Chapter 1854

Suddenly, John spoke. His voice was hoarse and weak, like someone who had struggled for a long time and finally realized they could not get back up. There was despair in it. However, within that despair still lingered a trace of unwillingness. It was that last bit of unwillingness that pushed him to speak. One last attempt. Naomi looked at him. "Yes?" "Do you still like him?" John lifted his head. His eyes were red, staring hard at her, desperate and unblinking. It was like he was clinging to the last strand of hope, refusing to let go. Naomi froze. The air fell silent. John clenched his fists, tighter and tighter, until they trembled, but he did not seem to feel it at all. He kept staring at her, eyes wide, hoping to read the answer in her gaze. The real answer. Naomi's mind flashed with the figure who had just walked away. So vivid. So near. Then came a series of memories, not from the distant past, but from these past few months. It was a short span of time, really—ju