Chapter 5

Aston:

My eyes snapped open and that was when I realized it was morning. I looked around, but I didn't see her around. Creased lines formed on my forehead, and I heaved, trying to figure out where she could have gone.

"I knew it. All she was doing was just to fool me. She probably saw me like a helpless male who needed pity,"I muttered with my face now hardened. My teeth were clenched, and my hands grabbed the sheet, but I snapped my head towards the direction of the door because I heard the door open. 

There she was, and surprisingly, she had a tray in her hand.

"Oh, you're up. Good morning!" She sounded enthusiastic. "I was about to come wake you up with--" 

"You made breakfast?" I asked to confirm because I knew there were maids ready to make anything at her beck and Call.

Nicole nodded. "Yes, yes I did," she answered, using her legs to close the door behind her. I furrowed my brows, watching her movement.

"She cooks?!" I exclaimed. That was a first. I didn't expect her to be the one cooking the meal. She was from an influential family, and I expected her to make the maids do it, but the reverse was the case. 

"Here we go," she commented, making sure the tray was set comfortably before me.

I lowered my head, and glanced at the tray which contained plated toast, alongside a nice cup of tea.  

"Eat up. You should have had breakfast, but I didn't want to bother you because... Well, we both had a long day yesterday," she commented, lowering her head.

Her kindness touched me, but instead of allowing the warmth that was building up to spread, I quickly shook my head, which got her worried.

"What's wrong?" Her meek voice echoed back, causing me to raise my eyes towards her pretty face. 

The truth was, I was stunned, and skeptical at the same time. 

‘What if the meal was poisoned?’ I asked myself several times, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. Was I being careful not to actually hurt her feelings? Or was I being smart not to say anything about it?

"I'm not hungry," my reply was cold, and expressionless.

"Really? Or you're scared I'm trying to kill you?" She responded, and this time, I felt my heart skip a beat. Was she a witch? How was she able to read my thoughts?

Silence reigned, but she was quick to break it with a sigh that escaped from her lips.

"You know what? You're right. It's poisoned. I'm trying to eliminate you," she answered, rolling her hands as she reached out from the toast on the plate.

Without hesitation, she bit into it, picking up the cup of tea on the tray as well. She sipped it, and then placed it back. 

"The amount you ate isn't enough to kill someone, eat some more," I explained with a serious look on my face.

She shrugged her shoulders, and grabbed the toast. "I've eaten breakfast, but if you insist, I'll eat some more," she explained, continuing the meal from where she stopped.

My eyes were fixed on her, and I watched her bite into it about four times before I made an attempt.

"Stop."

She did as I said, but was still trying to chew the one she had just taken a bite of.

Without saying another word, I  took the second toast on the plate, and took a bite. Just like that, my brows were raised, and I made a satisfactory hum. It seemed she was a good cook. It was the best toast I had ever tasted.

"Shocked?" Nicole questioned but I ignored her.

I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of hearing me praise her so I suddenly put on a frown. 

After breakfast, she cleared the trays, still leaving me in thoughts.

"No, she's pretending. All this is  just to make me feel comfortable around her so she could take what belongs to me, but I'm not going to allow that no matter what! I wouldn't let her into my--" 

"I'll prepare your bath," she explained, and my brows arched in confusion. 

"I don't understand. Where's my caregiver ?" So many questions I had, but it didn't seem to be explained well enough.

“I gave her a break.”

As soon as she said that, my heart skipped a beat. The only thing I could think about was the fact that she was trying to kill me, so she was taking people away from me.

"You didn't ask me first," I spoke as she tried to get the bath ready.

"Well, I didn't want to. Besides, I am your wife now right?"

"We both know we don't want to be here. Stop acting like an angel because you're not. I know your plans, I know you're doing all this to--" 

"Bath's ready!" She exclaimed, not seeming to be affected by what I had just said to her.

I kept shut, my chest pacing. I wasn't happy with how she was acting, but I had to put up with it. My family caused all of this.

By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, I saw my wheelchair in front of me. Nicole was trying to get me on it. 

It was a big struggle, but she finally did it, heaving as her chest puffed. 

"You're heavy," she grunted, and proceeded to push me to the bathroom.

Her lifestyle marvelled me. All the negative words I seemed to shoot at her didn't seem to work. 

I pondered for a long time as she scrubbed me gently. Her intent wasn't to hurt me. It was more like my caregiver. She was being professional about it.

Suddenly, a smirk slowly formed on my lips. I knew the right words to say to distract her.

"Have you ever seen such a handsome man like me? I'm sure bathing me is making you have a lot of thoughts right?" I used my tongue to dab over my lips in a seductive manner, all to annoy her, but she sighed.

"Would you rather bath yourself?" That was her answer, and since I recalled the last incident when I tried to help myself, I kept shut. However, after what seemed like an eternity, I spoke up about what bothered me. 

"Where did you learn to care for someone like this?"