"Where is he Phil? Why didn't he tell me that he'll be leaving?" She asked him curiously.
"Oh! It's an emergency. And I think only Young Master can tell you about it." Phil said while trying to avoid eye contact.
Jane had no other choice but to stay silent.
Sunday afternoon came and there's still no news about him.
Celeste and Mrs. Shaw didn't come that day because her husband got sick and was brought to the hospital.
Jane could hear the worry on Mrs. Shaw's voice and the forner wanted to be there to accompany her. But Mrs. Shaw reassured her that they could handle the situation.
Jane had no other choice but to stay inside this boring house with Phil and Potato.
She was sitting in the garden area watching Potato playing catch with Phil.
Surprisingly, the dog and her liked each other.
"Are you missing the Young Master, Young Madam?" Phil teased Jane while waiting at Potato to run back at him with the ball.
"What? No. I'm just hoping that I can talk to him before I go back to the dorm tonight."
Frowning, Phil didn't hold back and asked her.
"Are you really sure that you still want to live in the dorm?"
"I'm sorry Phil. We are still married even if I'm staying in the dorm, right? He promised me that this is just a nominal marriage."
"Oh! But please wait for Young Master before you leave."
Phil then excused himself and left her alone with Potato.
It started getting darker outside and the horizon were painted with tangerine yet there was no Edric still.
Jane decided to go upstairs and started packing her hand carry bag. She then started putting her make up and went back to her disguise.
"Phil, I'm sorry but I think I have to go now."
She said while carrying the bag on her right hand and slowly descended down the stairs.
"Young Madam. Please, wait for a while."
"Phil. I have to go now. It's already dark outside."
"The Young Master will be back tonight. He's already on the way. I promise, if you still want to leave, I'll send you myself to your dorm."
"Okay." She said with a sigh. She didn't know why Phil insisted on letting her to stay. She did agree yet she didn't bring her bag back to her room but place it into the living room instead.
Dinner time came and Phil called her out to eat her dinner.
Phil served her with the food and joined her for dinner in the table after she insisted.
While they were in the middle of their meal, Jane and Phil heard the car coming closer towards the house.
Potato had also started barking.
"That must be him. Please resume your dinner. I'll go and check him." Phil didn't wait for her response and he excused himself immediately.
Jane became curious because Phil had been acting weird since yesterday that Edric left.
She just couldn't point out with her fingers on what was really going on.
Jane decided to follow behind Phil and when she reached the living room, she saw Edric with a extremely pale face.
He seemed to be sick.
Out of concern, Jane approached them.
"What happened to you?" She asked Edric who immediately looked away from her.
"Don't worry about me." Edric tried to act cool on his response.
She was indeed suddenly became worried of him.
"Phil told me that you wanted to leave the house. You may go after you have your dinner." Edric said as he tried to change the topic.
"Oh!"
Jane didn't know how she should react to this. She should be thankful, right? But she wasn't.
She hated it. He looked sick yet he wanted her out.
Then Edric looked at Phil and then instructed him, "Phil, send your Young Madam after. She still has to attend an early class tomorrow."
"No! I'll stay for tonight. I'll go to the dorm tomorrow."
"No need. There's nothing you can do to help me. I'm fine." Edric then asked Phil to help him go upstairs.
They left the troubled Jane alone in the living room.
'Why did he say that?'
She was mad yet she didn't want to argue with him.
She no longer had the appetite to continue eating dinner so she decided to clean up the table and wash the dishes.
While she was at it, she could not help but thought of the possibility that Phil must have known beforehand that he's sick that's why he had been stopping her to leave since earlier.
"Is he sick?"
Her eyes widened when she thought that he must be terminally ill that's why he suddenly asked her of being his wife.
And the issues he had with his family was just the secondary reason.
"No! Impossible!" She mumbled. Her theory didn't make sense even to her.
She was so caught up with her own thoughts that she didn't realize Phil was already standing behind her back.
"Young Madam?"
"Oh my gosh! Phil!" She screamed in shock. She was startled by him.
Phil sincerely apologized to her.
"I'm sorry Young Madam but you should have left that chore to me. It's my job to do it."
"Don't worry Phil. I'm used to this little task. Hmm. How is he?" Jane asked as she changed the topic back to Edric.
"Don't worry about Young Master, Young Madam. He's just tired from the trip. Anyways, he instructed me to send you now to your dorm."
Jane paused from washing and looked at him.
"Oh! Immediately? I thought you wanted me to stay here for the night? I wanted to stay now."
Jane crossed her arms over her chest. Jane thought that something was really wrong.
"Young Madam, I'm only following Young Master's orders. Before he left he told me to make you wait for him."
"Oh really?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Maybe he had heard about our conversation the last time that's why he wanted you to stay and wait for him."
"Are you sure that he's fine? Because if he isn't I'll stay and look after him."
That's what she should do. After all, he was her husband.
"Don't worry Young Madam. He's fine." Phil said it with a smile.
Jane then removed the dishwashing gloves and placed it near the sink.
She then walked towards the living room and grabbed her bag.
Phil was following behind her.
Before she left, she took a quick glance towards the direction of Edric's room.
Sighing, she walked out of the door.
***
Jane was silent during the entire trip going to her school dorm.
Just like the other time, Phil dropped her off on the same spot.
"Thank you for tonight, Phil." She said before going out of the car.
"You're welcome Young Madam."
Jane then got off the car and waved goodbye at him.
Phil watched as Jane walked down the street and going towards the entrance of the dorm.
He also saw Edward following Jane and the young man made a salute to him and he returned the gesture.
Jane walked to Block A. She could see the students staring at her.
No, per Edric's instruction, he didn't help Jane this time.
Jane could tell that they were so curious about her.
But she heed no attention to them and she entered the building and climbed up until she reached her room.
Jane heaved a huge sigh of relief after she flicked the switch on and the lights replaced the darkness.
Jane tossed her bad on the sofa and started unpacking her clothes and her things.
She still had to wake up early the next morning to do her SA task while waiting for her scheduled classes.
She hurriedly do her night skin care routine and changed into her pajamas.
Before she laid down, she changed the covers of her bed, pillowcases and blankets. It had been three weeks since she was away. So dusts particles must have covered them.
After changing them, Jane decided to open the window and let the natural air ventilation to cool down the room.
She then laid down her bed and called it a night.
However, she tossed and turn on the bed because she could not fall asleep at all.
She was still bothered by Edric's sickly face.
To calm her mind, she had decided to call him.
She dialed his number and patiently waited for him to pick up the call.
She frowned when it stopped ringing yet he didn't pick up the call.
"What's wrong with him?" She talked to herself.
Jane decided to let it go.
She thought that he must probably be sleeping.
But she remembered that he didn't sleep. He had the trouble in sleeping.
In fact, while they were still in her hometown, she happened to see him busy with his computers even when it was already past midnight.
Thus, him not answering the call worried her.
"I should have touched Phil's hand earlier so I know what's really going on with him."
While she was at it, her phone lit up and an image icon popped up in the center of her screen.
She immediately opened it and saw that the message was from Edric.
"Go to sleep. Don't make me regret that I allowed you to go back."
Jane had to read the second line and at the same time the sender many times to make sure she was not reading a wrong sent message.
After confirming that it was indeed from him and for her, Jane replied to his message.
"You look tired. I don't know where have you been but do try to get ample of sleep tonight."
After she sent her reply, Edric called her.
Jane answered it. Yet Edric didn't say anything else and just ended the call.
Then a message icon popped up which said, "Sleep. I'll try to sleep tonight."
Thus she replied it with, "Good! Goodnight, Mr. McWilliams."
She was about to put her phone down but then the screen lit up once again.
"Goodnight, Mrs. McWilliams."
***