and oppressive feeling. He needed to look a little stupid, but stupid enough to be scary.
No matter what kind of opponent, he would get rid of them, never dawdling.
After selecting many actors, they still couldn’t find a suitable one. The filming of the entire crew was thus put on hold.
It just so happened that at that time, it was Ethan’s fourth match. Gerard, in order to boost Jason’s popularity, had invited the entire crew to watch Ethan’s boxing match.
When the director and the screenwriter watched Ethan knock his opponent unconscious with a rear-hand heavy cannon in the ring, and then silently looked at the audience, a living “Jason” appeared before them.
At Gerard’s strong request, Elvin helped to say a few words, and Ethan agreed to audition.
The effect was very good.
Perhaps because they had seen the silent killer killing his opponent in the ring, so when Ethan put on the hockey mask and held the large machete, even if he said nothing and did nothing, he would give people a thrilling and oppressive feeling.
It would make people subconsciously hold their breath and want to escape.
So the real core role of this movie was settled, to be played by Ethan.
Fortunately, this movie didn’t require much acting skills, as long as Ethan could show his oppressive feeling.
His large build and his gloomy eyes that could occasionally be seen through the mask were enough for him to play this role well.
Now the film’s negatives were being copied. The company planned to participate in this year’s spring film festival.
And, Lance planned to try the method of profit sharing.
He believed that this movie could create a miracle and become a representative and pioneering film in the history of cinema.
A great success seemed to be within reach.
With the “clang clang clang” of the ringing bell, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became lively. Ethan’s coach patted his head. “Give him a punch, take away the victory, just like every time before.”
There were already many spectators around. This was completely different from Ethan’s first match.
At that time, there were basically no people watching the debut of a young man, only Lance and his crew.
But now, there were already many people around. Heavyweight boxing matches were always the most passionate.
People liked to see the attacks between behemoths, to see the power that could knock a person straight with one punch.
Violence and beauty were so perfectly fused at this moment, making people obsessed.
The surroundings were full of cheers, and also the sound of people shouting Ethan’s name. Ethan had never been liked by so many people before.
He touched his fists to his forehead, and then, under the referee’s instructions, he touched fists with the fighter opposite him, and then immediately separated.
The first round officially began.
Lance was also at the scene. They were all holding a blue ticket in their hands, with their betting information on it.
This might be another reason why boxing matches were so popular—gambling.
The one who opened the betting here was also from the Kodak family. In Golden Port, as long as it was related to gambling, then it was basically related to them.
The successive victories had continuously increased Ethan’s self-confidence. Now his fighting style was more aggressive and also more watchable.
Just by standing in the ring, he had a feeling that the other party was not his opponent.
The first round should have been a probing round. The two sides had to get an understanding of each other’s situation, for example, their reach.
But Ethan fought very aggressively, and the other party was also a very arrogant person. Seeing Ethan being so aggressive, he also gave up probing, and the two sides directly began to output with all their strength.
The screams of the audience had not stopped from the very beginning.
The commentator’s mouth was like it was about to run out of credit. If he didn’t use it now, it would be too late. The atmosphere at the scene was so lively it was about to explode.
With a mistake in “Steel Jaw’s” defense, when Ethan’s punch landed on the other’s chin, that “Steel Jaw’s” eyes instantly went straight, and also became clear.
His whole person fell down at once, and the ring seemed to shake a little.
The referee immediately pushed Ethan away and went to check on “Steel Jaw’s” condition, then stood up and waved his arms in a cross, indicating that the match was over.
Although only a minute and a dozen seconds had passed from the beginning to now, it made everyone feel that their tickets were worth it.
Especially those gambling dogs who were obsessed with Ethan continuing to win. They were laughing like crazy.
With the smiles on their faces, there was also a group of people who kept tearing up the betting tickets in their hands and cursing the “Steel Jaw” who had fallen to the ground.
Ethan glanced at the “Steel Jaw” who was being carried away on a stretcher, turned his head, and smiled at the boxing fans who were shouting his name, waving his arms.
At this moment, he loved this ring.
(End of chapter)
The novel has already been fully translated up to the last updated chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair