Chapter 4

Nadia fell silent for a moment but ultimately didn't object. She agreed in a low voice. It was clear Josephine didn't want Nadia around just to care for her—the latter didn't know what she'd done to upset the former, but Josephine caused trouble for her even at the hospital. She thought of many tricks to pick on Nadia. On the first day, Josephine had someone bring her some nuts. She sounded imperious and contemptuous as she said to Nadia, "I want to eat these nuts, but there aren't any tools to open them here. I'll have to trouble you to open them with your bare hands." Nadia made a sound of agreement before starting to crack the nuts open. Their shells were tough, and most of them weren't easy to open. No matter how careful she was, she still couldn't avoid being cut by the shells. Once she was done with one plate, another would follow. She did this for the rest of the day, ending up with bloody fingers. They hurt so much that she almost couldn't feel them anymore. However, when Caesar showed up, she merely hid her fingers and watched as he gently fed Josephine and read her stories. The following day, Josephine deliberately threw her necklace out the window, making it fall into the manmade lake outside. "Oh my. I accidentally dropped my necklace. Could you help me look for it?" Nadia waded into the lake. It was late fall, so the water was ice cold. The lake was huge. She had no choice but to search it inch by inch. When she occasionally looked up, she got a good view of Josephine's room. Through the window, she saw Caesar gently wiping her hands for her. She lowered her head and continued searching until the sky slowly darkened. Her fingers were stiff from the cold, but she finally found the necklace in a corner. On the third day, a golden retriever appeared in Josephine's hospital ward. Nadia reflexively kept her distance from it, but it was too active. It ran around the room, and she couldn't resist sneezing, no matter how hard she tried to hold back. That attracted Josephine's attention. She placed the dog leash in Nadia's hand like she didn't see her discomfort and said, "Bubbles is very active and needs to be walked for two hours daily. It's not convenient for me to do that right now, so I want you to do it for me." Nadia wanted to tell Josephine she was allergic to dog fur but ultimately swallowed the words. She could tell the latter had deliberately told her to do this because she knew she was allergic. She suppressed her discomfort and nodded. She held onto the dog leash tightly as she walked out of the hospital ward. Bubbles was affectionate. To anyone else, this would've been a sweet gig. Unfortunately for her, she was allergic to dog fur. Every time Bubbles got close to her, it was like she was experiencing death. The dog fur flew everywhere and clung to her clothes. She tried her best to cover her nose and mouth, but she still struggled to breathe. That wasn't the end of it. Her exposed skin started itching, and the rashes looked horrifying. Her eyes also became bloodshot, and tears streamed down her face. Despite that, she didn't let go of the dog leash. Once the agonizing two hours were over and Bubbles had had his fun, someone came to take him home. Nadia hurried back to the hospital ward. The laughter and cheer inside contrasted starkly with the messy state she was in. Caesar saw her but was unsympathetic. He merely glanced at her before looking away. "Go clean yourself up. I don't want you to dirty Josie's eyes." "Okay." Nadia backed out of the hospital ward. Behind her, the laughter continued. "Did you see how unkempt she looked? Isn't it hilarious?" "It's the funniest thing ever! Seriously, don't you guys think she's like a nanny at Caesar's beck and call?" "Like a nanny? That's exactly what she is! Do you think Cae will kick her to the curb and get back together with Josephine?" Nadia stopped outside the room, anxiously waiting to hear Caesar's answer. Fortunately, he didn't say anything. She sighed in relief and left. … On the day Josephine was discharged from the hospital, Caesar came to pick her up. Nadia opened the door to the backseat after handling all the necessary procedures. She'd just sat down when Josephine's expression shifted. "Who allowed you to ride in Caesar's car? I don't want to be in the same car as you!" Nadia subconsciously glanced at Caesar. Sure enough, she heard him say indifferently, "Take a cab home." It was pouring outside, and the raindrops pattered against the window. Nadia clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. During her brief silence, Caesar already unlocked the doors. It was clear he wanted her to get out. She did as told as they watched her nastily. She didn't have an umbrella, so the rain drenched her almost immediately. "You won't blame me for kicking her out and getting her drenched, will you, Caesar?" Josephine asked. It was a question, but Nadia heard the smugness in her tone. "Of course not," Caesar said firmly. The car sped off after that. Nadia watched as they disappeared into the distance. She tried to hail a cab, but it was raining so heavily that none of them wanted to stop for her. She had no choice but to walk home in the rain. It was three hours later when she got back to the villa. The days of exertion and the torrential downpour had thoroughly worn her out. She took some medication before getting into bed and soon drifted off. She seemed to hear a sigh in her sleep and opened her eyes to see the face she longed to see again. He leaned close to her, his arms almost wrapping around her. His gentle tone was filled with heartache as he asked, "How did you end up like this, Nadia? It's all my fault for not being able to protect you." He sounded concerned, yet it made her break down. All the grievances and sorrow she'd bottled up burst forth, and tears streamed down her face. "I miss you so much, Theo. I'm so, so close to giving up… Theo…" Nadia didn't know how long she was asleep, but she finally woke up when her fever had subsided. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the ugly look on Caesar's face. He asked, "Who is Theo?"