Aurelia couldn’t handle spicy food;just a little would leave her stomach aching for half a day.For the past ten years,Santino had always given in and chosen mild dishes for her sake.
Now his eyes stayed on her,as if waiting to catch the smallest crack in her calm.Whether it was anger or sadness,anything would do,anything except this polite indifference.
But Aurelia didn’t waver.She only smiled faintly and said,“As expected of a regular,these dishes already sound delicious.”
The food came quickly,and Aurelia was the first to pick up her utensil.As she chewed,she noticed she didn’t seem as sensitive to the spice anymore;there was only the lightest trace of heat on her tongue.
A fragile hope rose in her chest.Could it be that Santino still remembered and had ordered the mildest level on purpose?
Just as she lifted her head to speak,she felt a warm trickle slide from her nose,and without hesitation,she rushed to the bathroom to wash it off with cold water.
When Aurelia lifted her head,she caught her reflection in the mirror,her hair messy,her face drawn,her lips red and swollen from the spice.
Just as she was about to leave,Astrid appeared at the doorway,her voice soft with concern.
“Aurelia,are you alright?”
That innocent and gentle tone cut through her like a knife.A girl as pure as Astrid was the one who truly deserved Santino,while she was nothing more than the villain,clinging to him,hurting his mother.
The kinder Astrid seemed,the heavier the shame pressed down on her,and the stronger her urge grew to run.
She forced a small smile.“I’m fine.”
With that,Aurelia hurriedly said goodbye.Santino didn’t stop her.
When she returned home,a sharp pain twisted through her stomach,dropping her to the floor as cold sweat drenched her skin until she finally fainted.
When she woke again,her eyes fluttered open to see Santino sitting quietly at her bedside,watching her in silence.
When Aurelia woke,Santino pulled back the softness in his gaze,and his eyes hardened into coldness again.When he finally spoke,it wasn’t out of concern but filled with questioning.
“Why did you go to the hospital?The follow-up call came to me.”
She remembered her last visit for the brain tumor.The doctor had told her to come back for a checkup.She hadn’t thought much of it and,as always,filled in both her number and a family contact.