Chapter 211 You Can Decide
“I’m not fond of the ones that others have bought for me.” A touch of sincerity flashed in Samuel’s eyes as he added, “However, I like what you’ve gotten for Charles. How about this? I’ll pay you to purchase some for me.”
Baffled, Kathleen retorted, “You think I’ll do it for money?”
“Why not? You’ve already provided me with treatment. What’s wrong with helping me purchase two jackets?” His intense gaze locked on her.
In response, she met his eyes while speaking. “Well, I suppose I can since you’ve already asked me. However, you can forget about paying me. After all, I’m your boss now, so let’s think of this as an early bonus.”
“Thanks, Boss,” came his reply in a husky voice.
That made Kathleen snort coldly. Don’t get too happy.
“I want jackets from the same brand that you usually wear.” A half-smile crept up Samuel’s face while he continued, “You can decide everything else.”
After glancing at him, Kathleen responded, “Okay, I’ll order some online. They’ll get delivered to you in no time.”
“Great.” Samuel nodded, a dashing grin curving across his well-sculpted face.
Hmph. What are you so happy about?
Kathleen shoved away her grumpy thoughts while placing her hands on her waist. “Take off your clothes and go soak in the tub for a bit.”
“Okay.” Samuel seemed obedient as he took his time undressing.
Meanwhile, an icy look graced Kathleen’s face as she watched him.
She wondered if his limp and slow actions were because his body genuinely lacked strength at that moment.
Her eyebrows twitched endlessly, irking her as she snapped, “Did you get starved or something?”
Just then, loud grumbles came from Samuel’s tummy.
The ironic turn of events rendered Kathleen speechless.
Opposite her, Samuel’s charming face flashed a helpless look. “I’m indeed famished.”
It was only natural as he had been bedridden for three consecutive days without any food.
All he consumed was water.
When he regained consciousness, he forced Charles to let him tag along as he was worried that Kathleen could not handle things on her own.
Thus, he had not eaten anything for the entire day, much less drank any water.
Kathleen sighed. “I’ll go whip up some food.”
That was when Samuel grabbed her hand, his eyes narrowing to slits while his pupils constricted. “You can call Tyson over if taking care of me is too much of a chore for you. I’ll just be borrowing your place for a bit.”
At that moment, Kathleen gazed at the man’s slender hands, realizing how much weight he had lost over the past three days.
It was so severe that the shape of his phalanges seemed obvious beneath his skin.
“There’s no need for that.” Kathleen shook his grip off her arm before stating, “Don’t worry about anything. Just rest up and recuperate.”
With that, she turned on her heel to leave.
Something flashed in Samuel’s deep gaze as he watched her lithe figure depart.
Once she was gone, he hurriedly took off his clothes and got into the bathtub for a soak.
In the meantime, Kathleen arrived at the kitchen.
She looked through the fridge before taking out the ingredients to make some risotto.
It did not take long before she brought a warm bowl of freshly cooked risotto upstairs.
After placing it on a table, she walked into the bathroom.
Inside the tub of water and medicinal herbs was a sleeping Samuel, whose arms held the sides of the tub as his head tilted back.
The circles beneath his eyes were dark like coal as fatigue stained his gorgeous face.
Kathleen knelt by the tub while reaching out to poke the man’s face.
Just as her finger was about to touch Samuel’s cheek, he awoke.
He then grabbed her fair hand and placed it on his bare chest before shutting his eyes to rest once more.
Kathleen was at a loss for words at that point.
Has he lost his mind?
“Samuel, wake up.” She wanted to retract her hand but realized she could not wiggle free from Samuel’s death grip.
Not a single reaction came from him.
Desperate, Kathleen leaned toward him and yelled, “Samuel! Quit sleeping. You’ve already slept for three days!”
She then shoved him hard, her fingers briefly grazing against his firm and muscled arms that contradicted his slim appearance.
Samuel’s eyes gradually opened to reveal a dark look in his eyes.
“Are you awake now?” Kathleen asked.
It was only then that Samuel realized he was holding the former’s hand.
Fearing Kathleen would get upset, he hurriedly let go of her.
“I didn’t mean to do that.” His husky voice explained apologetically, “It’s just that I have had a bad dream.”
Those words made Kathleen freeze for a moment.
She continued kneeling by the tub and staring at the man before her. “You get nightmares too?”
Samuel stiffened before moving closer to Kathleen’s side.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have said it, huh? After all, I’m not worth anything in this world, not even nightmares,” he stated huskily.
A cold scoff came from an indifferent-looking Kathleen. “I need to tell you something, Samuel.”
Anxiety caused Samuel’s heart to drop at once.
Is she going to announce her engagement to Caleb? No, I don’t want to hear that. Please let it be anything but that.
“I was diagnosed with depression after arriving in Norwal City,” Kathleen calmly said.
Her words made Samuel tense up then and there.
She fixated her gaze on him and resumed, “My weight dropped from forty-five kilograms to forty. Do you know how frightening that was?”
Samuel clenched his jaw.
Meanwhile, Kathleen’s gaze lowered to the ground. “Charles couldn’t stand to see me suffer any longer, so he scouted out the best hypnotherapist in Norwal City.”
Grief engulfed Samuel so much that he had no idea how to respond.
Nevertheless, Kathleen continued speaking, her delicate features appearing indifferent. “The hypnotherapist explained I couldn’t fully recover from my depression because I kept having nightmares. Every night, I would dream of blood seeping out of my body. Even if it wasn’t real, it was so convincing that I could feel myself getting shoved into a body bag. I even heard someone zipping the bag up from outside, trapping my body. That’s why all my clothes don’t have zippers. I break down every time I hear that sound. Do you understand?”
Samuel gazed at her intently.
“I then underwent hypnotherapy. Do you know what my hypnotherapist did to me?” asked Kathleen with red-rimmed eyes, sniffling.
Pest-like guilt ate away at Samuel’s handsome face while he shook his head.
A chill-inducing chuckle came from Kathleen. “My hypnotherapist removed some of my memories, like the romantic things that happened between us. She would then alter those memories to make me believe I did all those things alone. Such a method won’t entirely delete my memories, but it can remove all traces of my deep-rooted emotions for you. This way, my love for you will no longer run deep. I don’t view the things that happened that night as an oversight on your part anymore. Rather, I now see it as something I brought upon myself.”
That was enough to make Samuel stunned.
“It sounds magical, huh?” Kathleen’s emotionless voice elaborated, “Although I’m aware of everything that happened, I don’t feel any pain now that my feelings for you are out of the picture.”
Only grim silence came from Samuel.
“However, this method isn’t a permanent measure.” Kathleen’s voice grew hoarse as she clarified, “If I don’t see you for many years and live a breezier lifestyle, then it won’t hurt should I recall my original memories. However, If I encounter you before fully moving on from the past, those memories will rush back to my mind like a raging ocean.”
“What will happen if you recall everything?” Samuel questioned glumly.
A dark expression flashed on Kathleen’s face. “I’ll fall back into a deep state of depression.”
Samuel’s husky voice spoke once more. “What should I do then? Stay away from you?”
At that point, Kathleen turned around and leaned her back against the tub while curling into a ball. “I don’t know either. I haven’t been able to sleep with the lights off these days. It’s like I can picture myself being shoved into a body bag despite still being alive.”
A sharp pain clenched in Samuel’s chest, suffocating him.
He hugged Kathleen from behind and could not stop trembling guiltily.
“I’m sorry.” His voice became utterly hoarse and exuded deep sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Kate. If I had understood everything sooner, I would’ve never let Nicolette off so easily back then.”
