Madelyn put down her book and walked over to the meal. The bodyguard laid the three- layered thermos container on the table. The first layer had the walnut cake, while the second layer had a few pieces of carne frita. The third layer was a nutritious vegetable porridge.
Flashbacks came to Madelyn’s mind of her first meeting with Ethan. After that night when Madelyn had first found out about her health condition, she had often spent her nights alone in a small pavilion downstairs in the hospital crying.
One night, Madelyn was at her usual spot, and Ethan came over. Sounding both amused and somewhat helpless, he asked her, “Why do I always see you crying?”
Madelyn was glistening with tears. After the teardrops left her eyes, she saw the concern in Ethan’s eyes. Ethan brushed her tears away gently. He was the gentlest person Madelyn had ever met, even though he was just a stranger.
Madelyn had never thought a stranger could bring her such warmth. Since then, Ethan would visit her from time to time, even having someone send her three meals a day. The most interesting part was Ethan seemed to know what she liked to eat. However, Madelyn could not figure out why he was being so kind to her.
Madelyn resurfaced from her flashbacks and heard the bodyguard explaining, “Mr. Arnold. learned the walnut cake recipe from your family’s nanny, alongside the carne frita. Please go easy on Mr. Arnold, it’s his first time cooking. If the food really is inedible, please don’t force yourself.”
Madelyn asked, “How come there only three pieces of carne frita?”
The bodyguard replied, “You have not recovered entirely, so you can’t have too much meat. Mr. Arnold promised to make up for it after you heal.”
‘So that’s why there’s so little meat,’ Madelyn thought. Madelyn took the cutleries handed over by the bodyguard and ate. After chewing the food, she paused. She kept a straight face and slowly nibbled on it, not wanting to disappoint Ethan’s heartfelt intentions. She appreciated it as no one had ever cooked for her besides Rosalia.
Madelyn finished the porridge and carne frita. As for the walnut cake, she left it for later. The bodyguard had brought her food and Madelyn did not want him to leave empty-handed. She handed him some cookies she had made during her free time, since she thought Ethan would be able to eat these.
After the bodyguard left, Madelyn covered her chest and quickly rushed to the restroom to rinse her mouth. She then drank a lot of water. To tell the truth, she was thankful that there were only a few pieces of carne frita, instead of the entire dish. Otherwise, she would have needed to stay in the hospital for another ten days due to food poisoning,
Madelyn came out of the restroom and noticed the bodyguard had returned and was on the phone. “Yes, Miss Jent has finished the food.”
The bodyguard handed the phone over to Madelyn. “Mr. Arnold has something to say to you.” Madelyn answered the call, “Hi, erm. Hello.”
“I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” Ethan’s voice was warm and pleasant to the ears.
Madelyn grabbed the hem of her coat nervously, holding back the discomfort in her stomach.” I’m fine. You don’t need to apologize. I’m flattered that you cooked for me. No one’s ever done that for me before. Really, I’m grateful for it,” Madelyn replied.
Phone in hand, she walked over to the balcony, her hands resting on the railing while she looked at the scenery. Meanwhile, outside the ward, an eye-catching couple was walking in the corridor with intimate gestures.
“Zach, are you sure Madelyn hasn’t had her meal already?” Jadie asked while locking her arms in Zach’s arms. She had a bouquet of flowers in her hand and Zach had a heavier insulated food container in his hands. Zach replied, “She hasn’t.”
