"Are you this dumb?!" Nicholas barked.
"Sor... sorry, I didn't know you were inside..." Lily stuttered, her voice barely above a whisper as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"You thought?" Nicholas sighed, holding his waist and shaking his head in disbelief. His frustration was evident, his tone cutting through the quiet room like a sharp blade. The incredulity in his voice seemed to intensify, making Lily's discomfort even more pronounced.
Lily looked at him, her eyes inadvertently drifting over his unguarded state. For a moment, she wondered if he was deriving some perverse pleasure from this awkward display. His demeanor, a mix of irritation and detached amusement, seemed almost cruel in its nonchalance.
"It would not have happened if you stayed indoors or told me when you were leaving," Nicholas said, his voice dripping with disdain. His tone was accusatory, carrying a weight of unmet expectations.
"So I'm obligated to do that now? To you?" Lily's voice quivered, a mix of hurt and defiance coloring her words.
"I'm your wife!" she screamed, the words bursting forth with a force she hadn't anticipated. It was a declaration born out of exhaustion and desperation, a plea for acknowledgment amid the mounting tension between them.
"Wife?" Nicholas echoed, his tone mocking. He let out a derisive laugh that only deepened Lily's sense of bewilderment. The mockery in his laughter was like a knife, twisting in her heart.
"What's funny?" Lily thought, her mind racing to grasp the absurdity of the situation. She struggled to reconcile his reaction with her expectations of their relationship.
"I would prefer you out of my life," Nicholas said coldly, his words like ice. He began to dress with deliberate slowness, his movements unhurried and methodical. Lily was stunned; this wasn't supposed to be the beginning of their honeymoon. The words he spoke felt like a cruel twist to what was meant to be a joyful start.
Nicholas, now fully dressed, walked towards the door with a purposeful stride. Lily, feeling a surge of panic and confusion, called out, "Where are you going?"
Nicholas looked at her closely, his gaze hard and unyielding. Without a word, he shouldered past her, his body brushing against hers in a dismissive gesture. He walked out the door, leaving Lily standing alone, the weight of his words pressing down on her with a suffocating heaviness.
"Hostility then," Lily mumbled under her breath, her voice barely audible. The bitterness in her words mirrored the cold emptiness she felt inside, a stark contrast to the warmth and love she had hoped for.
She finally went inside the bedroom, her movements mechanical as she began to unpack. Her mind was a swirl of conflicting thoughts, memories mingling with recent events. The words of Old Bloom echoed in her mind. She was an adoptee, if Old Bloom wasn't sugarcoating it. The notion gnawed at her, a relentless shadow that loomed over her with the weight of uncertainty and sorrow.
Lily lay on the bed, her thoughts drifting to her origins. What did her real parents look like? Why had they abandoned her? Were they still alive? The questions consumed her, a mixture of curiosity and profound sadness mingling with her sense of loss. The uncertainty of her past was a heavy burden, a relentless shadow that loomed over her.
Her stomach growled loudly, a stark reminder of her neglect. The hunger pangs were now impossible to ignore, the physical discomfort breaking through her emotional turmoil. She realized she hadn't eaten for two days, so absorbed in her emotional distress that she had forgotten to take care of herself. The recent events had distracted her to the point of self-neglect.
Determined to remedy the situation, she stood up and set out to find something to eat. As she walked through the hallway, she took note of the house's modern design, a small distraction from her current state of distress. The sleek lines and elegant decor were a sharp contrast to the turmoil within her.
"Where is the kitchen?" she asked aloud, her voice echoing slightly in the empty hallway. The question was both practical and rhetorical, reflecting her desire to escape the emotional turbulence for a moment.
Upon entering the kitchen, Lily's eyes widened in awe. The room was a marvel of modern design, with gleaming marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. For a brief moment, the splendor of the kitchen lifted her spirits, overshadowing her recent arguments and feelings of inadequacy.
Her stomach growled with increasing impatience, reminding her of her urgent need to eat. She began searching through the fridge and cupboards, the anticipation of a meal briefly masking her discomfort. She found a variety of ingredients and set to work, her movements becoming more purposeful as she cooked. The rhythmic chopping of vegetables and the aromatic spices created a comforting backdrop, a sensory distraction from her emotional pain. Her stomach growled louder, eager for relief.
Just as she finished preparing the food, Nicholas entered the kitchen. His expression was still stern, the remnants of their argument hanging heavy in the air. "What's that smell?" he asked, his voice gruff and devoid of warmth.
Lily's heart skipped a beat, her hands trembling slightly as she plated the food. "Dinner," she said softly, avoiding his gaze as she placed the dishes on the table. The act of serving the food felt like a small gesture of reconciliation, though she wasn't sure if it would make any difference.
Nicholas took a bite of the meal Lily had prepared, his initial surprise evident. The taste was better than he had expected, a fleeting moment of satisfaction. However, as he reached for the water, he noticed its absence.
"Are you kidding me?" Nicholas muttered, annoyance creeping into his voice. His tone was sharp, a stark reminder of the tension that still lingered between them.
Lily, sensing his frustration, looked up defensively. "What? Is it not up to your taste?"
Nicholas slammed his fork down on the table, his patience wearing thin. "Do I have to remind you about the basics? Serve the water with the meal."
Lily stood up abruptly, her hands clenched into fists as a surge of frustration overwhelmed her. "You know what, Nicholas? Maybe if you didn't nitpick every little thing, I wouldn't forget to serve water. Moreover, I'm not your slave, for God's sake... I'm your wife."
Nicholas glared at her, his jaw tightening with anger. "Oh, so now it's my fault?"
"Yes, it is your fault!" Lily shot back, her voice rising with indignation. "You're so focused on finding fault with me that you don't even appreciate when I actually do something right."
"When have you ever done something right?" He fired back.
Lily took a pause, as if to assimilate and understand what Nicholas just spewed. She remembered she has never done something right. But it's two days. Just two days of constant quarrel. How can she do something right within that space of time?
"It's just two days...."
"Yes" he cut her short. "Two days of not knowing how to knock before opening a door. Two days of not knowing you should bring water to the dinning table!..."
"Nicholas..."
"Don't call me!" He thundered which caused Lily to shudder. Nicholas started to cough, his eyes red from so much scolding. The cough persisted till he rushed to the freezer to get the water himself. Lily stood, wide eyed as well. Shocked why he is so agitated. She lost appetite and then the headache came. She had forgotten about it. She groaned silently.
Nicholas drank water and walked past her. He also lost appetite. Lily couldn't condone the pain any longer, it was quite intense that she fell from the chair and sat on the floor. Now she was expecting the visions.
The deja Vu happened. She was lost for a minute but lost in darkness. The vision was gray and blank. She saw nothing, absolutely nothing. Then she returned to her normal self.
Lily stood from the floor and rushed the remaining glass of water Nicholas had left on the table. She gulped it down so vigorously, wishing for the pain to go away. Few minutes later, it did subside.
"What does this mean?" She wondered