Chapter 75 - Seventy Five
Suzy’s steps echoed softly down the marbled hallway, her heart pounding a nervous rhythm against her ribs. In her hands, a simple white bowl held cool water and a soft linen towel, an image so foreign to her life she almost coughed.
Taking care of the sick never featured in her childhood. Growing up as an only child, she’d always been the one coddled, the recipient of care rather than the giver.
She had never had the experience of tending to a feverish sibling, a sick friend or a bedridden parent. The closest she’d come was witnessing her mother fuss over her father when he’d occasionally catch a cold.
Memories flickered in her mind – her mother’s gentle touch as she placed a cool compress on her father’s forehead, the soothing murmur of comforting words. Suzy subconsciously mimicked the action, tilting the bowl in her hand to ensure the water stayed cool.
"Maybe I should ask Mrs. Madelyn or Mary to help," she muttered to herself, her voice barely a whisper. The thought of tending to Ryan alone, especially with his fever and the lingering tension from their occasional confrontation, sent shivers down her spine.
But then a wave of stubbornness washed over her. No, she can do this. Tending to him was the least she could do, especially after his "all of a sudden fever". It would be a show of goodwill, a gesture of... duty, she corrected herself quickly.
"Good deeds, Suzy," she muttered to herself, forcing a smile. " anyone will help a sick person, wouldn’t they?" Yes, that’s why she was doing this. It had nothing to do with the way her heart clenched at the news of his fever, nor the strange flicker of protectiveness that surged through her when she knew he would have been taken care of by his ex-lover.
Her brow furrowed in thought. Eleanor’s unexpected audacity had thrown her off balance. The woman’s venomous words and thinly veiled accusations lingered in her mind, leaving a bitter taste.
"He’s my husband now," Her subconscious echoing her words from earlier. Has she gone crazy? Why did she say a thing like that? And it’s not like she meant every word she said, she just wanted to put Eleanor in her place.
She shook her head, refusing to dwell on such embarrassing thoughts. Right now, she needs to do what she has come to do - nursing Ryan back to health. His well-being was her priority, especially since he couldn’t very well care for himself in his feverish state.
Reaching his chambers, Suzy took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever awaited her within. Knocking softly on the oak door, she waited for a response.