The day seemed to pass by a lot slower, given Evan’s anxiety. The hours and minutes dragged on, and he found himself constantly looking at the clock.
Finally, it was the time of the meeting. Evan drove to The Passion at top speed. The lights inside glimmered seductively, adding to the lush atmosphere.
The interior was noisy and harsh-sounding, but Evan barely registered it. His handsome face remained impassive and calm, completely unresponsive to the din around him.
When he walked towards the specified booth, he noticed that there was a woman seated there.
Evan observed the woman’s back carefully as his brows furrowed in doubt. Her back was too thin, as it bore no resemblance to the person he was anticipating.
Perhaps it isn’t her after all?
His heart sank a little, but he was eager to find out anyway.
Evan then approached the booth and took his seat. After seeing the woman’s face clearly, the disappointment weighed heavily in his heart.
This woman was a complete stranger to him. “You asked to meet me?”
The woman nodded.
“What do you want?” asked Evan impatiently.
The woman studied him before replying. “I wanted to see for myself. What kind of man would my fellow acolyte fall for?”
Acolyte?
“Who is this fellow acolyte of yours?”
The woman smiled. “Nicole, of course.”
At the mere mention of Nicole’s name, she saw that Evan’s face lit up immediately. She had noticed that Evan’s face was the epitome of disappointment when he first laid eyes on her.
“Is Nicole alright?” asked Evan, a hint of worry clouding his features.
“I’m afraid not,” she replied grimly.
“Where is she?”
“She doesn’t want to see you.”
“Why?”
“How am I supposed to know what happened between the two of you?” She stared at him pointedly, a sour look on her face. “I can bring you to her, but it has to be in secret.”
Evan nodded. “Alright.”
Even if he could only see Nicole in secret, he would be happy. Evan was willing to go to hell and back for her.
The woman looked at him excitedly. It’s just like Wesley had said. He is truly a handsome chap, and very eager to meet Nicole. We’ve been taking care of her for so long now. She is so affected by her hallucinations. I’ve lost count of the number of days we’ve been troubled by her illness. All those sleepless nights! He’s her husband, so asking him for a reward for our efforts doesn’t seem to be that unreasonable!
“I wasn’t finished. You can meet her, but there are some conditions.”
“Tell me.”
Seeing how eager Evan was, she decided not to beat around the bush. The woman reached into her bag and fished out a notebook which she then gave to Evan.
“This is a log of what I’ve done to take care of Nicole for the past two years. How are you going to thank me? I’ll let you decide. I’d prefer cash of course. Do you catch my drift?”
Of course, he understood what she meant. The woman was asking him to pay her for her efforts.
Evan examined the notebook carefully. She had recorded the progression of Nicole’s illness, as well as things they needed to look out for. Towards the back, she recorded her daily physical condition as well as her diet.
Each page was full to the brim, but there was no doubt that she had been very attentive to Nicole.
He noticed that in the past three months, there was no record of Nicole having hallucinations. Most of it detailed recovery steps.
Evan was curious. “Have her hallucinations stopped? Is she cured?”
The woman sighed. “It took Wesley a full twenty months of traveling all over the country, looking for a cure to get her back to normal! In the last three months, there have been no relapses, but she is still weak. She has been depressed and needs proper care.”
Evan was relieved when he heard the news.
Over the past two years, all he cared about was the condition Nicole was in. The thought nagged at him persistently, day and night.
Knowing that her illness was now cured, he was very happy.
But when he thought about how much pain she had to endure throughout her treatment, he felt distressed again.
Nicole, why are you so stupid?
Why don’t you let me bear it with you?
“Wesley and I now have other matters to attend to, and there are other cases that require our attention. I’m afraid we can’t keep looking after Nicole.” The woman pursed her lips and continued. “She is your wife, isn’t she? Shouldn’t you be taking care of her instead?
