It was the back of a man, wearing a slightly wrinkled gray jacket, his hair a little messy. He was looking down at the cards in front of him, and his whole demeanor exuded a familiar air.
Could it David...? Diana's steps faltered abruptly. She wasn't sure; the figure was somewhat blurry in the light and shadows, but the feeling... was too similar!
Diana's heart pounded. Hadn't he promised to wait for her at the dice table? How did he end up here at blackjack?
An ominous premonition arose.
Could it be... that David still didn't listen to me?
"Boss, wait a minute!" Diana grabbed Draco's sleeve with surprising force.
Draco stopped in his tracks, pulled by her, and turned around to see her staring in panic toward the blackjack table.
"What's wrong?"
"That person..." Diana whispered, her finger trembling as David pointed at the figure's back.
If it really is David, why is he here? How does he have chips? Did he secretly borrow money from loan sharks?
A variety of terrifying speculations churned wildly in her mind.
Draco followed her frozen gaze to the blackjack table and asked softly, "Want to go take a look?"
Diana nodded emphatically.
As soon as the two approached the gambling table, the dealer announced the final result, "Banker has 21 points, Player loses everything, chips confiscated."
The few remaining chips on the table were collected by the dealer with a rake; they were David's last hope.
"We lost again!"
A desperate cry erupted from David's mouth as he clenched his fist and slammed it hard on the gambling table with a dull thud.
The cards on the table were shaken and flung around wildly. The gamblers glanced at them, their eyes filled with a habitual indifference and disdain.
David frantically searched through all his pockets, but couldn't find a single chip. Finally, as if all his strength had been drained, he slumped dejectedly into his chair.
That familiar voice, that desperate posture, shattered the last shred of hope in Diana's heart. It really was him!
My worries just now have all come true.
" David!" Diana rushed forward.
David turned around abruptly, and upon seeing Diana, his madness and ferocity vanished instantly, his eyes darting around in a panic.
"Why are you gambling here again? Where did you get the money?" Diana was both angry and heartbroken, so distressed she could hardly breathe.
"I... I was just playing around... the money... it was borrowed from someone..." David stammered.
"Someone else lent it to you?" Diana repeated the question, tears welling up unexpectedly. She could no longer control her emotions and slapped David hard across the face.
The crisp sound was particularly jarring next to the gambling table.
The surrounding chatter subsided instantly, and everyone's attention focused on the couple.
"Did you borrow money to gamble again? I told you not to! You promised me yourself! How long are you going to keep losing?!" Diana screamed, crying.
David's face burned with pain.
But seeing Diana crying her eyes out, the guilt in his heart instantly overwhelmed all his agitation. He rushed forward, hugged her tightly as she struggled, and hurriedly confessed everything.
"I was wrong... I was really wrong! Don't be angry, it wasn't loan sharking, it was Bellatrix, the gambling buddy we used to gamble with. She lent me the money without asking for interest..."
"You'd even lend money to strangers to gamble?" Diana forcefully broke free from David, looking at him with disappointment.
"Don't you know that you have to pay back what you borrow? You've lost everything now, how are you going to pay it back?"
Looking at her husband, who was utterly hopeless, all of Diana's accusations turned into helpless sighs.
She was exhausted and desperate. "I thought you'd at least listen to one piece of my advice, I thought you could really turn back... David, when are you finally going to stop gambling...?"
"She lent me money interest-free, and I was thinking of paying her back as soon as I won, but I had bad luck and didn't win a single hand..." David's eyes darted away, unable to look at her red, tear-filled eyes.
"So what if there's no interest?" Diana asked excitedly. "Didn't you still lose all your money? Now you're drowning in debt. What are you going to do? How are you going to pay this back?"
"She won't rush me that much, let's stall for time, I'll think of a solution later..." David could only offer vague excuses.
"Drag it out? You still want to drag it out?" Diana's heart sank completely, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes went out.
"If you've lost everything, you've lost everything. Even if they don't want you to pay interest, does that mean you don't have to pay back the principal?!"
"You still haven't thought about how to solve the problem, all you're doing is procrastination... David, do you have any sense of responsibility at all? Have you even thought about how we're going to live our lives?"
"What can I do?! I didn't want to lose either! We were so close to winning, we were just a little short!" David, unable to save face after being scolded, finally roared out in a low voice.
After yelling, he softened his tone and said, "At worst... at worst I'll go find her again, borrow some more money, and pay it all back in one go once I've won it all back!"
"You're going to borrow more money and gamble again?! David, are you crazy?!" Diana was utterly devastated when she heard that he was still thinking about borrowing more money and gambling again.
"Just because they don't charge interest, you think you can keep borrowing and gambling? Have you ever thought that if this continues, we'll really be finished! Have you ever thought about what will happen to me?!"
By the end, Diana was sobbing uncontrollably. Looking at the man who had once sworn to spend his life with her, she said resolutely, "I really... never want to believe you again."
"Have you already borrowed the money? Have you asked your friends for help?" David wasn't really listening. While Diana was speaking, he noticed Draco standing behind him.
Seeing his eyes fixed solely on money, Diana's heart sank to the bottom of an icy abyss. She said in despair:
"I didn't borrow money from anyone... David, are you still thinking about how to get money to fill your gambling debt hole?"
"Aren't you worried about me at all? Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here? Aren't you going to ask me if I'm scared or if I've been wronged?" Diana questioned.
"Isn't this the friend you invited to help us?"
David was in a panic, his mind preoccupied with the gambling debts he couldn't repay, and he had no time to think about anything else.
"Help us pay back our money? David, are you still daydreaming like that? When did I ever say I'd find someone to clean up your mess?" Diana shook her head and gave a bitter laugh.
She looked at David, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Even now, all you think about is your gambling debts. You've never thought about how worried I am about you, never cared how sad I am."
"He's not here to help? Then what's he doing following you?!" David was flustered, and his tone became urgent.