The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Tears should have welled up by now, but strangely, they didn’t come. My whole body felt parched. I glanced at the physician, fidgeting nervously in the corner of the room, then rose from the bed.
The physician’s gaze held a flicker of warmth, and I was grateful for it. As I made to leave, she hesitantly approached.
“My lady, you must rest a little longer.”
“Just give me the medication. That’s all I’ll take.”
“Medication alone isn’t enough. I’ll accompany you to the garden and keep watch…”
“Don’t. No one will appreciate it.”
‘No one will appreciate it.’
Who was I even talking to? I scoffed internally at my own words. The physician, with her short, tied-up hair and spectacles, wrung her hands. She looked old enough to have a daughter my age.
A daughter who would probably call her ‘Mother,’ and receive far more affection than the kindness shown to me. A sense of loss, more than envy, washed over me.
Despite the physician’s protests, I left the room. The path to the garden was familiar. Perhaps, by now, even more familiar than the path back to the main house.
***
I stared blankly at the wall, not even attempting to read the book in my lap. Water damage had stained the wallpaper, creating a strangely captivating pattern.
Several times, I tried to fasten the bracelet tucked inside the book around my wrist, but failed. I placed it back inside.
‘At least it’s safe. If I’d gone to see my siblings wearing it, they would have taken it.’
They would have interrogated me, demanding to know where I got such a bracelet, adding another layer to their constant criticism. It was fortunate. …Was it fortunate?
“Ha, hahaha.”
Laughter, hollow and dry, escaped me instead of tears. I sat, not lying down, just staring at the wall, picturing Kin’s face.
‘Kin, when are you coming? Hurry.’
‘I’m going to go mad if I stay here any longer.’
‘But the funniest thing is, I can’t leave. I know you can’t be my eternal shield, not really.’
I leaned my head against the wall, almost as if to bang it. Thud. My head remained intact.
***
Knock, knock. A polite rapping broke through my stupor. I couldn’t recall what I’d been doing. Or had I just been staring blankly at the wall all along?
‘Have they brought my meal?’ It was too late for lunch. Then, could it be Kin? I walked to the door and opened it. The muted landscape outside began to fill with color, spreading from the edges inward.
‘Yes, the world was originally this bright.’
“Kin.”
It was Kin. My friend, Kin, with his bright yellow hair and blue eyes. His face was flushed, his eyes alight with an excitement I couldn’t share. I forced a smile, a genuine one flickering through as I looked at him.
He stared, his peach-colored cheeks paling instantly. Forgetting to close the door, he rushed towards me. Kin was so kind.
“What happened to your arm? What happened?”
“I tripped and fell.”
“And your hand? What about your hand?”
“I hurt it when I fell.”
“You didn’t fall. This place is truly insane. Does it hurt? Did you take any medicine?”
Kin was the first person to look at me, to worry about me, with such undivided attention. Tears, absent until now, pricked at my eyes at his words. It was strange.
Harsh words hadn’t moved me, but a few kind ones brought a burning heat to my eyes.
‘Don’t cry, don’t cry.’
I fought back the tears. Kin was finally here; I didn’t want to waste our time together crying. I looked away from his bright, yellow hair, trying to change the subject.
“I really did fall, and I took medicine. It doesn’t hurt much. What’s that in your hand?”
I tried to sound natural, to smile naturally, but Kin’s face creased with concern.
“If you don’t tell me what happened, I won’t answer. What’s going on…”
“I just fell and hurt myself. It’s nothing. Can we talk about something else?”
Finally, I explicitly asked him to change the subject. Kin looked at my arm with a troubled expression.
“I’m embarrassed about falling. Just let it go. I’m more curious about what you’re holding than my injury.”
Kin’s eyebrows twitched as if suppressing his anger, then he placed the box on the table.
“It’s your birthday present. I heard it was your birthday recently.”
‘My birthday present.bSo, he did hear about it after all.’
The thought flickered briefly before vanishing.
“You won’t be able to eat properly with your arm like that. It’s infuriating. If it weren’t for my family, I would just blow this place…”
Kin’s complaints faded into the background. I struggled to open the box with my left hand. Kin offered, but I insisted on doing it myself. Inside was a blueberry pie dusted with gold.
“You already gave me a present yesterday…”
