Chapter 2: Goodbye, Absurd Past

After the doctor examined Diana and confirmed that she was not seriously injured, he announced that she could be discharged from the hospital. While Andrew went to help her with the discharge procedures, Diana sat by herself, putting on her shoes and fixing her hair, looking troubled. Ben asked her with some confusion, "What's wrong, Diana?"

"I'm going to see an important person later, and I have mixed feelings about it," Diana replied.

Ben couldn't help but wonder who this important person was. Was it Maddie? Maddie was Serena's daughter, who had married into the Thompson family after Diana's mother passed away years ago. Ben never liked Maddie much, but he accepted her reluctantly because Diana liked her.

But then, to his surprise, Diana straightened up and took a deep breath, saying, "I'm going to find John."

This statement left Ben dumbfounded. What? She wasn't going to find Maddie but John? Was something wrong with her brain after the car accident? Why did John, not Maddie, become the most important person in her heart?

Looking at Ben's perplexed expression, Diana patted his arm and said, "Wait for me here, I'll be back soon." She then left Ben and went upstairs.

Like a thief, Diana stuck to the wall and sneaked up to John's ward, hiding behind a corner and peeking at the situation in front of his room. As expected, the security measures for the wealthy family were top-notch.

There were a group of black-clothed bodyguards standing in front of John's exclusive ward. The two young and handsome special assistants in front were Ethan Reynolds and Jackson Parker, respectively. Jackson always had a smiling face, unlike the reticent Ethan. But Diana always felt that although Jackson smiled at her, he could pull out a knife to kill her at any moment. In her past life, she didn't have a good impression of anyone around John, and these two were no exception.

Diana was hesitant to approach the two assistants. However, Ethan and Jackson had noticed her small head popping up from behind the wall. Jackson nudged Ethan's arm and said, "Isn't that the waste from the Thompson family?"

"Ignore her," Ethan replied with a frown of disgust.

Ethan wrinkled his brow in disgust. Their young boss was such an outstanding and superior person, yet he was being tormented by this wretched little girl. The doctor had said that John's leg was severely injured, and if it was not treated properly, he might not be able to stand for the rest of his life. The thought of this made Ethan's eyes fill with a hint of coldness. If it wasn't for John's unusual obsession with Diana, he would have killed her.

As Diana cowered against the wall, she suddenly felt a chill run down her neck. Was someone cursing at her? She shuddered and hesitated for a moment before walking up to them and mumbling, "Is John in there? I want to see him."

Ethan ignored her, while Jackson put on a fake smile and said, "The boss is resting. What can we do for you, Miss Thompson?"

"I'm ready to check out and I want to talk to him," Diana said, feeling guilty for causing John's current predicament. She wanted to apologize and admit that she was wrong.

"Unfortunately, the boss is not available to see anyone right now. Please come back tomorrow," Jackson replied in a cool tone, indicating that they were not fond of Diana's presence.

Diana sighed and didn't press the issue. "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow then," she said before turning around and leaving. As she walked away, Jackson frowned and remarked to Ethan, "Do you think there's something different about Miss Thompson?"

"I don't know. Who knows what she's up to," Ethan replied coldly, not wanting to let Diana in to see John.

After Diana had left for a while, Ethan finally went in to inform John. He walked into the hospital room and saw a man in a black shirt sitting calmly in a wheelchair by the window. Despite his pose, the man still exuded a regal and aloof air, with his strikingly handsome face showing a hint of a "stay away from me" vibe. He had his phoenix eyes lowered, gazing out the window and lost in thought.

Ethan approached him and saw a Maserati parked downstairs with Ben loading Diana's belongings into it. Diana had said something to Andrew which made her face light up with a smile. John's gaze was captivated by the girl's bright and lovely smile, causing his own lips to curl up slightly. This tiny curve seemed to melt the ice in his heart and dispel his gloom, making him appear softer and gentler.

Ethan hesitated, not wanting to break the moment of bliss. He waited until Chu's car had driven away before speaking. "Boss, Miss Thompson just came by."

John's expression shifted slightly, "What did she want?"

"She said she wanted to see you and had something to talk to you about," Ethan reported before stepping back.

John's eyes turned colder at the mention of Diana's name. He knew she only came to talk about their annulment. He clenched his long fingers on the wheelchair's armrest, making his knuckles turn white. Under no circumstances would he allow her to marry someone else. Diana was his and his alone.

Andrew drove Diana back to her home, the Thompson mansion, a well-known wealthy family in the city. Looking at the familiar gate and grand villa, Diana's heart was filled with mixed emotions. She had lost this large family estate that she once owned with her own hands, but now, she had the chance to return.

As they stepped out of the car, a butler named George Cooper came over to open the doors and carry their belongings. Diana greeted him with a sweet "Mr. Cooper, thank you."

Mr. Cooper was surprised by her kindness. Diana used to be a good girl, but in recent years, she had become rebellious and ill-tempered, not even looking at them, the servants, in the eye. Today, she had taken the initiative to greet him.

Mr. Cooper quickly replied, "It's my pleasure to serve you."

Andrew had some work to attend to at the company, so he instructed the household staff to take good care of Diana before driving off. Ben, Diana's second oldest brother, took her hand and led her inside.

"Diana, Dad hasn't come back yet. You can rest upstairs. Don't worry, I'll take care of anything you need," Ben said.

"Ben, aren't you preparing for the audition competition? You should go back to the company. I'll be fine," Diana replied. Ben was currently working at an entertainment company as a new artist. He was about to participate in an audition competition with two other members, and they were expected to stand out and officially debut as a group. After that, they would become popular idols.

"Compared to you, the competition doesn't matter," Ben said, his delicate face showing a hint of indulgence as he smiled at Diana.

Their father, James Thompson, had gone to apologize to the Matthews family and had not yet returned. He was afraid that when his father returned, he would blame Diana. After all, she had made such a big mistake that not only had she gotten hurt, but she had also caused John Matthews to suffer a severe leg injury. The Matthews family only had one heir.

Diana knew what he was worried about and didn't force him to leave.

"Okay, I'll go upstairs and unpack. I'll see you later," Diana said as she went up to the second floor and walked towards her room.

She took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door. As soon as she opened the door, a provocative poster of Luke Grey, her ex-boyfriend, caught her eye. He was holding a microphone, pretending to be cool, and making a hoarse expression. The glittering sequins on his body, the greasy expression on his face, the fake smirk...Diana's stomach churned.

In addition to this poster, the wall was covered with a multitude of other photos, all of Luke in various poses. On the street, in clubs, from behind, from the front, from the side, even one of him entering the men's bathroom...all taken by Diana, who endured others looking at her like she was crazy.

Diana covered her face and her head started to throb. She remembered the first time she brought these photos back, her father was so angry he almost vomited blood. He chased her around the entire villa until Ben and Colin blocked him, preventing her from being beaten up.

She rolled up her sleeves and started tearing the photos off the wall. If she had a shovel now, she could bury the whole room!

As she was tearing away, a puzzled voice came from behind the door. "Miss... Diana? What are you doing?"

Diana turned around and saw Linda Taylor, the elderly maid who had been taking care of her.

"Ms. Taylor, quickly find someone to help me tear these photos down!"

"Tear them down...for what?" Ms. Taylor was anxious. Given Diana's obsession with Luke, was she going to do something strange again?

Anxiously, she heard Diana's numb voice say, "Burn them."

"Burn them?!" Ms. Taylor was stunned, then immediately nodded with joy. "Good...good!"

Although she didn't know why Diana was acting so strange, it was best to burn them quickly, in case she regretted it later! Ms. Taylor quickly called for the other servants to come up and help deal with the photos. When it was almost done, Diana collapsed on the floor. She was exhausted!

She slumped on the floor and took out the mirror next to her, looking at her messy hair and inappropriate makeup in the mirror. Her eye twitched slightly. In her past life, she had been instigated by Maddie Stewart to constantly change her appearance, not wearing decent clothes or dresses, and ended up looking like a ghost.

Now, after dealing with the photos, she herself needed to clean up. After Ms. Taylor prepared her clothes, Diana immediately went to the bathroom and took a thorough shower. She wanted to wash away everything, all of it.

Say goodbye to the absurd past！