[29]
Chloe woke up with a much calmer feeling than before. Perhaps it was because she had made up her mind? After being tossed around by distress and selfishness? But no, it wasn’t just selfishness and a mission for revenge for the pain she had deeply felt. Although most of the divorce requests came from Chloe’s feelings, she also had to save herself from the destruction she had experienced. She shouldn’t immerse herself too profoundly again.
That’s right. That’s what Chloe would do now. It didn’t matter what Leonel would do. She didn’t want to wait for his recovery. How long would she spend here? If Chloe recovered in a month, it would be much more relieving. But what if it took one or two years? Where would she still be immersed in the same feelings? Where suspicion, endless sadness, anger, and frustration with her unloving husband persisted. What’s the point?
She should let go.
Chloe smiled at her thoughts. It felt much more relieving this morning. When she opened her eyes, a beam of bright light entered her eyes, making her squint and quickly pull the blanket. Suddenly, she realized that there was something different about her vision. Slowly, she lowered the blanket she had used to block the light. The longer the morning, the more her eyes started to adjust. She initially saw bright spots and primary colors, but now, the light was becoming dazzling.
It might not be the same as when she could see usually, but at least this progress made her cry tears of joy. She didn’t care if she looked like someone who had been crying all night when she came out of her room, but honestly, seeing more sunlight entering her eyes brought her so much happiness.
“Thank you, God,” she expressed sincerely while wiping away the remaining tears. At the same time, Peni entered after knocking on the door. Seeing her employer crying, Peni screamed and quickly ran toward her.
“Ma’am? What’s wrong, ma’am?” Peni asked while kneeling near her employer. Chloe’s eyes were wet with tears, but strangely, there was no trace of sadness there. But Peni didn’t dare to assume. She just wanted to make sure that her employer was okay. “Ma’am,” she called again.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
“I… Oh, God!” Chloe immediately hugged Peni, crying again in the arms of the person faithfully accompanying her throughout her illness and recovery. Chloe was allowed to hug Peni for quite some time, and when she let go, she knew that Peni must be wondering. “A lot of light entered my eyes this morning, Peni. And now, I can somewhat see the silhouette of your face.”
“Ma’am?” Peni was astonished. She blinked repeatedly, unable to believe Chloe, who nodded while tears streamed down her face. Peni didn’t dislike the progress Chloe was experiencing; it’s just that it was indeed beyond her expectations. Peni was overjoyed. “Oh, God! Thank goodness! I’m so happy to hear that, ma’am.” Peni couldn’t hide her joy. “I thought something was wrong or happened to make you cry. I was afraid you were hurt.”
Chloe shook her head quickly. “I’m fine, Pen.” Her smile didn’t disappear from Chloe’s face.
“Should I inform Doctor Darren? I’m sure he’ll be thrilled with your progress this time.”
Chloe agreed. “You’re right. Please inform him, but not now. I think it’s still too early, right?”
Peni sighed resignedly. “You’re right, ma’am. It’s only 8 a. m.”
“What?” Chloe was surprised. “8 o’clock? Why didn’t you wake me up earlier? Who prepared breakfast?” Chloe quickly uncovered the blanket and hurriedly got up but stumbled, and Peni immediately supported her from behind.
“Be careful, ma’am.”
“Why do I feel dizzy, Pen?”
“Ma’am,” Peni called out in surprise. Despite her efforts to hold her, she also didn’t expect that complaint to cause Chloe to collapse to the floor gradually. “Ms. Chloe!”
Peni’s loud shout made Leonel, who had just wanted to return and peek at his wife to see if she had woken up, immediately hasten his steps. Peni was allowed to check on Chloe briefly after they all had breakfast. No one was looking for Chloe, and even her mother let Chloe rest for a long time. The most important thing was that all the servants in the house had prepared what Chloe needed.
“What’s going on?” Leonel asked anxiously. He saw Chloe on the floor with Peni trying to lift her. Peni called out to her panicked employer several times. Leonel quickly took over and carried Chloe. He was gently laying down his wife’s limp figure. Her eyes were occasionally only weakly blinking.
“What happened, Peni?”
“I don’t know, sir. When I came here earlier, ma’am was crying, but it wasn’t for any strange reason. She said her vision had improved even more. She could capture sunlight; she said it was brighter.”
Leonel listened carefully while tidying up Chloe’s messy hair.
“When she woke up earlier, suddenly she felt weak, sir. Like someone who had run out of energy.”
Leonel nodded quickly. “Prepare some warm tea. Call the doctor and call Mother Agatha here.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Chloe was completely drained of energy. Plus, an intense headache struck her head. She closed her eyes several times to alleviate the pain, but it gripped her tightly. “Argh!”
“What’s hurting, Chloe?”
Chloe weakly pushed away Leonel’s touch. If she had more strength, she would have repelled the hand, almost touching her face in the harshest way possible. “Leave me alone,” she said softly. It made Leonel growl in frustration.
“No.”
Though she struggled a bit, Chloe tried to create some distance between them. Leonel, aware of this, growled at his wife’s behavior.
“I asked Peni to bring you some warm tea and breakfast. The doctor will be here soon to check on you, Sa.”
“No need. I need some rest.”
“Is that so?” Leonel asked with an unaccepting tone. “After being out of the house all day yesterday? What were you doing? You’re still sick and need recovery, not out galloping like a child.”
Chloe turned to Leonel, who was rambling on and on, and his tone left her perplexed. “Are you scolding me over something trivial?”
“You call that trivial?” Leonel roughly cupped his face. “I was almost going crazy trying to reach you. I tried to find you in the places you often visit and mentioned.”
Naturally, Chloe was taken aback by his words. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing from Leonel. “Are you joking?”
“Do I sound like I’m joking?” Leonel didn’t care about Chloe’s rejection. He sat at the edge of her bed and tried to grab her hand, holding it tightly despite Chloe’s attempts to free herself. “I’m worried about you, Chloe. If you think I’m lying or joking, I’ll prove what I’m saying is true.”
Chloe pulled her hand again. “Can you please leave me alone, Leonel?”
“Chloe!” Agatha, who had just arrived at the door to her daughter-in-law’s room, was slightly hysterical. How could she not be? Last night, Peni reported Chloe’s condition and the gathering she attended. They were seen having an intimate conversation and discussing various things with Adrianna and her doctor. It didn’t matter much to Agatha if her daughter-in-law had a close relationship with her doctor. Moreover, Agatha understood that a good communication bond between doctor and patient could give the patient more confidence in their recovery process.
Plus, Agatha had her own specific goals. Their close relationship might open her son’s eyes to see Chloe as more than just a wife in status.
“What’s wrong, dear?” Agatha quickly stepped in between Leonel, who was trying to get Chloe’s attention. She couldn’t help but notice it. It wasn’t easy for her to interrupt their intimacy like this, but let it be. It was for the sake of her plan not to fail.
“Just feeling a little dizzy, Mom.” Chloe lied. She forced herself to put on a forced smile. It’s not that Chloe didn’t want to show her best smile in front of her mother-in-law, but the headache she was experiencing was quite bothersome. She tried to suppress the discomfort. “Chloe is fine. There’s nothing for Mom to worry about,” she added. This time Chloe felt a gentle grip, one she recognized, on her hand. It was Agatha’s hand.
“But your face looks pale. Were you too tired yesterday?”
Chloe quickly shook her head. “No, Mom. After coming back, Chloe rested in the adjacent room. Fed the fish and occasionally talked to Aunt Rossa about the weekly menu. She also arranged breakfast and lunch menus, especially for Mom and Dad. Mr. Jaka said Dad would come home more often because Mom is here, right? In that case, Chloe should prepare a special feast.”
Agatha sighed in annoyance. “That’s what made you tired. Aunt Rossa must already know what she should do, Sa. It would be best if you prioritize yourself first. There has been some progress, but if you push yourself, you might collapse.”
Chloe winced, but her heart suddenly felt a lot more comfortable. It had been so long since she had listened to a lecture with affectionate advice and love from her parents. Agatha and Robby truly treated her as their beloved daughter.
“Maybe it’s because when I woke up this morning, I was startled by the sight of sunlight, which seemed much brighter than before.”
Those words made Agatha widen her eyes. “Is that true?” Her happiness couldn’t be concealed. What Chloe said was a significant improvement in her condition. “That means we should call Darren here, right, Sa?”
Chloe furrowed her brow while Leonel looked at his mother with disbelief.
“Why should it be Darren?”
“I think Darren is busy, Ma.”
Their words almost coincided, causing them to gaze at each other. It also made Agatha smile meaningfully. “Oh, Leonel, how clueless you are.” Agatha disregarded Chloe’s words this time. “Darren is the doctor who’s handling Chloe’s vision. He also knows her condition well. It’s best if he knows about it first, besides Grisham, her doctor.”
Leonel still couldn’t believe his mother said that. After Chloe went out with Darren without his permission? Now his wife had to meet with that doctor? Was there any other foolishness he would have to endure?