Chapter 387 Even If She Never Knows This Secret
Margaret woke up around noon the next day.
She opened her eyes suddenly and noticed an IV drip attached to her hand. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but her whole body ached, and her mouth was dry.
Just as she was about to get out of bed, the door to her hospital room opened. Daniel walked in and saw her trying to remove the needle from her hand. He quickly stopped her, "Margaret, you're still weak. You can't get out of bed."
"I..." Margaret tried to speak, but her throat was so dry and scratchy, it felt like a cotton swab was scraping against it.
Daniel reassured her, "Raymond woke up. He's out of danger and has been moved to a regular room."
"Really? You're not lying to me?"
"Really, I saw him myself. Once you're feeling better, I'll take you to see him."
"I want to call him," Margaret insisted, not fully believing him.
Daniel took out his phone and dialed Raymond's number right in front of her.
The phone rang a few times before it was answered. Daniel put it on speaker.
"Mr. Taylor, Mr. Howard is not able to take calls right now. You can tell me, and I'll relay the message," Alvin's respectful voice came through.
Daniel glanced at Margaret lying in the hospital bed and said coldly, "Mrs. Margaret Howard wants to speak with her husband, Mr. Raymond Howard."
Margaret took the phone from Daniel, her throat tightening and her eyes dry and sore. She pressed her lips together, her heart racing, "Raymond, it's Margaret. Can you hear me?"
After a moment, a very faint, weak voice responded, "Yes."
The voice was barely audible but incredibly firm.
A photo popped up on the screen.
Margaret opened it and saw that Alvin had sent a picture to Daniel's WhatsApp.
She enlarged the photo and saw Raymond lying in a hospital bed, covered in tubes and hooked up to various machines.
His face was still very pale, and he looked weak.
But he was awake, and that was all that mattered.
Margaret's nose tingled, unsure if she was crying from relief or reflecting on the difficult journey they had been through. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall, landing on Daniel's phone screen.
She used her long fingers to wipe the tears from the screen, which lit up, casting a soft glow.
"Mrs. Margaret Howard, Mr. Raymond Howard is right here. I have the speaker on. You can talk, and he can hear you," Alvin's voice came through again.
Margaret was about to speak when Daniel handed her a tissue.
She took it and wiped her tears.
But the more she wiped, the more the tears flowed, as if a floodgate had opened. The more she tried to stop, the more they came.
Margaret took a deep breath, forcing down the lump in her throat, afraid that Raymond would hear her crying and worry about her instead of focusing on his recovery.
She wiped her tears for a while, her throat tightening, "You need to rest and get better. Once I'm well enough to walk, I'll come see you. Raymond, you can't have any more accidents this time."
"Okay," Raymond's voice was soft but clear.
Margaret's tears flowed even more freely, and she quickly found an excuse to hang up, "I need to take my medicine now, so I'll talk to you later."
She hung up and handed the phone back to Daniel.
Daniel looked at her tear-streaked face, "Do you believe me now?"
Margaret nodded, her eyes red from crying. Her nose was also very red.
"Take care of yourself. Once you're better, I'll take you to see him. So if you want to see him, listen to the doctors and don't run off again like you did yesterday."
"Okay," Margaret said, crying and smiling at the same time.
Daniel then asked, "What do you want for dinner?"
"Anything's fine," Margaret replied, not really caring about food; she just wanted to get better quickly.
Daniel continued, "How about some fish soup?"
"Sure," Margaret assumed he would get it from a restaurant, so she didn't think much of it.
A nurse came in to change Margaret's IV, and Daniel left the room to text his assistant, asking him to buy some fresh fish and other ingredients from a nearby supermarket.
His assistant, Colt, was puzzled by the request but agreed without question.
After making the call, the caregiver Daniel had arranged for Margaret arrived. He gave her some instructions and then headed back to his hotel.
When he reached his hotel suite, Colt was already there, waiting with bags of groceries.
Colt had also bought two thermos containers.
Daniel took off his misty blue coat, rolled up his sleeves, and started preparing the fish. As he was cleaning it, Colt entered the kitchen, "Mr. Taylor, let me handle this. You shouldn't be doing this."
Daniel shot him a warning look.
Colt realized he had misspoken.
"Step aside," Daniel said, frowning. This was the only thing he could do for Margaret now. He had never had the chance to make soup for her before.
Colt awkwardly stepped back, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Wait in the living room."
After Colt left, Daniel continued preparing the ingredients, cleaning the vegetables with swift, fluid movements.
He then put the pot on the stove, filled it with water, and started cooking the fish to remove any fishy smell. Once it boiled, he turned down the heat and added the prepared vegetables.
Daniel had grown up as an illegitimate child, living a hard life with his mother. He had learned to do household chores at a young age.
Cooking and cleaning were skills he had mastered early on.
Margaret was the first woman, aside from his mother, for whom he had ever cooked.
Three hours later.
The kitchen was filled with the aroma of the soup.
Daniel called Colt over.
Colt entered the kitchen just as Daniel was about to lift the pot without using a cloth, burning his hand in the process.
After setting the pot down, Daniel looked at his reddened palm, which felt like it had been fried.
"Mr. Taylor, are you okay? Let me do it," Colt said, concerned.
Daniel grabbed a ladle and started pouring the soup into the thermos, "It's just a small burn. It's fine."
"If you don't treat it right away, it'll blister and hurt a lot."
"Take this fish soup to Mr. Howard," Daniel said seriously, tightening the lid on the thermos.
Colt looked at him in shock, "Mr. Taylor, sometimes I don't understand you. I get why you're good to Ms. Hughes, but being this nice to Mr. Howard seems a bit odd, don't you think?"
"You don't need to understand. Just go," Daniel said calmly, glancing at him.
Margaret was taking care of Raymond, so he would take care of Margaret. This was his way of showing love. As long as Raymond got better, Margaret would smile again, and she would be happy.
She had once been a light in his life, even if only briefly. He remembered it well and was willing to do whatever he could for her. Loving someone meant wanting the best for them.
Even if they weren't together, even if she never knew his secret. He didn't want her to know.
Being by her side as a friend, watching from afar, was enough. After all these years of silent companionship, pretending to be a casual acquaintance, his acting skills had become flawless when it came to hiding his feelings for Margaret.
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