Chapter 38 Not feeling well

Claire's POV

My periods are often accompanied by severe stomach pains, so I took a day off from work. Yet, at home, peace was disturbed by the frequent smell of burnt food from the kitchen.

Forcing myself out of bed, I stumbled to the kitchen door to find Colin in a whirl of activity. On the table was the breakfast he had prepared for me: over-fried eggs, charred toast, and a bowl of porridge with barely any cereal in it.

Bless this man, who had never stepped foot in a kitchen before.

I managed a wry smile and leaned against the door frame, softly saying, "You don't have to do this. Let me take over."

Colin immediately objected, "Awake? Weren't you feeling unwell? Have breakfast and then go back to bed. I'll handle the rest."

"What else are you busy with?" I asked with a weak smile.

"Oh... making you some soup," Colin said, his hands aflutter. "You go rest; I'll bring the soup to you when it's ready."

I pursed my lips, feeling a warmth in my heart, but then a chill struck my mind. Had he been this attentive to his first love too? A sixteen-year-old boy, full of vigor and passion...

With that thought, the smile froze on my lips. The tightness in my heart twisted tighter, and with the prolonged standing causing a pull in my lower abdomen, my irritation grew.

Just then, Colin looked back at me. An involuntary scowl crossed my face, and, turning, I retreated to my room and shut the door.

Colin scratched his head and plunged back into the kitchen. A few minutes later, he knocked on my door to say, "I'm off to discuss some work, but breakfast and the soup are ready. Eat when you're feeling a bit better."

I acknowledged him from my bed, and soon after, there was another knock on the door. It was Vivian, who had heard I was not feeling well and had taken time from her sales rounds to check on me.

"You're... Colin?" As the door opened, Vivian paused in surprise.

In the third-person POV:
This was Vivian's first-time meeting Colin, and he was nothing like she'd imagined. She had expected someone with a history of fighting and jail time to have a bit of a rogue air, or even to look quite disheartened.

However, Colin was tall and distinguished, with a face that was handsome and chiseled, resilient and cold, and his deep-set eyes concealed his emotions. His commanding presence made her instinctively step back.

"Um, yes, that's me," Colin said in a low voice. "And you're Vivian?"

"Pleased to meet you," Vivian said with a light laugh as Colin stepped aside to let her in.

Upon entering the house, she was met with a pungent medicinal smell, prompting her to frown slightly.

"Is it serious?" Vivian asked Colin. "Why does she still need medication?"

"She's been having stomach pains, and I got some medicine from the doctor."

"Ah," Vivian nodded thoughtfully.

Her mother was a doctor, specializing in gynecology, so she had picked up some medical knowledge from her mother's conversations. She had sensed something off about the smell the moment she had arrived, thinking to herself that she would need to check on what was being stewed in the pot later.

After all, it was something Claire would ingest, and Vivian wanted to make sure it was suitable.

"Vivian, you're here?" Claire emerged from a room. "I'm so sorry to trouble you with just my period cramps; you'd think I had a serious illness and you had to come see me..."

"For a woman, that's no small matter," Vivian joked. "You look pale. Does it hurt a lot?"

"Yes," Claire frowned. "Vivian, could you please trouble yourself to get me a couple of boxes of painkillers from your mother? They work wonders, I felt better right after taking them last time!"

"Do you still need painkillers?" Vivian pointed towards the kitchen and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Your husband's made you a nutritious herbal tonic soup, which is way better than any painkiller!"

Claire glanced at Colin, who stood nearby with a slight smile: "Okay, I'll head out to work now, you rest well at home."

Claire watched his retreating figure, a soft sigh escaping her lips. It was just like before; he never said what he'd do or where he'd go.
Vivian watched Claire with a smile. "Seems like our little Claire is preoccupied with something?"

Claire bit her lip and spilled the beans about Colin and his first love. Vivian listened from beginning to end, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over.

"All this worry over that? To torment yourself over a fictional rival is just too funny!"

"I know it's all in my head, without any real proof. It's pretty absurd to think this way," Claire nestled into the sofa, hugging her knees and resting her cheeks in her small hands, her large eyes filled with confusion. "But I just can't help myself."

"Are you out of your mind?" Vivian consoled her, "You're overthinking this! You can't just misunderstand somebody because they didn't finish their sentence, right? Maybe they didn't mean anything by it at all! And even if he did have a first love, that's ancient history now—he ended up marrying you, didn't he? What are you afraid of?"

"Besides," Vivian added with a curl of her lip, "what kind of man is he? No connections, no job, and a bit of a past—who would want to compete with you for him? You're the only one who treasures him!"

"What are you talking about?" Claire chided with a playful glance, pursing her lips and laughing softly.

Talking with Vivian made Claire feel much clearer in her heart, and even her stomachache seemed to ease. However, just then the crock pot on the stove started to wail, and the medicinal soup almost overflowed.

Vivian lunged forward to lift the lid, and upon inspecting the contents, her expression suddenly changed.