Chapter 5: Beneath His Cruelty
1211 Words
POV: Rihito
Around three in the morning, loud knocks suddenly echoed through my room.
“Sir…”
The voice of the head guard came from outside.
I frowned in irritation before allowing him in.
The moment he entered, his nervous expression immediately caught my attention.
“Sir, the young madam fainted,” he reported quickly. “I ordered the guards to take her back to her room.”
For a second, I froze.
“What?”
The word escaped my lips faster than expected.
“How could she faint?” I asked sharply. “Is she really that weak… or is she pretending?”
The guard lowered his head immediately.
“She isn’t pretending, sir. Her body temperature is extremely high. She has a fever.”
Something inside me tightened unexpectedly.
Without wasting another second, the guards helped me into my wheelchair.
The moment I sat properly, I immediately pressed the control button and headed toward her room while the head guard followed closely behind me.
The mansion was unusually silent at that hour.
Only the sound of my wheelchair moving across the floor echoed through the hallway.
When I finally reached her room, the sight before me made my chest feel strangely heavy.
Aaliya lay quietly on the bed.
Too quietly.
Her face looked pale, and strands of her hair stuck slightly to her forehead because of sweat. Even her breathing sounded weak.
For the first time since bringing her into this mansion…
She looked fragile.
Not stubborn.
Not rebellious.
Just… weak.
My eyes slowly moved toward her trembling hands resting on the blanket.
Damn it.
Did I really push her this far?
Annoyed with myself, I quickly grabbed my phone and called the family doctor.
He answered after the second ring.
“Sir—”
“Find your way here immediately if you don’t want to lose your job,” I said coldly before hanging up without waiting for his response.
The room became silent again.
I remained beside the bed, staring at Aaliya unconsciously.
Even while unconscious, her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as though she was still angry with the world.
Stubborn woman.
Suddenly, she moved slightly and whispered something weakly in her sleep.
“…Mom…”
My fingers tightened around the armrest instantly.
Pain flashed across her face for a brief moment before she became quiet again.
I looked away immediately.
Thirty minutes later, a knock sounded on the bedroom door.
The doctor had arrived.
“Come in,” I said coldly.
The family doctor hurried inside carrying his medical bag while sweat covered his forehead as if he had rushed all the way here.
The moment his eyes landed on Aaliya lying weakly on the bed, his expression changed immediately.
“What happened to her?” he asked carefully.
“That’s none of your business,” I replied impatiently. “Just treat her.”
He nodded quickly and moved toward the bed.
The room became silent as he checked her temperature and pulse. After a few minutes, his face darkened slightly.
“Her fever is very high,” he said seriously. “She’s severely weak because she hasn’t eaten properly.”
For some reason, his words irritated me.
“She’ll be fine after taking some medications and resting,” he continued carefully, probably noticing my expression. “But she needs food immediately.”
I stayed silent.
The doctor slowly packed his things before standing up again.
“And sir…” he hesitated nervously. “You should avoid putting her under too much stress. Her body looks exhausted already.”
My jaw tightened slightly.
Was he blaming me?
Without waiting for another second, I spoke coldly.
“Leave the medicine and get out.”
“Yes, sir.”
The doctor quickly dropped the medicines on the table before leaving the room.
The moment the door closed, silence filled the room once again.
I looked toward Aaliya.
Even unconscious, she looked stubborn.
I let out an irritated breath before pressing the intercom beside the bed.
Within seconds, one of the maids rushed inside nervously.
“Prepare something light for her to eat,” I ordered coldly. “And bring it immediately.”
The maid blinked in surprise for a brief second before bowing quickly.
“Yes, sir.”
After she left, I stayed there without realizing it.
I kept staring at Aaliya’s pale face while memories of her yelling at me earlier replayed inside my head.
That woman really knew how to cause trouble.
About twenty minutes later, the maid returned with warm soup and some food neatly arranged on a tray.
“Leave it there,” I said.
The maid placed the tray on the table before quietly leaving the room.
Just as I was about to leave too, I suddenly heard movement behind me.
Aaliya slowly opened her eyes.
For a few seconds, she looked confused while staring at the ceiling before her gaze finally landed on me.
Immediately, her expression hardened.
“You,” she muttered weakly.
I leaned slightly against my wheelchair.
“Looks like you’re finally awake.”
Instead of answering, she tried sitting up quickly, but her body immediately weakened again.
I frowned unconsciously.
“Don’t move too much.”
She glared at me instantly.
“Why do you care?” she snapped weakly. “Aren’t you the one who locked me in the basement like some criminal?”
I stayed silent.
The room suddenly became tense again.
“You starved me and now you’re pretending to care?” she continued angrily. “What exactly is wrong with you?”
For the first time in a long while…
I didn’t know what to say.
Her voice was weak, but every word hit harder than I expected.
“You should eat first,” I finally said quietly.
Her eyes widened slightly as if she wasn’t expecting that response.
Then she scoffed softly.
“Wow. How generous of you.”
I ignored her sarcasm and pushed the food tray slightly closer to her.
“Eat.”
“No.”
My eyes narrowed immediately.
“No?”
“I said no.” She folded her arms stubbornly despite looking exhausted. “What if the food is poisoned?”
I stared at her in disbelief before letting out a dry laugh.
“You really enjoy testing my patience.”
“And you enjoy acting like a devil.”
Silence.
Then unexpectedly…
I picked up the spoon from the tray.
Aaliya immediately looked at me suspiciously.
“What are you doing?”
“You said the food might be poisoned,” I replied calmly. “So I’ll eat it first.”
Without hesitation, I took a spoonful of the soup and swallowed it.
Aaliya stared at me speechlessly.
“There,” I said coldly. “Satisfied?”
For some strange reason, seeing her quiet for once almost amused me.
But then she suddenly looked away and muttered softly—
“You’re still a terrible person.”
I almost smirked.
Almost.
Instead, I moved the tray back toward her again.
“Eat before I lose my patience.”
This time, after a few seconds of hesitation, she slowly reached for the spoon.
And strangely enough…
Watching her eat made the tight feeling in my chest ease a little.
- Writer
