Chapter 179
"Got it, let her in," I instructed Amelia.
In less than half a minute, I heard the sound of high heels tapping on the floor. My eyes were originally on the computer, but when she came in, I turned to look at Katniss and noticed that she had changed into a new suit at some point. I was a bit puzzled because Katniss already had plenty of suits, so why did she buy another one?
"Are you hungry? Should we eat now or wait a while?"
After Katniss came in, she looked at me and smiled gently, without saying anything else, appearing relaxed and easygoing.
"Let's wait a bit, you can leave it there, I'll eat by myself later," I said to Katniss, trying to act casual and natural.
"Alright, eat when you're hungry. I brought some insulated lunch boxes, so the food won't get cold for a while. I'll tidy up your office first." Katniss placed the lunch boxes on the desk, several of them, and I had no idea what she had prepared.
"You." I couldn't help but ask when I saw Katniss getting ready to tidy up my office.
"I took a day off today. You were so tired last night, I didn't tell you, but I actually took the day off to take care of you at home. I just didn't expect that when I woke up this morning, you were already gone. So I decided to spend the day with you, remind you to take your medicine, as your body hasn't fully recovered yet." As Katniss spoke, she began to tidy up my office.
Watching Katniss busily moving around, I was speechless. Katniss was doing all this for me, but at that moment, I didn't feel touched. I just thought she was trying to atone for something? Just trying to make up for her mistakes by simply tidying up the office seemed too simplistic.
Although Amelia usually cleaned the office, Katniss knew best about my preferences for organizing and decorating the office. From cleanliness to arranging decorations and organizing work supplies, Katniss had everything in perfect order. As I sat in front of the computer working, I glanced at Katniss from the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but sigh silently in my heart, realizing that my wife Katniss understood all my lifestyle and work habits the best. If it weren't for my impulsive decision to set up Nathan and Katniss in the first place, leading to the current situation, Katniss might still be my only one, that pure and innocent Katniss. But there was no turning back now, the die had been cast. Whenever I thought about these things, I couldn't help but regret.
"Let's eat." When Katniss placed a freshly brewed cup of coffee next to me, I said to her, and at the same time, I noticed that there were bandages on Katniss's left index and middle fingers, which I hadn't paid attention to before. Katniss had just helped me clean the office, and the bandages on her fingers were completely soaked from the water.
"What happened to your hand?" I couldn't help but ask, wondering if it was accidentally injured during the wild night with Nathan outdoors? That night, the two of them were really wild. If Katniss said it was an accidental injury, I wouldn't be surprised at all.
"It's nothing, I cut my fingers while preparing food," Katniss retracted her hand, looking embarrassed.
"Let me rewrap it for you, it's already soaked in water. Be careful of infection." I decided to probe Katniss. If it was a cut from a knife, it would be obvious at a glance whether it was a scratch from a tree branch or a knife cut. I wanted to figure it out. I took out the first aid kit from the desk drawer.
"No, really, it's not necessary." Katniss still kept her hand behind her back, gently shaking her head, and biting her lip.
I had no other words. I didn't want to get angry, nor did I want to argue with Katniss. The me who used to have a bad temper and be angry, now seemed very calm, maybe my temper and tolerance were really strong. I unscrewed the disinfectant, took out a cotton swab, and silently prepared for a series of wound cleaning procedures, without saying a word or looking at Katniss.
Seeing me like this, Katniss rubbed her ankle with her other uninjured hand, then slowly extended her injured hand. I slowly unwrapped the bandage on Katniss's fingers, and I noticed some tension in Katniss during this process, which seemed to confirm my thoughts. It definitely wasn't a cut. It should be a scratch.
The bandaging done by Katniss was rough, it seemed she had done it herself, and it would be inconvenient for one person to bandage their other hand with just one hand. But when I opened the soaked bandage, I was surprised. There were indeed horizontal cuts on the index and middle fingers of Katniss, and the wounds were clearly fresh. The blood had probably already coagulated, but due to the recent room cleaning and soaking in water, the wounds had reopened slightly, oozing a bit of blood. Seeing this, I felt a touch of emotion and also breathed a sigh of relief. I was touched because these wounds were caused by Katniss while cooking for me, and she was still cleaning my office with these wounds. But was it enough to balance the scales? Perhaps not yet.
I cleaned Katniss's wounds with disinfectant and carefully rebandaged them. I was very focused during this process, all my mental energy was devoted to bandaging Katniss.
"Alright, all done. Be more careful in the future, why are you so careless, it's not like it's the first time you've cooked." I chattered on while finishing up the bandaging. Katniss was still good at cooking, so she shouldn't have cut her fingers.
I didn't hear Katniss reply for a while, so I couldn't help but look up at her. I saw that Katniss had tears streaming down her face at some point, silently crying, and her tearful eyes were fixed on me with love and tenderness, without saying a word.
"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" At that moment, I couldn't fathom what was going through Katniss's mind. I felt puzzled.
"It's nothing, just seeing my husband wrapping my wounds, I feel very happy."
Katniss wiped her tears with a tissue in her other hand.
"Honey, let's eat. I made a lot of your favorite dishes." Katniss said as she opened several insulated lunch boxes, each with multiple layers.
After opening all the lunch boxes and layers, there were actually eight dishes, including macaroni, grilled fish, and salad, all of which were my favorite foods.
"Did you make all of this?" Looking at so many dishes, I couldn't believe Katniss had made them. Although these dishes weren't very difficult to make, they were quite elaborate. I wondered how long it took to make so many dishes.
"Yeah, I didn't have much to do at home this morning, so I made all these dishes. I don't know if my cooking skills have deteriorated, husband, you should try them," Katniss said with a smile, starting to serve me.
"Alright." Last night, I had some aversion to the chicken soup Katniss made, but now seeing all the dishes Katniss had worked hard to make, along with the knife wounds she got while cooking, my resentment towards her lessened.
I started eating, initially taking a few tentative bites. I was just too hungry, having not eaten anything for almost two days, except for a few bites of a sandwich in the morning. Katniss's food was still delicious as ever, and I began to enjoy it heartily.
"Why aren't you eating?" After eating for a while, I realized that Katniss hadn't eaten at all. Instead, she was propping her chin with her hand, staring at me blankly with a silly expression, lost in thought. I couldn't help but ask.
"I'm not hungry. You eat, seeing you enjoy the food makes me content," Katniss said gently, maintaining her posture.
As I ate, doubts began to creep into my mind. Why was Katniss doing all this? Just to make up for something? To alleviate her guilt? Or was it a farewell dinner before parting ways? Thinking of these possibilities, I couldn't help but feel worried. Maybe I was overthinking, but considering these possibilities, the food suddenly lost its taste in my mouth.
Katniss spent the afternoon with me, reminding me to take my medicine. In the evening, we returned home together. Katniss stuck to me all day, as if afraid I would leave.
While Katniss tidied up the living room, I lay on the bed playing with my phone. I had thought about doing some housework, but Katniss insisted that I, as a patient, shouldn't do anything. Bored in bed playing with my phone, I watched Katniss busily moving around. The worries I had during the day weighed heavily on my mind. At that moment, I remembered that when I rested with my eyes closed last night, Katniss had opened the computer. Was she writing in her journal? Perhaps in her journal, I could find the answers I was looking for.
In the evening, after finally getting Katniss to sleep, I quietly opened the computer, logged into the forum using Katniss's account and password. There was indeed a new entry in the journal list. With trembling hands, I opened that entry, feeling fearful, afraid of seeing something I didn't want to see, perhaps all the answers would be revealed in this journal entry.
Despite many heartbreaking events, I never truly thought of losing Katniss.
"It's all over. Last night, I comforted myself with wishful thinking and self-deception, indulging in one last time with Nathan, without identity, without ethical relationships, drawing a conclusion to an improper emotional affair. Although there is much reluctance, I have violated my own promises countless times. That night, Nathan and I didn't care about anything else, just man and woman, everything was let go. Just to experience the joy before parting. After everything was over, Nathan and I talked for a long time. I thought the farewell would be very sad, but Nathan and I talked very happily, without sadness, only blessings and reminiscences for each other. But we both knew that the laughter was just a facade. The inner reluctance and sadness were hidden from each other, and we put on masks that we might have to wear for the rest of our lives. But why is fate so unfair? The last indulgence, my husband inexplicably lost his temper, as if he had gone mad, worrying me for a long time. And the final indulgence, unexpectedly made my husband fall ill. I used to not believe in karma, but this time I do. Everything is not a coincidence. I have violated the fidelity and ethics that a wife should have, but why is it my husband who is being punished? God, I won't make mistakes again in the future.
Please, if there's punishment to be had, let it be on me. It's all my fault, don't torture my husband anymore.
I am willing to spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins, and I am willing to spend the rest of my life making amends to Kevin ."
The journal entry ended there. It was short, and after reading it, I breathed a sigh of relief. That night, I didn't hear what Katniss and Nathan talked about outside the window. I only heard their conversation and laughter, thinking they were having sweet words. But it turned out they were saying farewell to each other, although their words may have lacked sincerity, at least it wasn't as worrying as I had feared during the day.
Katniss had made many promises in her journal before to sever ties with Nathan, so seeing this new commitment from Katniss didn't evoke much feeling in me. The course of events often spiraled out of control, just like when I initially planned for Katniss and Nathan to have a sexual relationship, no one expected their relationship to progress to where it did the night before last.
I shut down the computer. Quietly lying back on the bed, I couldn't distinguish what was real and what was illusory anymore. I decided to let things unfold naturally and see how they would develop in the future. If there were any more unexpected events, then I would consider whether to tolerate them. The day after tomorrow was Nathan's wedding, life had to go on, and I hoped that this time Katniss and Nathan could truly uphold their respective families and return to their original positions.
Slowly, I drifted into dreamland. That night, I had many dreams, some sweet and some nightmarish, but which one was a harbinger of the future, I couldn't determine. In the morning, I wasn't woken up by Katniss or the alarm clock, but by the ringing of the phone.
I groggily opened my eyes. It was just past five in the morning. I picked up my phone and saw that it was Jennifer calling. "Kevin , I'm back. I just got off the car. Should I go to work or go to Nathan's place?"
I was still Jennifer's boss at work, so her first question upon returning was whether to go to work or to Nathan's place.
"Just go directly to Nathan's to prepare. The extension of the holiday can be handled by me," I said after hanging up the phone. I couldn't fall back asleep. I felt a sense of anticipation for the wedding tomorrow, hoping that Nathan's wedding would mark the end of everything.
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