Chapter 518 Bring Janette For A Checkup
However, it seemed that Janette did not share the same sentiments as me, for the moment she saw me, she became hysterical.
“Get lost! Go away! I don’t want to see you!” she shrieked, pushing me away with all her strength. It looked as though she was on the brink of an emotional breakdown.
I guessed she must have thought that I was the few men assaulting her earlier. Grabbing hold of her arms, I yelled at her, “Janette Campbell, take a look at me! I’m Anna!”
“I don’t want to see you! I only ended up in such a pathetic state because of you! I hate you! Anna Garcia, I won’t let you off!” Janette snarled at me.
No words could describe how unkempt she was at the moment. Her hair was ruffled, and her clothes were torn. She looked exceptionally piteous with hickeys all over her neck and exposed chest.
Even though we had been loathing each other all the while, I tried to exercise restraint after her tragic fate. Sitting next to her, I could not refrain from placating her. “Janette, try to cool down. I’m here to bring you home!”
“Why? Why did you show up out of the blue? I wouldn’t have ended up in such a pathetic state if you never appear! It’s all because of you!” Janette hissed in a high-pitched tone. Grabbing hold of my shoulders, she shook me hard, intense hatred flashed in her eyes.
Irked by her oppressive words, my brows deepened into a scowl. “Enough! I don’t feel like wasting time arguing with you. Let me accompany you for a checkup at the hospital. Your mom has been worried stiff about you ever since you’ve been gone missing yesterday!”
Since it was understandable for her to be emotionally distressed after enduring a horrific night, I talked myself into relenting.
“No! I’m not going! I don’t want to go anywhere! How will the others think of me when they see me in my current state! How could I face them again as if nothing has happened?” Janette unleashed her wrath, the thin thread that was holding her reason together finally snap and she broke down. Burying her face between her legs, she started bawling her eyes out.
Obviously, no woman could remain emotionally unscathed after going through such a traumatic moment. I could fathom her anguish and sympathize with her. However, the fact remained that nothing could be changed regardless of what I said. It was useless to cry over spilled milk.
“Try to cool your head off. There’s no point dwelling on something which has already happened. You must pull yourself together,” I advised her patiently after heaving a deep sigh.
Nevertheless, Janette continued to cry her eyes out, paying no heed to me. I was at a loss for words to enlighten her. Even after I had mentioned every consolable word that I could think of, she continued to turn a deaf ear to me.
At that moment, Michael was getting impatient. He strode toward us and wrapped his jacket tightly around Janette’s exposed body. Without hesitation, he lifted her and strode toward the exit.
After being seated in Michael’s car, Janette finally stopped crying. Nonetheless, she stared blankly out the window into the distance as if she had lost her soul.
I could not help but worry seeing her dejected state. Even so, I did not know what else I should say to console her.
Initially, I thought of giving my mother a call, but I decided not to do so when something came to my mind. In the end, I decided to send her a simple message instead, telling her that we had found Janette. After all, I did not know how I should inform her about what happened to Janette the previous night. I foresaw she would not be able to take it if I told her the truth.
Michael stopped the car after he caught sight of a women’s boutique on the way to the hospital. He asked me to go down and buy a new dress so Janette could change into it. I thought that his suggestion made sense since it would surely result in turmoil if Janette were to step into the hospital in her ripped clothes.
Moments later, I assisted her in changing into a new dress and combed her ruffled hair so nobody would sense anything amiss. After that, Michael continued to drive toward the hospital.
We headed for another hospital to keep the incident under wraps from my mother. After carrying out a comprehensive checkup for Janette, the doctor assured us that she was fine other than sustaining a vaginal laceration.
I remembered I caught sight of blood between Janette’s thighs when I spotted her in the tattered room earlier. Thus, I knew on the spot that she still had her virginity before that. I shuddered uncontrollably at how much pain she must have endured when those men forced themselves on her.
My heart wrenched even more for her unfortunate encounter. She has kept herself a virgin for more than twenty years only to have it taken away unwillingly in a single night…
We only left the hospital after the doctor performed a series of checkups for Janette as requested and ensured that she did not sustain any other injuries. During the procedure, she continued to stare blankly, which was a stark contrast to her usual insolent self.
I would be more relieved if she screamed to vent her exasperation, but since she remained silent, I felt even more petrified, fearing that she would have depression due to the extreme emotional agony. I was aware of the fact that mental issue was the root cause of depression. Many patients diagnosed with depression tended to commit suicide when their conditions deteriorated drastically.
Thus, I coaxed her, “I’m thinking of finding a place for you to have a good rest. I hope you can take the opportunity to cool yourself down these few days.”
I dared not take the risk of bringing Janette to the hospital to visit Alicia at the moment. Since she was not her usual self, I reckoned Alicia would be able to tell that something was wrong at once.
Janette remained silent. It was as though she could neither see nor hear me.
Low in spirits, I furrowed my brows and let out a sigh. After shifting my gaze away from her, I uttered in determination, “Let’s send her to the house at Birchwood for a few days. The environment there is relatively quiet, which is what she needs at the moment.”
I could only make a decision on behalf of Janette since she refused to utter a single word.
“Okay,” Michael replied flatly.
I could see that his forehead had creased into a frown when he heard I was planning to send Janette to Birchwood. Nevertheless, he still gave in to my request.
The house in Birchwood was filled with memories of us. As such, he did not wish to have outsiders stepping into such a special place. However, since Janette needed intensive care at the moment, there wasn’t much we could do about it.
Upon stepping into the house at Birchwood, Janette went and sat on the couch right away. Devoid of expression, she looked exactly like a mute.
She used to mock and sneer at me whenever we talked. Now that she remained silent, I could not get used to the sudden change in her.
Usually, there would only be a drastic change in one’s behavior after going through something traumatic. As such, I knew she was only being like this because she was still struggling to accept the reality of her situation.
I could only hope that she would gradually think it through after a few days and get over the harrowing incident. No one wanted this to happen, but since it did, she could only rely on herself to snap out of it.
