Chapter 382 No Defense Against Her
Nathaniel was feeling a bit better now, at least his stomach wasn't as upset. He knew he had scared her, and now he regretted letting her see all this.
It was the medication, and also the painful memories of the past few years.
He wanted to win her back, but not by gaining sympathy through these bottles of pills.
He wanted pure love, untainted by anything else, like pity or compassion.
Nathaniel picked up a bottle from the pile of medications, his expression calm, and said, "Just take this one, the rest are useless. Help me throw them away. I haven't taken these in a long time."
Aurelia clenched her fingers, trying to stay calm, "So, have you been taking these medications all these years?"
She picked up a bottle and looked at the production dates; they were all from this year. At least this year, he was still taking them.
She couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.
Nathaniel gave a bitter smile, "Alright, stop looking at those. Help me get a glass of water."
As Aurelia stepped out, Nathaniel threw the bottles into the trash can, leaving only the most crucial one prescribed by Mark by his bedside.
He dialed Mark's number, "The meds you prescribed scared her. Can you change them, make it less, so I don't look like a walking pharmacy?"
Mark, hearing this, realized Nathaniel wasn't following the prescription and was even complaining about it.
"Feeling better and getting cocky now? Without these meds, you'd be locked up in a mental institution. And now you're complaining, biting the hand that feeds you?"
Nathaniel's brow twitched. The logic was sound, but why did it sound so harsh coming from Mark? "Your meds aren't that great. I had another episode today."
Mark got nervous. "Didn't you get better last time? What triggered it this time?"
Nathaniel glanced towards the door, lowering his voice, "Afraid she'll leave."
Mark couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright, you're completely under her control now. Come by my place if you have time, I'll run some tests."
Nathaniel sighed, "I called mainly to ask if you could change my meds. Is there a treatment plan with just one pill?"
"You think this is some magic potion? Just one pill? Be grateful it works at all. Take your meds as prescribed, even if you feel better, you need to continue for six months to stabilize, got it?"
Nathaniel let out a long sigh. He didn't dare admit he hadn't taken his meds for the past few days; he was indeed feeling a bit reckless.
"Can you at least put them in a normal-looking bottle next time, like Vitamin A or Vitamin C?"
Aurelia stood quietly outside the door with a glass of water, waiting for Nathaniel to finish his call. After a few minutes, she walked in.
She followed the instructions, poured two pills into his hand, watched him take them, and handed him the water.
Nathaniel took the pills and drank the water in one gulp. "Aurelia, what's with that look?"
He teased lightly, "Why the long face? Didn't I say I'm fine?"
Aurelia pretended not to have heard his phone conversation, "If you're fine, just lie down. I'll order some groceries on my phone. Let me know what you want for dinner."
Nathaniel felt a warmth in his heart. He couldn't remember the last time he had tasted her cooking, probably almost five years ago?
She used to love experimenting with recipes in the kitchen, even though she often ended up with some bizarre dishes, he still missed it.
"Aurelia, I want vegetable porridge." He used his illness as an excuse to order, though he didn't have much of an appetite; he just wanted to eat her cooking.
"Alright, I'll buy some vegetables."
Nathaniel handed her his phone, "Use mine to buy."
Aurelia's phone was in the living room, so using his was fine. She sat by the bed, and he had already opened the grocery app for her to choose.
Aurelia tapped and swiped on the screen, buying things the kids liked and things he liked. When it was time to check out, she handed the phone back to him, "Enter the password."
Nathaniel didn't move, "Don't you know the password?"
Aurelia hesitated. She knew it, but she didn't want to use his password to buy things. His trust was one thing, but everyone needed their own private space.
She was good at respecting this, whether they were married before or now trying to rekindle their relationship, she never tried to invade his privacy.
"You enter it yourself." She firmly handed the phone back to him.
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow and entered the familiar digits on the screen.
Watching him complete the purchase, Aurelia thought about the envelopes Reed had given to Dorothy and Jacob, which contained bank cards. She had checked, and the amounts were substantial, enough for each child to buy a house in the expensive Imperick area.
"Grandpa gave them a lot of money as a gift." She was discussing it with him.
Nathaniel didn't mind the amount, "If Grandpa gave it, just accept it. He's got plenty of money."
Aurelia was a bit taken aback, "They don't need that much money now. I'll keep it for them and give it to them when they turn eighteen."
Nathaniel agreed, "Send me the account numbers, I'll deposit some pocket money for the kids."
It was a good idea, and Aurelia nodded in approval, "Not just pocket money, but also an education fund, a dating fund, and a startup fund for after they graduate."
Nathaniel's discomfort eased, and they seemed like an ordinary couple planning for their children's future. "Alright, we'll save up."
Aurelia added, "Equal amounts for both kids, no favoritism."
Nathaniel licked his lips, "Can I secretly save more for Dorothy?"
Aurelia's face turned serious. She had just told him to treat them equally, and now he was asking this. "Is Jacob not your biological son?"
Nathaniel scratched his head. Saving money was fine. But what was a dating fund?
The thought of Dorothy growing up and bringing some boy home to call him Dad made him uneasy. If the boy was well-behaved and smart, it would be fine, but if he was a troublemaker, it would drive him crazy. "Can we skip the dating fund?"
"When your son grows up and has a girlfriend, do you want him to make her pay for their dates?"
Nathaniel retorted, "And you want my daughter to spend her money on some guy?"
They each had their points.
In the end, they agreed to save the money but not interfere with how the kids spent it. It would be up to them to decide.
Nathaniel felt a sense of responsibility for his family, but it wasn't a burden; it was sweet.
Having grown up in privilege, never lacking money, he suddenly had a new understanding.
What was the point of earning so much money? It was for taking care of one's wife and kids.
He used to think having enough to spend was fine, and he had long achieved financial freedom. But now, with a goal to save for, it never seemed enough.
He wanted to save a fortune for his kids.
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