Chapter 3

Shawn panicked, and he ran to Noelle's side of the car. "What's wrong, Elle?" he asked frantically.

She kept puking, the nausea refusing to subside for the longest time.

She couldn't understand. Why had Shawn cheated when he loved her so? Wasn't he afraid of her finding out? Or did he think he was perfectly capable of keeping this from her forever because he'd done such a good job of hiding it?

Eventually, the cool night breeze helped to clear her mind.

"Are you okay, Elle?" Shawn asked. "I'll take you to the hospital now if you're feeling ill."

"No, it's okay. It's probably something I ate for dinner."

"Come to my office tomorrow, then. We can have dinner together."

Noelle sneered inwardly. Did he want her to go to his office and watch him and Jessica get it on?

Suddenly, she wanted to be nasty. "Sure. I'll go to work with you tomorrow and stay by your side as you work. Then, we can have dinner together before going home."

Shawn didn't expect her to agree at all. His expression turned a little stiff. "I've been quite busy lately, though. I might not be able to be by your side the whole day."

"That's okay. You can do what you need. I'll wait for you in your office."

"…Alright, then."

When they got home, Shawn offered to draw Noelle a bath. He went to the bathroom but shut the door, which wasn't like him.

Meanwhile, Noelle went downstairs and got back inside the car. After starting it, she saw Shawn's conversation with Jessica on the screen again.

Shawn: "Change of plans. We can't do it in the office tomorrow."

Insatiable Jess: "What? I'm so disappointed."

Shawn: "Don't be, babe. I'll take you to the rooftop. It'll be more exciting there."

Insatiable Jess: "You're the best, babe."

Shawn came out of the bathroom just as Noelle returned to the bedroom. "Your bath is ready, Elle. Go ahead and take a soak."

"No, it's okay. I just want to go to bed."

"Alright, then. You should rest if you're tired," he said. "Can I open the gift you left on the table now?"

Noelle shook her head. "Open it in a week."

"Why do I have to wait for a week? I want to see what you've prepared for me right now."

"Because…" Because she would leave him forever in a week. "Because… it'll only be meaningful if you open it in a week."

Shawn kissed her forehead. "Okay, then. I'll do as you say."

…

The following morning, Shawn's phone started ringing when it was just past 6:00 am. He rejected the call and turned over to hold Noelle. "Ignore it. Let's sleep for a while longer."

But his phone started ringing again. He frowned. "It's not time for work yet, but they're already urging me to head to the office. One of these days, I'll fire these useless people."

He rejected the call again.

When it rang a third time, Shawn huffily got out of bed. "You go back to sleep, Elle. I'll ask them what exactly is so urgent that they keep calling."

She murmured in acknowledgment and turned away from him.

He left the bedroom with his phone and soon appeared outside the house. A delivery guy stood outside and handed him something. He took it but was empty-handed when he returned to the bedroom.

Noelle asked, "Is there a problem at work?"

"No, it's nothing. You don't need to worry about anything, Elle. I'll go make you breakfast."

Noelle didn't know whether it was out of guilt or genuine concern that the food yesterday had affected her, but Shawn prepared a feast for breakfast. There was milk, eggs, bread, jam, and her favorite oatmeal.

"You can't eat whatever you want from now on. Also, I think I'll hire someone to come over to cook for you daily," Shawn said.

"That's not necessary."

"Be good, Elle, or I'll worry about you when I'm working."

"Can I ask you something, Shawn?"

"Of course."

Noelle set her cutlery down and asked, "Do you think it's true that couples will get an itch to be with someone else after being married for a number of years?"

Shawn's expression turned contemptuous. "That's just an excuse men make to explain why they've fallen for someone else. I'm not like them—you're the only one I'll love in this lifetime."

"Really? You'll love only me?"

"Yeah."

"What will happen if you do fall for someone else, then?"

"Then, I'll get struck by lightning and die a horrible death."

Noelle smiled mockingly. "Aren't you afraid it'll really happen?"

"I'm telling the truth. Why should I be afraid?"

She picked up her cutlery again and started spreading jam on her bread.

"You have to trust me, Elle," Shawn said earnestly.

All she said was, "Eat your breakfast."

"Do you not believe me?"

"Your staff are waiting for you at the company. You don't want to be late."

This made Shawn relax. He sat across from her and said, "Let them wait. They're useless, anyway. I'll fire them sooner or later."

"Can you bear to fire her?" Noelle asked. She'd used "her", not "them".

She didn't know whether he noticed. All he said was, "I can bear to lose everything but you."