Chapter 178
I staggered to the riverbank, feeling increasingly weak as my body had been exposed to the wind all night. Before reaching the river, I shakily called the captain on my phone. When I arrived at the river, the captain was already waiting there. It wasn't that the captain arrived too quickly, but that I was walking too slowly. "Kevin , what's wrong with you? You look terrible, very weak. Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" The captain had sent me a few times before.
He was already familiar with me, and seeing my condition, he couldn't help but worry and said, "It looks like you're really in bad shape."
"It's nothing, just stayed out all night, maybe didn't rest well last night." Actually, my lie was not very convincing. It's just that the captain might have known there was something I didn't want to talk about, so he didn't ask further. My phone hadn't been charged all night, and the battery was running low. When I reached the shore, I looked at the restaurant by the river. Although I was extremely hungry at the moment, I had no appetite. I bought a few sandwiches and then took a taxi back home. At this point, I was in no condition to go to work anymore, nor did I want to. I had no mood at all, I just wanted to rest, just wanted to sleep. I called the company leader and asked for sick leave. Maybe my voice sounded really weak, the general manager greeted me a few words and agreed, because I was a workaholic and would never take leave without a good reason.
When I struggled back home, it was already six in the morning. I had a sandwich in my hand, but I didn't eat a bite. I took off my dirty clothes, covered in mud, and threw them into the washing machine, pressing the start button, for no other reason than not wanting to reveal any flaws. I didn't know if Katniss would go to work today. She might go, or she might not, after all, she had sex with Nathan all night. I didn't know if she still had the energy to go to work.
I lay in bed, the warmth and softness of the bed did not make me feel any warmth, on the contrary, my body was extremely uncomfortable. At that moment, my phone rang. I forced myself to sit up, then picked up the phone with trembling hands, only to find it was Katniss calling. Normally, when I was on a business trip, she would have already been up by six in the morning. When I was on a business trip, Katniss would call me in the morning and evening, without fail. But last night was an exception, she didn't call me because she was busy with Nathan, or maybe she and Nathan had already finished and she remembered to call me. I hesitated holding the phone, not sure if I should answer it. Maybe if I did, Katniss would lie and come up with an excuse for not calling me last night. Just as I hesitated, the phone suddenly ran out of battery and shut down automatically. I looked at the black screen of the phone and couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed like God had made a decision for me. I didn't even bother to plug in the charger, just left the phone on the bedside table.
As I lay in bed, with the last trace of clarity in my mind, I thought about what to do when Katniss came home. If she didn't go to work and came home to rest, I would confront her. If she went to work and didn't come back during the day, I would temporarily keep quiet, but I would never give Katniss and Nathan any more chances. Sleepiness overwhelmed me, my eyelids getting heavier, and slowly, I fell asleep, unsure if I would wake up again.
I didn't know how long I had been asleep when I started feeling hot all over, with a headache. Gradually, I felt something cool on my forehead, and then someone fed me water. My consciousness began to clear, my mind becoming alert. In a daze, I struggled to open my eyes. In my daze, I saw a graceful figure bustling in the living room, seemingly wearing an apron, a familiar figure from behind.
I tried to speak, but my throat was dry and I could only make a hoarse sound. I looked at my left hand, with an IV drip attached, a cool towel on my forehead. Seeing this, I knew I must have had a fever.
"Honey, you're awake." The graceful figure in the living room heard my voice, dropped the clothes in her hands, and hurried over. She removed the towel from my forehead and gently placed her warm hand on my forehead.
"You're almost fever-free, honey. What's wrong with you? How did you get so sick on a business trip? When did you come back?" Katniss breathed a sigh of relief, as if the worry had finally passed, and asked softly. I had told her yesterday that I would be on a business trip for about two days, so if I came back today, Katniss wouldn't find it strange. I was still a bit dazed, looking at the familiar face in front of me, my familiar Katniss, but I felt strangely distant. The events of last night and this morning came back to my mind, was it all a dream? If only it were.
"What time is it?" I didn't know what else to say, so I asked this question.
"It's already eight-thirty in the evening. I just got back from work and found you lying in bed. Your clothes were washed in the washing machine, but I couldn't wake you up no matter what, so I had to call a doctor to come and see you. I wanted to take you to the hospital, but I couldn't move you, and I was so scared." Katniss looked at me tenderly, as if she was still the gentle Katniss from before, my beloved, but my heart felt truly cold.
"Don't talk for now. I see you bought sandwiches, I don't know if you've eaten. While you're on the IV drip, I went to the supermarket outside and bought a chicken. I made soup for you, waiting for you to wake up and drink it." Without waiting for my answer, Katniss quickly ran to the kitchen and soon brought over a bowl of hot chicken soup.
From a distance, I could smell the fragrance, but all I could think of was Katniss in a wedding dress having sex with Nathan last night. I couldn't help but feel like the chicken soup also had a taste of lust and semen. I had no appetite.
Katniss scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and brought it to my lips. I looked at Katniss with weak eyes, staring at her motionless. I wanted to see into Katniss's heart, the wedding dress from last night, the sex with Nathan, the sweet whispers from last night, were they all real.
Katniss held the spoon to my lips, but I didn't open my mouth at that moment, just gazing lightly at Katniss. Seeing that I didn't open my mouth but kept looking at her, perhaps feeling guilty and remorseful in her heart, Katniss's eyes flickered and then filled with worry, guilt, and anxiety as she looked at me.
"Honey, what's wrong? Why aren't you drinking? The chicken soup tastes really good, have a little, it will make you feel better." Katniss asked with concern, worrying about my health and also about what she had done. However, Katniss knew that I couldn't possibly know about it, as she was confident in keeping this secret. But she didn't know that to keep something a secret, one must not do it in the first place.
I didn't say a word. Although I hadn't eaten anything at the moment, the IV drip should contain glucose, so even though I was very hungry, I could still hold on. After glancing at Katniss, I closed my eyes and remained silent. Katniss might not be able to figure out what was wrong with me, also because of guilt from last night, she didn't insist further.
"You might be uncomfortable and have no appetite. I'll keep the chicken soup warm. Let me know when you want to drink it." With my eyes closed, I heard Katniss weakly say this, then she slowly walked to the living room in slippers.
In a few days, it would be Nathan and Jennifer's wedding day. For the sake of the family and the future, I decided not to confront Katniss and just see how things would unfold. Nathan had rebuilt his family, adding another person to the household, which also meant more risks and responsibilities. Did Nathan have the audacity to do as he pleased? As long as I didn't give them any opportunities, would they still have a chance? I suppressed the resentment in my heart. Life had to go on, and Nathan was getting married soon. I didn't want any more surprises.
With the IV drip and medication, I felt much better. Slowly, I fell asleep.
When I woke up at dawn, it was just past five in the morning. I felt my arms were heavy. Katniss was curled up next to me like a little cat, her head resting on my shoulder. It was sticky. Looking at the familiar sight of Katniss, I reached out to touch her hair, but as soon as my hand touched Katniss's hair, I wondered if she had slept in this position with Nathan last night.
Thinking about this, all the good feelings vanished. Since I had slept all day yesterday and all night, I woke up early, while Katniss was still very tired from last night and was sleeping deeply. I gently pulled my arm out, and Katniss pouted in her sleep, then turned over and continued sleeping.
Recovering from the IV drip was the fastest. Although my brain was still a bit foggy, I felt much better. I got dressed quietly, finished my morning routine, glanced at the still-sleeping Katniss, and didn't disturb her. Looking at the time, she still had over an hour before she had to get up for work. Since the last time I didn't wake her up and she was late for work, she had set an alarm for herself to wake up every day.
I saw the clothes I washed yesterday hanging on the balcony's clothes rack. Katniss must have taken them out of the washing machine and hung them up for me last night. Looking over, Katniss's work clothes, camisole, and my familiar suspender stockings were also hanging there. It seemed that after Katniss came back last night, she had also washed her clothes and stockings stained with semen. Clear evidence, right? I smiled bitterly.
In the kitchen, the chicken soup Katniss had stewed for me last night was still in the pot, still warm. Although I hadn't drunk it last night for some reason, I had no appetite now. I picked up the sandwiches I bought yesterday, took a few bites, even though they were cold and hard, they tasted flavorful and somewhat satisfying. At that moment, I felt like I was provoking Katniss, finding the cold sandwiches more flavorful than the delicious chicken soup.
When I arrived at the office, everything seemed familiar, but it felt like a lifetime had passed since I left for just under two days. Sitting at my desk, the phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Katniss calling, she probably woke up and didn't see me.
"Honey, where did you go? I was sleeping so soundly, I didn't even notice you waking up." Katniss's voice on the phone was full of worry and panic, with a hint of guilt in her final words. Perhaps she was feeling guilty and afraid that I might suddenly leave, so she sounded very anxious.
"I came to work." Maybe after a serious illness and a transformative experience, I felt that I had truly changed, my voice had changed, but I couldn't explain how.
"Your body isn't fully recovered. Why don't you rest for another day? Have you eaten anything? I see you didn't drink the chicken soup, I'll bring it to you at noon." Katniss breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that I came to work.
"It's okay, no need. I have work to catch up on." I hung up the phone in a flat tone. I started to numb myself with a day's work. By noon, I had finished my work. At that moment, there was a knock on my office door.
"Sir, Katniss is here, outside the office. It seems she's been here for a while, but she didn't come in, afraid of disturbing your work. She's holding a lunchbox, seems like she's here to bring you food." Amelia said.
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