"Ah! Hubby!"
"En?"
Ren slowly let her go when she wiggled free from his embrace. He was so reluctant to part their lips yet he couldn't help but hold in his laugh as she appeared nervous all of a sudden.
"Why?"
"Err..." Tsubaki looked at her back. She quickly retrieved it before she once again faced her husband. There was a small note in her hands. "Actually... I found this."
Ren arched an eyebrow. Even though he had known what she wanted to show to him, he still feigned his innocence when he took the crumpled note from her hands. The content of the familiar note was displayed bare in front of him.
"How did you get this?" Ren asked calmly. He had deduced much that she might get it during her lunch date with President Esumi's daughter yesterday yet he still wanted to hear the details from herself.
"Em... I'm not sure either..." Tsubaki hung her head low. She felt dejected once she recalled the feeling she had when she first found the note inside her handbag. "I'm sure this note wasn't there when I went out with Kanako. I only realized it after I got home."
Ren read the note again. This one wasn't a random reminder or a warning. Someone had deliberately approached his wife and had successfully slipped this note inside her handbag without her noticing.
And without a doubt, this person knew Tsubaki's real identity.
"Did anything peculiar happen when you went out with Miss Esumi?" Ren placed the note on the envelope, both of them were laying on the bed beside them. "Or did you leave your handbag unattended even for a short amount of time?"
Tsubaki shook her head, she didn't do or experience any of it.
"I went to the ladies once but since the cubicle has a holder for handbag, I brought my bag along with me and nothing particularly stood out except for..." Tsubaki trailed off, she looked back at the note. "When I bumped into a man outside the restaurant."
"En."
Once he found the note, he had immediately linked the unknown man with it but from Akashi's search result, nothing could be found on the man. He was really innocent in this matter.
From the surveillance footage, after he bumped against Tsubaki, he went ahead doing his matter - eating at a cafe with a friend, shopping at a man's boutique and watching a movie at the cinema. Akashi had even traced the footage showing him leaving the mall. Even the man's identity was a simple one.
"No matter who sent this note to you, we must be careful," Ren said after a long period of silence. His brows furrowed when he thought of the unknown danger lurking around them. "We don't know whether this person is a friend or foe but he's obviously warning us to stop digging the secrets. I'm worried, sweetheart."
Tsubaki silently stared back at her husband's tensed face. He was worried because he cared. What he said was plausible. Someone had known that they have been rooting out the secrets from more than two decades ago. They needed to be more discreet in this matter.
"I understand, darling," Tsubaki once again nestled in his embrace. Ren swiftly wrapped his long hands around her, one of his hands supporting the curve of her waist. "I'll be more mindful of my surroundings. Especially since I'm carrying our child now."
The safety of their little one was in her hands. If she didn't take better care of herself and put herself in danger, she might lose him. Since days went by, she had grown fonder of this child. Even the thought of her falling down yesterday sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn't imagine what would become of her if...
Tsubaki quickly shook her head, chasing the nasty thought far away from her mind.
"Let's stop thinking about this," Ren lowered down his body on the mattress as he cradled her in his arms to lie beside him. He pulled the blanket to cover them, their legs entangled under the soft blanket. "It's late, sweetheart. We'll continue tomorrow, alright?"
"En..."
Tsubaki reluctantly agreed but she knew when to stop. She had been exhausted but she forced herself to stay up just to talk about the matter with her husband. Right now, her eyelids felt so heavy she understood that she needed her rest soon.
As the moon illuminated the summer night sky, a certain lady slept peacefully in her husband's embrace. The corners of her lips curled up faintly as she enjoyed the security of his arms. While she was dreaming, she didn't notice that a pair of dark eyes were looking at her with tenderness in them.
Tsubaki was dreaming sweetly about their family of three when a sudden urge to vomit startled her awake. She immediately sat up, one of her hands instantly covering her mouth. She felt that all the food she had eaten today was threatening to expulse from her stomach up to her mouth.
"Ergh..."
Tsubaki forcefully pushed Ren's hand away from her waist as she got off the bed in a haste. Her feet were unstable and she nearly stumbled. In the dimness of the room, her hand flailed before she got to grab her support from the nearest cabinet. As a wave of dizziness hit her, she no longer could force the bile down.
"Bluergh!"
The contents of her stomach spewed out of her coughing, choking mouth. Tsubaki sunk on her knees, her stomach was contracting badly even though after she had vomited a large amount of her food today. Tears dripped down her face as she tried to contain the helplessness and weaknesses she felt at this moment. The view of the mess she made on the white marble floor and the pain in her stomach and throat made her really wanted to cry.
"Tsubaki."
A warm pair of hands gently cradled her from behind. Tsubaki turned around, she was slightly heaving after vomiting badly. An indescribable feeling surged in her heart. She quickly turned her head back, avoiding from meeting his worried gaze. Her hands were weakly swatting his away.
"Go back to sleep... I'm okay..."
"Sweetheart, let me help you," Ren insisted in a soft voice. He understood that her emotions were unstable.
"No..." Tsubaki was still pushing him away from her. The pungent smell of her vomit made her uneasy. She didn't want him to see her in this way.
"Sweetheart..."
"No!"
Tsubaki forced herself to stand up. Her legs wobbled yet she refused to back down. Ren didn't say anything. He silently looked at her stubborn self before he scooped her in his arms. Tsubaki yelped, she stared at her husband with widened eyes.
"I will bring you to the bathroom," Ren looked at her directly into her eyes, rendered her speechless. "Stop avoiding me whenever this happens."
Tsubaki wanted to protest but she swallowed down her words once she realized there was a faint trace of disappointment in her husband's eyes. In the end, she hung her head low as he carried her to the bathroom.
Ren slowly lowered down her feet once they got to the vast counter, facing the sink. He let Tsubaki washed off her bile-tasted mouth as he gathered her long hair behind her back. His wife looked so fragile as she lurched forward and coughed a few times. Her bony shoulders slumped down and her petite frame shook.
He was still drowsy when he was suddenly awakened by her frantic movements. His mind got clear once he saw her tiny figure crouching on the floor and spewing out the contents of her stomach. Without thinking much, he immediately went to her side only to see how pale and weak she appeared at that moment.
As much as he understood why did she behave that way, it still made him angry and disappointed.
Ren was still in silence as he helped her wiped her face and gave her a glass of water to drink. He even changed her nightgown into a new one before he carried her back to their bed. The pungent stench had lingered in the room and he noticed how the small lady in his arms shrunk slightly against his chest.
Ren put Tsubaki down on the bed. He immediately turned around, getting ready to clean the mess on the floor. He had just taken one step when her weak voice resounded from his back.
"Darling, I..."
Ren paused his steps. Without looking at her, he said in a firm tone. "Stay there."
Tsubaki bit her lips, she lowered her head dejectedly. Both of her hands clasped together. She knew he was angry at her.
Ren went inside the bathroom and returned with a basin of clean water and a few cleaning equipment. He squatted down and started cleaning the vomit staining the marble floor. Tsubaki watched him from the bed. Never once did he look disgusted. He didn't even cover his nose or scrunched up his face. In no time, the floor was spotless again.
After washing his hands, Ren went back to their bed. Tsubaki was watching him with guilty eyes, hidden behind her bangs. He stood in front of her, his gaze was darkened once it met hers.
"Darling, I..." Tsubaki was at a loss of words. She didn't know what to say to him. This issue might seem small yet it could escalate to something big if she continued acting this way. Without being able to say anything, she pursed her lips before averting her eyes from his.
The quiet atmosphere in the room was suffocating. None of them talked. It was a far cry from their usual peaceful silence.
Ren was still standing before her while Tsubaki was looking down at the floor. He saw her was fiddling with the hem of her nightgown, she looked so pitiful in his eyes.
Ren sighed inwardly.
"Sweetheart..."
"I'm sorry."
Tsubaki's words quickly cut him off. She slowly lifted up her chin, forcing herself to look back into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I know you're angry with me. I..."
Ren slowly crouched down, both of his long hands were placed on the bed at her sides.
"You know why I'm upset, right?" Ren asked her softly. The firmness from earlier was already gone, along with the darkness of his eyes.
"Yes..." Tsubaki nodded weakly. "I was too stubborn. I'm sorry."
"Sweetheart," Ren raised one of his hands, he gently placed his wide palm on her cheek. He suppressed the lingering disappointment in his heart. "I don't want this matter to happen for the third time. Don't make me feel useless. How many times you want to avoid me? During your entire pregnancy? Let me help whenever you need me."
Tsubaki nodded again. Her husband had been a really patient man when dealing with her yet tonight she had unconsciously triggered him with her stubbornness.
"I'm really sorry... sorry... I'm sorry..." Tsubaki choked on her sobs, big droplets of tears started trickling down her face. "I just... I feel so dirty... I don't want you to see me like that... I won't do that again..."
Which girl wanted their significant other to see that kind of mess made by themselves? All of them wanted to appear prim and proper, hiding away their flaws and ugly scenes.
Ren knew it wasn't in his capability to continue being angry toward her yet this time he needed to make himself clear. If this kind of thing continued, how could her pregnancy went smooth-sailing? Moreover, he was by her side. What use of him as a husband if he felt disgusted by his pregnant wife's uncontrollable biological habits?
"Hush, sweetheart," Ren leaned closer and wrapped her in his arms. He gently patted her back, trying to comfort her. "Don't cry. I'm sorry too for being angry. I just don't want you to face this alone."
Tsubaki nodded, her head was now leaning against his warm chest. She had promised him so she needed to learn to rely on him more.
Their little episode of argument went by with both of them sleeping while embracing one another.