The Woman From Hell

Theo responded and got up to walk toward the kitchen. When he walked past the stairway, he saw m e and stopped in his tracks. He looked slightly surprised and said in a low voice, "You're up.”

I should not have gotten up, more so went downstairs. I would not be feeling this sting of pain if I had just stayed in the room.

"Are you there, Theowy?" Cindy, who was in the bathroom, sounded a little anxious.

"You should go. Ms. Cindy might catch a cold later." I looked up, gave a small smile, and turned around to go upstairs. I did not spare him another glance.

I slammed the bedroom door and began panting. For a moment, my heart was clenching so violently it was a s though I was about to suffocate the next second.

The air in the bedroom was stuffy, and the storm howled outside the window. I got up and opened the window, only to be hit by a strong gust of wind. It nearly threw me off balance. I crouched on the floor as the rain came down on me, splashing my body.

I placed my hands on the floor and welcomed the storm. The rain and howling wind continued to splatter and hit my face. The rainwater went into my

nose and mouth. I could taste bitterness mixed with the taste of earth.

Only by doing this was I able to ease the prickly pain i n my heart and momentarily forget everything.

Who was the one who said that one could get everything one wanted as long as one persisted?

Why was the result always the same no matter how hard I persisted?

I could only heal my own wounds and endure the pain. I had always been alone, and eventually, I would end up all alone too.

My tears gushed out of my eyes, mixing with the cold rainwater. The sensation pierced through my limbs and bones, chilling my heart and stinging my bones.

The rain would not stop. I shivered in the storm, the cold in my body taking over the pain from before. My head became heavy, and I was slowly losing consciousness.

When I could no longer hold on and was about to crash to the floor, Theo rushed over.

He took me in his arms at lightning speed and got up t o shut the windows, cutting out the deafening sound o f the storm outside. I could hear everything clearly again.

"Are you nuts?" He was livid, and his lips quivered in anger. He had never been so furious.

My head was a mess as I lay weakly in his arms with n o strength to speak.

He saw me in this state and stopped talking. He hugged me tight, and my wet clothes quickly soaked his clothes. He reached out to wipe the raindrops off o f my face before bringing me to the bathroom at lightning speed.

He switched on the hot water tap in the bathroom and removed my wet clothes very quickly before gently putting me into the bathtub.

My body continued to tremble as an inexplicable feeling gushed out of my heart. I felt very uncomfortable.

When my body touched the hot water, warmth returned to my body and I slowly stopped shivering.

He looked at me with dark and sullen eyes. His voice was chilly. "Wanda Lane, there are many ways for you t o punish me. Don’t torture me like that." Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

My chest throbbed in pain again as I looked up with tears streaming down my face. I muttered, "It wasn’t m y intention to punish you..."

I was not thinking too much at the time and merely felt that the rain could ease the pressure in my heart. I was just trying to release my emotions.

He looked down at me and sighed, wiping away the tears from my face with a towel. He said helplessly, "I can't shirk my responsibility toward the Reeds and Cindy. I can’t just ignore her. Promise me, don’t hurt yourself and the child anymore. You can scold and hit

me if you're unhappy.”

He said these words with a serious expression.

I felt a little sad and reached out to coil my arms around his neck, choking. "I didn't do it on purpose.”

He patted my back for a very long time before he began scrubbing and washing my body.

The rain had drenched my body and mind, making me dizzy. I sat dazedly on the same spot, not budging as h e continued to wash me. This was not the first time anyway, so there was nothing to feel abashed about.

After soaking in the hot water, my body warmed up completely and my consciousness recovered.

Theo wrapped me up with a towel, picked me up, and walked out of the bathroom. He placed me on the bed. He found a set of clothes and put them on for me before grabbing the hairdryer to dry my hair for me.

A gush of warmth flowed within me. I enjoyed every moment of this warmth and bliss, so much so that I feared time would slip away. I hoped that we could forever stay in this moment. 2

After he blew dry my hair, I wanted to lie down and rest but Theo stopped me. He bent down in front of me and said softly, "Let's go downstairs first.”