"You don't need to worry about me, just go to your office."
Had something struck the woman's head?
Her demeanor had flipped since last night—she was always trying to get her husband's attention, but when Jonas took the initiative to give it, she pushed him away instead.
"My mother will be visiting. How do you think I should behave?"
Jonas had already rolled up the sleeves of his shirt since he was in the kitchen, revealing fine veins running from his forearms to the backs of his pale hands as he set a tray down next to the bedside lamp—on it, a bowl of meat porridge and a glass of water.
"Oh, right."
"Eat your porridge. I'll go to the office once your mother arrives." He softened a little toward her, thinking Chelsea might be under a great deal of stress from her argument with June the other day, which left him feeling slightly guilty.
"When is your mother coming?"
"She's on her way."
"You want me to eat this porridge?"
"Because if you're just going to stare at it, that thing might as well turn into useless water." He sounded irritated, but somehow endearing.
Chelsea nearly laughed—it was rare to see Jonas act so gently toward her. Should she take advantage of it?
"Alright, but feed me, please." Her lips curved into a faint smile.
Jonas snorted. He was almost convinced that Chelsea didn't care about him anymore—which would've been a relief, really, and would spare him the hassle of dealing with their marriage.
Unfortunately, he had to cross that thought off the list. But on second thought, maybe it was better if Chelsea stayed like this—she seemed far more normal than when she was crying in her sleep, haunted by nightmares.
He had to admit, he'd been moved watching her cry in her sleep, calling out names of people who were no longer alive.
The Li family knew Chelsea came from a rather tragic background—her biological parents died in an accident, and she was later adopted by a wealthy family in the Netherlands. But they never knew more than that. Chelsea had sealed off the rest of her past, keeping her secrets hidden so her plans for revenge could go undisturbed.
"Your hands still work just fine." Jonas replied coldly.
"Oh, come on. My body's too weak. If you won't do it, I won't eat anything until tonight. I'll even throw away all the medicine."
Jonas's neck veins tensed as Chelsea gave him a pitiful, puppy-eyed look.
"You're too kind." Chelsea sat up against the headboard, watching Jonas closely as he sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the bowl of porridge. "Is that scallion and cilantro I see?"
"Hmm, don't like it?" A faint wrinkle appeared between his brows.
Jonas and the cook didn't know Chelsea's preferences when it came to porridge—they had never seen her eat it since she moved into the villa.
"I don't like cilantro."
"I'll take it out."
Luckily, the tiny pieces were gathered in one corner of the bowl, making it easy to remove them onto the tray.
"I'm not a picky eater, actually. But ever since I lived with my adoptive parents, my mom never served anything with cilantro. Even in kindergarten, I once got into a fight with a classmate over it."
Her smile was sincere, her eyelids curling like crescent moons as she shared the simple story.
"I swore to my friend I'd never eat anything she liked ever again." She ended it with a light sigh, as though she were speaking to a close friend.
"Childish," Jonas muttered as he looked down, scooping up a spoonful of porridge and blowing on the steam.
"Have you only just realized you married a childish woman?" she tilted her head, grinning as the spoon hovered in front of her lips.
"Tch. Chelsea."
"Alright." She accepted the bite and swallowed easily. "You have to be nice to me, Jonas Li."
"Hmm."
Chelsea said nothing more and kept taking spoonfuls of porridge from his hand. Her attention slowly shifted to his appearance—gray slacks, black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows.
Jonas's profile showed the stern, commanding side of his face, especially with those thick, nearly meeting eyebrows. When he furrowed his brow, they dipped into a sharp V.
His nose was prominent, his eyes almond-shaped, and his lips had a natural split—someone had once said lips like those were excellent for kissing.
Chelsea had never looked this closely before—he actually had a soft side that was rather charming. Shirley must've adored him, right?
Even as Jonas noticed her staring straight at him, Chelsea refused to look away. Their gazes locked for a few seconds before Jonas turned his eyes aside.
"Stop staring and finish your porridge."
Chelsea laughed lightly at his irritation. "What? Why can't I look at you? Does it mess with your sense of stability?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
Living with him for months had made Chelsea used to his cold, flat demeanor. Even if Jonas was cruel to her, it didn't matter—as long as he stayed in the role she needed him to be in, she'd deal with it kindly... before leaving him without regret once everything was done.
"The women at your office must be happy to work there—they get to see their boss as eye candy every day." Her teasing tone slipped out again. "I should ask Lusi." Her brow furrowed. "Actually, that's impossible. You're with your ex, so the other women probably keep their distance, unless..." She looked at him suspiciously. "June."
Jonas's Adam's apple bobbed. He clicked his tongue and put the bowl back on the tray, his face darkening.
"Chelsea Moon."
"Yes?"
"Shut up and take your medicine."
It wasn't the first time Chelsea teased Jonas Li, but he still couldn't handle it. He had to walk away just to get her to stop.
"You're leaving? Weren't you waiting for your mother to arrive?"
"I don't want to deal with a woman who won't stop nagging."
"I see. But you're more sensitive than a woman—you can't even handle my teasing."
"Annoying."
Jonas was just about to leave the room when Elena and Jordan Li appeared together, stopping him in his tracks.
"Mother."
"Oh my goodness, Chelsea!" Elena brushed past her adopted son as if he were invisible, far more concerned about her pale daughter-in-law lying in bed. "I've been so worried about you. How are you holding up?"
Jordan wore a similar expression of concern, and he didn't bother to hide the lingering fondness he held for his younger brother's wife.
Elena sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Chelsea's head while checking her condition.
"Why did you decide to stay home? Wouldn't it be better if we took you to the hospital? I could stay with you around the clock."
Chelsea smiled awkwardly—how could she explain that her mother-in-law was being overly dramatic?
"I'm alright, Mom. I don't even need an IV. The doctor just advised bed rest."
"Then what? What did Doctor Ye say about her condition, Jonas?" Elena turned to her son, clearly displeased and seeking answers.
"She's under a lot of stress. Too much pressure."
"Severe stress, huh!" Elena turned back to her daughter-in-law, gently holding her hand. "Chelsea, I thought everything was going well with us—did this happen because of that woman who kept bothering Jonas recently?"
"That—"
"It must be, right? Just be honest with me, Chelsea. You've always been fine, but ever since that issue, people have been criticizing you. Those awful comments must have gotten to you. I felt uncomfortable reading them—how much worse must it be for you?" Elena was convinced of her theory. "She's made things difficult for you. I need to urge your father to step in and take care of it."
"Someone should've taken a defensive stance." Jordan suddenly spoke up, taking the chance to jab at his younger brother. "When a man is married, his priority should be his wife—like it or not, that's just how it is."
He looked directly at Jonas, smirking as if pleased with himself for throwing such a subtle blow, implying Jonas had failed to protect Chelsea—not just physically, but emotionally as well.
"How can you just sit back while your partner is being bombarded with hateful attacks? Are you really that cold, Jonas Li?" Jordan's voice rang out again, enjoying the moment of belittling his brother in front of Chelsea—wanting her to realize just what kind of man she had married. "Even if you don't love her, as a husband, the least you could—"
"The medicine."
Everyone turned to Chelsea, who suddenly cut Jordan off with a smile directed warmly at her husband.
"You helped me eat breakfast, but you forgot to give me the medicine."
Fed up with her brother-in-law's rant, Chelsea felt the need to redirect everyone's focus.
"Ah." Jonas's original plan to leave had crumbled. He returned to Chelsea's side and began sorting out a few pills for her while standing by the bed.
Meanwhile, Jordan clenched his fists, clearly frustrated by the unexpected display of closeness.
"I forgot," Jonas admitted, handing her the medicine.
"It's okay. Thank you for caring." Chelsea swallowed the pills with a few sips of mineral water. The porridge had already gone cold and watery from being left out too long. "Jonas has been taking good care of me, Mom. Please don't be angry with him."
"I was just worried after getting his call. And your father couldn't come because of his business trip. I just thought—if you're not comfortable staying here, you could come back to the Li family manor. Or if you'd rather be somewhere else, I'll arrange a place for you."
Chelsea and Jonas exchanged a look—both silently agreeing that Elena was overreacting.
Sure, returning to the Li manor might be convenient for keeping tabs on things, but living under the same roof as a lunatic like Jordan? Not exactly ideal.
"I really like it here, with Jonas. Didn't you once say that a married couple needs to build their own life together? We're still adjusting, and I'm fine. I just need to rest, Mom."
***