Chapter7

After that day, my body continued to decline, and the pain became more frequent. My spirit was mostly broken. Most of the time, I was in a daze or asleep. One evening, I was unusually clear-headed and overheard Peregrine speaking softly to the caretaker. His voice was hushed, but it still drifted into my ears. He asked her how much I had eaten today, if I had cried out in pain, if I had taken even a bite of the Lilac cake Grandma Margot brought. Finally, he paused, then added, "Tomorrow, put down the cashmere blanket I brought. It's getting cold." I closed my eyes, tears silently slipping from the corners into the pillow. That cashmere blanket was something I'd mentioned to him last winter. I said the winters in the city were too cold, and it would be nice to have a thicker cashmere blanket. Back then, he was busy dealing with gang affairs and only vaguely agreed. I thought he had forgotten. So he hadn't forgotten; he just remembered until now. At night, the pain came again, wo