My Darling, My Dearest

Chapter 149

Rachel tried her best to comfort Eric. "If you don't mind, you can have a cosmetic surgery."

"It doesn't matter. It's easy for a man to get scars," Eric chuckled.

"Go and find someone to give you more scars then!" Rachel slapped his shoulder and laughed.

"Ouch! You don't have to be so cruel, I'm not that stupid," said Eric as he lowered his head.

Rachel crossed her arms and frowned. "Then why were you so impulsive? You're a grown man, Eric. You're not a kid anymore, make better decisions!" He shook his head and snickered. "Alright already, I will. I'll stop being impulsive."

"Good. If this ever happens again, I'll be the one to add more scars on you," she said as she applied the ointment on Eric's scar.

Eric winced and the corner of his mouth twitched. Who knew Rachel could be this scary?

Rachel noticed that her ointment had run out and she rummaged through the medicine kit for another one. Suddenly, someone tapped on her shoulder and held out the ointment before her.

It was Jack. She didn't even notice when he got here.

Rachel took the medicine from his hand and said, "When did you get here? Why didn't you say something?"

"I just came in. Didn't you hear me come in?"

"No, I didn't notice. Anyway, thanks for this."

Eric wanted to turn his head to see Jack, but Rachel told him not to move.

Eric made no effort to contest and stayed still.

Jack leaned his back on the wall while crossing his arms and smiling. He noticed that Rachel was in a better mood than yesterday.

"Are you free today?" asked Rachel.

Jack was surprised. Was she trying to drive him away?

After a few seconds of pondering, he answered, "I'm dropping by the company this afternoon."

"I see." Rachel focused her attention on applying the medicine to Eric's wounds

Jack thought she was acting weird so he stood in attention.

'Is she still mad at me?'

After Rachel applied ointment to Eric's back, Eric wanted to wear his shirt but she advised him that he should let the ointment dry out first.

The black scab and the ferocious red wound with thread stitches were still there.

It was still quite painful, but it was bearable enough after the ointment had been applied.

When Rachel went to wash her hands, Jack called Eric's attention.

Eric, who was humming on the back of the chair, was frightened. He turned his head to look at

him. "What?11 By the sound of his voice, he was not happy to be talking to Jack.

Jack smiled and put his hand on Eric's shoulder.

"What is it you want this time?" Eric was becoming vigilant.

Jack's eyes glinted as he lowered his head next to Eric.

Jack heard Eric swallowing nervously. Sweat even ran down from his temple.

Eric cleared his throat and stared Jack in the eye. "What do you want? Just tell me already," he said, trying to sound commanding.

"Relax, boy, don't be nervous. I just want to ask you a question," he said as he patted Eric's shoulder to ease the tension.

"Who said I was nervous?"

Eric and Rachel were so alike. Jack clenched his hand on Eric's shoulder.

Before he could say anything, he heard someone talk behind them. "What are you doing?"

Both of them turned their heads, unaware of how intimate they looked in Rachel's eyes.

"What do you think we're doing?" Jack straightened his back and looked at Rachel in confusion. Eric was confused as well.

Rachel pressed her finger against her temple. She shook her head and sighed. "I guess it was nothing."

Rachel went over to Eric to take his dirty shirt

from the sofa. Jack furrowed his brows and gripped her slender wrist.

Rachel was startled by his sudden aggression.

He bit his lower lip and said, "I need to speak to you." Eric stared at the two of them as they went upstairs. "What the hell? What in God's name are they doing up there?" he muttered to himself

when they were out of sight.

The window of her bedroom was open, and the curtain was being blown up by the wind like it was dancing.

"What do you want, Jack?" asked Rachel.

Jack closed the door and put his hands into his pockets. "Why are you angry at me, Rachel? Have I done something wrong again?"

"I told you, I'm not angry," she said begrudgingly.

"Yes, you are. You're mad at me, I can tell!" Jack sighed and covered his forehead with his hand. "Ever since you came back from the restaurant yesterday, something was wrong with you."

Rachel was surprised. She never expected that he would observe her carefully. She turned her face away from him and thought of an excuse. "Nothing. It's just one of those days where I'm not in the mood."

Jack didn't buy it, he kept pestering her for the answer.

She finally snapped and shouted at Jack, "Why do you care so much? I told you it was nothing!"

Jack inched closer to Rachel. "Because I care

about you, Rachel. Am I not allowed to care?"

Her anger slowly dissipated. Jack was not the kind of man that would admit something like that so decisively, and yet here he was.

"I'm just really not in the mood recently, you don't have to worry," she said while covering her mouth.

Jack sighed helplessly. "Rachel, if I did you wrong, please tell me. You don't have to keep it in like this. Don't force yourself to pretend that nothing happened, because that doesn't solve anything."

Rachel was left speechless. Was she really not that good at hiding her emotions? Did she really wear her heart on her sleeves that anyone could tell what she was thinking? Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Perhaps, Jack had really become sensitive of how she felt?

He stared at her with unblinking eyes after he finished talking. He had thought that she would at least say something after that speech.

It seemed as though he had underestimated her bad temper.

She sighed again and pretended that everything was indeed okay. "You think too much, Jack. I'm fine."

Jack was going to say something more but his phone rang inside his pocket.

He stared at Rachel and gestured that he needed to take the call; then he went outside after she nodded.

After Jack disappeared behind the door, Rachel

leaned back against the wall as if a bone had been broken. She raised her hand and rubbed her eyebrows.

She was caught in a dilemma. Jack found out that she was not really okay.

He must have paid attention to how she acted all this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't have noticed that she was unhappy.

In truth, Rachel did want to tell him, but she changed her mind the moment she opened her mouth.

But when he saw the disappointment in Jack's eyes, Rachel thought for a while and finally decided to tell him what she had heard last night.

As soon as the decision was made, Rachel saw Jack push the door open with his mobile phone in the other hand.

"Jack." She was interrupted by Jack. It looked like he was restless. "I have something urgent to do. I'll come back as soon as I've dealt with the matter."

"Jack, please..."

But he was really in a hurry. He didn't even have time to listen to a few words. He had left the room and rushed downstairs before he could hear Rachel.

Rachel looked at his straightened back. The courage that she had gathered suddenly faded like bubbles.

All this preparation to tell him led to nothing because he couldn't stay for a few more minutes to listen to what she had to say.

When Jack left for work, he didn't come home

to her for several days.

Even Eric was puzzled that Jack had not come home yet.

Every time he asked about Jack, all Rachel could say was "I don't know." She kept her mind occupied by reading medical books.

Eric sat beside her as she read a book.

"He's been gone a while, what happened to him?"

Rachel didn't respond and continued reading. She was so absorbed in reading that she didn't even cast a glance at Eric.

Eric was getting better and better these days and felt a little more energetic every day.

He felt depressed when Rachel told him that he couldn't leave the house because of his injury.

To be honest, a day or two wasn't that bad. He'd be glad to rest for three days max, but if half a month had passed by and he wasn't even allowed to step outside, who could blame him for feeling impatient?

But the wound on his head hadn't completely healed yet. If anyone saw it, they would think he had gotten into a fight. Even Rachel thought the same at first.

Eric put on his hat and decided to take a walk. He was feeling cooped up and he needed some fresh air. When he came back, he threw his hat on the sofa without saying a word.

When Rachel saw how he acted, she knew what he was thinking without even asking.

When he came back, he was looking very upset.

In the past two days, Eric was quite talkative at home. He was talking nonstop like he wouldn't run out of things to say.

Even if Rachel didn't respond, he would keep nagging by himself.

Most of what he said was about Jack.

Rachel could feel the resentment in Eric's voice every time he mentioned Jack's name.

Eric planted his face on his palms. The two of them didn't speak for minutes until Rachel heard Eric draw a deep breath.

"Something's not right. He would usually drop by every day, now he hasn't even come home for three days. Is he plotting something?" said Eric.

Rachel leaned against the sofa and snorted, "Don't be so verbose, Eric."

"Rachel, don't you have even the slightest doubt about what's happening?"

Rachel closed her book and stood up. "I'm going to sit somewhere else."

With a confused look on his face, Eric didn't say anything more. He tucked some fruit into his mouth and contemplated. "Does Jack always have to do everything at the spur of the moment?" Before Rachel went somewhere else, she heard Eric muttering something to himself.

She didn't respond. She just took it as a senseless murmur, but she couldn't help but clench her book.

What he said was not really wrong.

Even if she tried to shrug it off, Eric's words kept lingering in her ears like flies.

With no more patience, she closed the book in her hand hard. Eric was startled while talking.

When he turned around, Rachel stood from the sofa with no expression on her face. She walked over to pour a glass of water for herself.

'Why is she getting angry?' Eric thought to himself.

He stared at her with vigilance as she poured a glass of water and drank it. Then she sat back on the sofa to continue reading.

Knowing that Rachel wasn't in the mood, Eric thought it was prudent to not bother her anymore. But he couldn't help but wonder if she had a fight with Jack or not.

That day, Jack led her upstairs and came downstairs after a few minutes. Then he never came after he left.

Eric figured that must've felt so bored that it was the only thing worthwhile to think about right now.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was best that they had a big fight and he never came back at all!

Eric stared at Rachel, and thought that Jack didn't deserve her. He should just let her find a better man and be happy for once.