He smiled and pulled his hand back from my forehead. “Do you cook?”
“Huh?” I was stupefied, then I nodded when I noticed him smiling at me. “I do. Are you hungry?”
He nodded and arched his eyebrow. “I was in a hurry, so I didn’t have anything to eat. I am starting to feel hungry now.”
“I’ll make something light for you. Lie down, please.” I helped him to the bed, and I was confused about why he kept staring at me. “Are you allergic to anything? Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“No.” He was still staring at me, which made it awkward. I tucked him in and went downstairs. There was a lot of food in the kitchen, but they were mostly bread, jam, and some beef. Western Europe alright.
I was going to make chicken soup for him, but there wasn’t anything in the fridge for that. There was only flour there. In the end, I decided to get some wild vegetable outside, but there were a lot of guards there.
It felt like a prison, but I knew Armond did that for safety reasons. Since it was a remote area, there was a two kilometre distance between each house, so there was ample space. Wild plants grew abundant in those places, so there were some good wild veggies.
Grandma used to make chowder for me when I was a kid. She’d boil the water and toss the vegetables in, then she’d stir it for about ten minutes, and a serving of chowder was done. It was thick and melted easily. Not great, but a good substitute for chicken soup.
Armond seemed to have fallen asleep when I went back to his room, since his eyes were tightly shut. I whispered, “Are you asleep, Mr. Murphy?”
He didn’t stir, so I hesitated for a while before setting the chowder down beside him and covered him with the blanket. Out of a sudden, he held my hand down, much to my surprise, and I noticed him staring at me.
“Did I wake you?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I wasn’t asleep in the first place.” Then he looked at the bowl. “What did you make?”
I pulled my hand away and sat beside him with the bowl in hand. “You don’t have much here. All I can make is some vegetables chowder. See if you can take this.”
He tried to get up, but that jolted his wound, and he gasped. I held him by reflex, but I moved too fast and fell down on him. “I-I’m sorry. I… I…” Well, that was awkward, but at least I didn’t spill the chowder.
I put the bowl down and helped him up again, but he was staring at me silently. I thought he was angry about earlier, so I mumbled, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I was going to help you up, but I lost my footing.”
He laughed. “I know.”
Then why are you looking at me like that? I helped him up and handed the chowder to him. “Try it.”
He didn’t take it. Instead, he looked at me. “Aren’t I a patient now?”
I nodded. “Yes.” The wound was big enough to warrant him a ward in a hospital.
“If that’s the case, then I think you should feed me, right?”
I was surprised he would say that, and I looked at him sternly. “I thought you’re too uptight to crack jokes like that.”
He smiled and took the bowl of chowder from me, then he sipped from it. He nodded, probably thinking it was fine. “Do you cook a lot in the past?”
I could never understand how he managed to shift the topics that fast. I shook my head. “No. I often saw my grandma making this when I was little.”
He nodded and sipped the chowder in silence, as if reminiscing the past. I didn’t want to break the silence, so I observed him. A short while later, he looked up at me. “Was it hard living in R Province?”
I stared at him, stupefied. “How did you know that’s where I lived?”
He found that question amusing. “That’s not too hard to figure out. I told you I helped you out so I can get my hands on that sandalwood box. Is it that surprising that I’d look into your past then?”
Well, that argument was sound, so I nodded. “I see.” He waited for me to continue, so I said, “Not really. I didn’t starve or die out in the cold. At least it was better than how I live now.”
He smiled at me again and put the bowl away. “Have you ever regretted at choosing Anthony?”
That question took me by surprise, and I couldn’t answer him. “There’s still some in the kitchen. Do you want more?”
He squinted at me and shook his head, then he stopped asking any more questions.
I went back to my bedroom, spaced out. Have I ever regretted marrying Anthony? Nope. Never.
Midnight came, and thunder rolled in the skies as rain poured. I thought of Armond and his wound, and I wondered if the curtains in his room were closed.
I went to his room and knocked on the door, but nobody came to open it, though I heard something crashing inside. Surprised, I went inside, but Armond was nowhere to be found, though the night light was on. Then I heard sounds from the bathroom.
The lights inside were on, so I heaved a sigh and went to knock on it. “Are you alright, Mr. Murphy?” He didn’t answer, and I started to worry. “Mr. Murphy, are you—”
“I’m fine,” he interrupted, but he sounded weak.
Worried, I pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t budge. Looks like I’ll have to wait. He came out a long while later and was covering himself with a towel. Did he take a bath?
I frowned, upset. “I told you to stay clear of water. Your wound’s going to get infected, and more so when the weather’s hot.” I dragged him to the chair, fuming. Then I pulled his towel away to check his wound again, but I overlooked one thing. He just came out of the bathroom, and he only had a pair of boxers underneath the towel.
It was awkward between us, but it only lasted for a second. I calmed down, since I was just going to check his wound. Nothing else. I noticed that he was getting tense, so I said, “Relax. I’m just going to take a look at your wound. It might have to get bandaged again to prevent any infection from happening.”
I took the medical kit and hunkered down beside him. Armond had a smoking hot body. He looked thin when he was clothed, but he was really lean. “Dammit. Water got into it, and a pus is forming,” I cursed and looked at him. “Just wipe yourself off with a towel if you want to take a bath. Going under the shower is going to infect your wound.”
He smiled at me again. “I’m used to it, so it’s fine.”
I thought he was being a bit too nonchalant, as if his life didn’t matter, so I glared at him. “I don’t care how much you hate yourself, but at least don’t try to harm your body. Can’t you just live your life to its best? Take the blessing of life and live on, will you?”
He was still smiling politely. “Do you talk to Anthony like that as well?”
I froze, almost losing my composure, and I frowned at him. “When are you taking me back?” I paused for a moment. “Anthony’s my husband so of course I care for him. As for you, well, I’m just helping out because I owe you one.”
He smiled, dismissing the snarky remark. “I have something to settle here, but we can go back right after that. And your friends might have to rest up for a bit before they can go home, or their wounds might spell the end of them.”
I knew about that, and I nodded. “Thank you.”
He smiled silently.
The pus in his wound was caused by an infection, and his injury ran deep, so I moved gently in case he was hurt.
“Does your family’s business cover the whole globe?” They opened up shop in Venria and Western Europe, so I thought it must be a big conglomerate.
He nodded, and I continued, “I’ve known you for a while now, but I know nothing about the business you run.”
He stopped for a moment. “Petroleum. And we’re dabbling in tech now.”
“Petroleum?” I was reminded of Mr. Murphy, whom I met during Emery’s wedding, then I looked at him. “You’re a Murphy?”
He arched his eyebrow silently, then I was reminded of the auction in J City. “Have you held an auction in J City before?” If the answer was yes, then that’d explain his appearance in the cemetery and his ‘coincidental’ help.
I gazed at him sternly, then he said, “You’re going to kill me at this rate.”
I looked down and was shocked to see the cotton swab poking his wound and drawing blood. I pulled my hand back and apologized, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
I rubbed the salve on his wound and bandaged it. Then I realized he wasn’t wearing anything else but his boxers. Awkward, I covered his body with the towel. “It’s getting late. Sleep tight.”
He grunted. I kept the first aid kit and left the room without saying anything.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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