The soft light of the morning sun penetrated through the gaps of the curtain, illuminating inside the bedroom. The lady sleeping on the bed started to stir. Tsubaki woke up with an unpleasant feeling of listlessness enveloped her body. Even the simple act of sitting up made her groaned in pain.
"Ergh..."
Tsubaki leaned on one of her hands as the other one pressing on her stomach. She could feel her stomach churning again. Turning her head to her side of the bed, her eyes landed on the water jug and glasses placed on the bedside table. She forcefully dragged herself to the edge of the king-sized bed, she wanted to drink to force the bile down.
Even after drinking mouthfuls of water, her nausea kept acting up. Tsubaki had no choice but to go to the bathroom. She didn't want to repeat the same scene as last night.
Her husband was nowhere to be found. Knowing Ren, he might be cooking their breakfast downstairs. He wouldn't leave for the company without telling her. In her daze, she could even smell a faint scent of something delicious brewing in the kitchen.
"Urk!"
Tsubaki covered her mouth with her hands. She didn't have time to mind the aching of her limbs as she quickly got off the bed and ran to the bathroom. The sound of retching filled the bathroom, she puked and puked, throwing all her stomach contents until she heaved in exhaustion. Both of her hands gripped the sides of the sink tightly, turning her knuckles white.
"Ha... ha..."
Her throat felt so sore. Since she had vomited last night, the only thing came out from her mouth was the clear liquid with the stench of the bile. Tsubaki weakly turned on the tap, letting the water fell in the sink and washed away the acidic residue of her vomit. She lightly splashed her pale face with the cool water, trying to freshen herself.
"Sweetheart?"
A sound of familiar deep voice entered her ears. Tsubaki raised her head from the sink and looked at the mirror, she saw him standing behind her, both of his hands were holding her shoulders. He was still in his pajamas from last night.
"Darling..."
Ren reached out for the wall cabinet hung above their heads, taking out a face towel. He supported her waist as he gently wiped her face clean. Unlike last night, his dainty wife acted docile. She had even clung to him with both of her hands wrapped tightly around his waist.
Amusement flickered in his eyes, the corners of his lips lifted up. "Seems like my sweetheart remembers what I told her last night. You've become so obedient now, love."
"Well, my dear hubby wants me to rely more on him so what can I do?" Tsubaki looked up, she deliberately fluttered her eyelashes and stared at him with her doe eyes. "Don't blame me if someday I puke on you. You're the one who wants me to be clingy. So, I'll stuck with you like a koala."
Ren laughed heartily, he pinched her nose as his brows arched. "If only I could stuff you inside my pockets so I could carry you around wherever I go, I would do that."
"Erk..."
She thought she had been witty enough in teasing him but he still proved her otherwise! No one could beat him!
"I've made chicken and corn porridge for you," Ren carefully led downstairs. He wanted to carry her but Tsubaki had adamantly refused so he just settled by wrapping his arm around her waist. "You've vomited twice. I hope you could at least finish the porridge. Both of you are hungry."
As he said this, he rubbed her tummy with a fond smile on his face.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, darling." Tsubaki nodded. Butterflies fluttered inside her stomach when she saw the tenderness of his smile.
Tsubaki was so grateful because she could eat without having the urge to puke. Her husband's porridge was so delicious. She happily ate the chunks of chicken meats with the sweet corns. Ren was right. She was famished. In no time, she finished eating a bowl of porridge.
"Here, drink your milk," Ren put down a glass of fresh milk on the table. He too had finished eating. "I've warmed it up for you."
"Thank you, darling," Tsubaki smiled sweetly.
She extended a hand to take the glass yet when the smell of the milk filled her nostrils, she suddenly doubled over and backed away from the table. Her hand accidentally knocked over the glass. The loud sound of glass falling and chair screeching on the floor startled Ren.
"Tsubaki!"
Ren immediately went to her side. She was heaving in pain. A portion of the porridge that she had just eaten earlier formed a puddle on the floor. Together with the spilled milk and the debris from the shattered glass, the marble floor of the dining room was in a mess.
"Darling..."
Tsubaki felt like she wanted to cry. She was fine earlier yet once she smelled the milk, her stomach churned again and before she could do anything, she had spewed out her breakfast.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here," Ren carefully patted her back. He reached out for a glass of plain water, he brought it to her trembling lips. "Drink some water first. Here, sweetheart."
Tsubaki drank a few mouthfuls of water, washing away the unpleasant taste in her mouth. She felt lucky because she didn't vomit all of her breakfast, unlike last night. After drinking the water, the churning of her stomach felt bearable.
"I'll carry you to the living room first," Ren stood up. He placed his arms under her legs and her back, his eyes glanced at the sharp debris lying on the floor. "It's dangerous here."
In the living room, Ren placed Tsubaki on the long couch. He stared at her, she looked so downhearted. He knew she was distressed with what had happened. He chuckled softly before he brushed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Don't overthink, sweetheart," Ren whispered once he pulled away from Tsubaki. His fingers were lightly gripping her chin, urging her to look at him. The corners of his lips turned upward, his whole expression exuding gentleness toward the lady in his arms. "Just treat me as your personal driver, chef, carer and cleaner in one go, alright?"
Hearing his words, Tsubaki couldn't contain her giggle. Her eyes crinkled in the beautiful shape of crescent moons as she laughed.
"That's what you call a husband, silly," Tsubaki replied cheekily. Her mood improved greatly.
"Yes, I'm your darling hubby."
Ren tapped her nose before he went to clean the dining room. Tsubaki watched him from afar. It was the same as last night. His movements were swift without any sign of hesitancy. In no time, the floor became spotless again.
"Your Daddy is so good to Mommy," Tsubaki rubbed her tummy, a small smile graced her face as she was talking to the little one. "So, Mommy knows he's going to be the best Daddy to you too."
Since Tsubaki didn't want to stay at home resting, Ren had no choice but to send her to the bakery. He had repeatedly told asked Kohana, Chiyo, Yoshie and the rest to take good care of their pregnant boss. All of them squealed in delight when they heard the news. Tsubaki hadn't told them yet so after Ren left, she was bombarded with questions by all of them.
"You're pregnant and you haven't told us?"
"You're that fast, Sister Tsubaki? I thought you've just gotten together with your husband!"
"Tsk... tsk... President Fuse has completely put a spell on our boss. I wonder how did he do it?"
"So, would the wedding be postponed? You can't, Sister Tsubaki! I want to be your bridesmaid!"
By the time they had finished interrogating her, Tsubaki had already tired.
They were so terrifying! She thought she was assaulted by paparazzi!
Tsubaki retreated to the break room. She laid in exhaustion on the long couch. Even though she was tempted to take a nap, her mind wandered to their conversation last night.
It was clear that her birth mother was in danger so that was the reason she left her on her adopted parent's care. It seemed like it was due to a dispute in a rich family.
Next, in the letter, her mother didn't tell Hinata that she gave birth to twins yet she mentioned the red camellias being her favorite flower while her birth father loved sunflowers. Both of them were their names as in sunflower in Hinata's while she got the red camellias.
Tsubaki concluded that her mother didn't disclose the fact of them being twins in order to protect them. After all, she had been in hiding even after they reached their teenage years.
What had happened?
Did the accident occur 5 years ago was related to the secret of her past? Or was it something completely unrelated?
And... what about her uncle?
How did he get into contact with the mastermind? How far did he know? Why did he leave her a sum of money before he disappeared? Was it because of him feeling guilty putting her into such a sorry state?
Her eyelids grew heavier as seconds passed. Her view turned blurry. In the end, Tsubaki fell asleep before she got to further thinking of the mystery. She slept on her right side, her right hand was placed under her head while her left one was placed over her belly.
In her dream, she saw a familiar face smiling at her.