Novel Square
Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Chapter 39 Jane had a stomach ache, so she took a day off and didn’t go to work. However, even at home, she couldn’t catch a break. From the moment she woke up, a weird smell of traditional herbal medicine was wafting from the kitchen. Battling against the pain, Jane managed to get out of bed. As she reached the kitchen door, she saw Dan running around like a headless chicken. On the table was a breakfast prepared by him: overly fried eggs, a plece of burnt toast, and a bowl of porridge that was all milk and almost no oats. It was really hard for this man who had never stepped foot in the kitchen before. With a wry smile, Jane leaned against the kitchen door frame and murmured, “You don’t know how to cook, let me do it.” Dan was taken aback and turned to look at her. “You’re up? If you’re feeling under the weather, go back to bed after breakfast. I’ve got this.” “What are you busy with?” “Ah… Just whipping up some soup for you,” Dan replied, all sixes and sevens. “Go rest. Once the soup. is ready, I’ll bring it to you!” Jane bit her lip, feeling a warmth spreading in her chest, but then a thought suddenly crossed her mind. “Had he been this attentive to his ‘sweetheart’ in the past?” A boy of sixteen, all fiery and full of zest… He must have been pretty passionate, huh… As she pondered, the smile on Jane’s face froze, and the knot in her heart twisted tighter. Coupled with a cramping stomach from standing for too long, she felt completely out of sorts. Just then, Dan turned to look at her. Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.
Jane shot him a look, huffed, and stomped back to her room, slamming the door behind her. Dan was left scratching his head, thinking. “Are all women like Jekyll and Hyde during their period? One moment they’re all smiles, the next they’re shooting daggers. They really are a tough crowd!” Just as he got a message from Hector inviting him to the Crowne Hotel for a chat, he was about to
inform Jane when there was a knock at the door. It was Kate. She heard that Jane was under the weather and came to visit her while she was out on business. “You are… Dan Murphy?” Kate was caught off guard as she opened the door. This was her first encounter with Dan. He was nothing like she had imagined. She thought men who got into fights and jail would have a touch of the rogue, or even a gloomy streak. But Dan was tall and handsome, his face chiseled and stern, and his eyes masked a depth that made it hard to read him. His overwhelming presence made Kate instinctively take a couple of steps back. “Yes, I am, Dan answered in a low voice. “And you must be Kate May?” “Pleased to meet you,” Kate returned with a polite smile. 12:00 1233 Chapter 3 Dan stepped aside to let her in. As soon as Kate entered, she was hit by the strong smell of traditional herbal medicine and crinkled her nose in discomfort. “What’s going on? Is she very ill?” Kate looked at him, concern filling her eyes. “Why does she need to take traditional herbal medicine?” “She has a stomachache all the time. I inquired about a prescription suggesting these ingredients for a soup that could help ease the discomfort.” “Oh.” Kate nodded, deep in thought. Her mother was a practitioner of traditional medicine, with a focus on gynecology, so Kate was quite steeped in the world of medicinal herbs and concoctions from a young age. Just a whiff of the pot and she knew something wasn’t right. She figured she’d need to scrutinize what was being cooked up. Given it was going to be eaten, she had to keep a watchful eye for Jane. “Kate, you’re here?” Jane emerged from her room. “I’m sorry to bother you, it’s just period pain, making it seem like some grave illness. It’s a fuss having you over…”
“To a woman, this isn’t a small deal either,” Kate responded with a smile. “You do look pale, hurt quite a bit, huh?” “Yeah.” Jane winced, “Kate, could I ask you to fetch some painkillers from your mom? The ones she gives work like a charm, had me feeling better last time!” “Do you really need the painkillers?” Kate pointed to the kitchen, barely suppressing a chuckle. “Your husband’s whipped up a magic potion of a soup, far superior to any painkiller!” Jane glanced at her husband, Dan, who was standing to the side with a gentle smile. He bid farewell and headed out the door, as always, never specifying who he was meeting, or when he would return, only mentioning not to wait up if he came back late for dinner. Jane watched his retreating figure, sighing softly. “That sigh didn’t sound too good.” Kate grinned at her, “Our little Jane seems to have something brewing, huh?” Jane bit her lip, spilling the beans about Dan’s ‘sweetheart”. Listening to her, Kate laughed till her sides hurt. “All this for that? Jane, you’re giving yourself too much grief over an imaginary adversary! That’s hilarious!” “I know I’m being overly suspicious, and I don’t have any proof. It’s quite outrageous of me to think like this.” Jane was curled up on the sofa, propping her cheeks with her petite hands, filled her eyes with confusion, “But I can’t seem to control myself.” “Have you lost your marbles?” Kate tried to reason with her. “You’re just overthinking things! Your can’t jump to conclusions based on half a sentence, can you? Who knows, he might not even have it! “Even if he did have a high school sweetheart, that’s all in the past. He married you in the end, didn’t he? What’s there to be scared about? “And besides,” Kate smirked, “a man like him, no strong background, no steady job, a bit of a sketch past, who do you reckon would fight you for him? You’re the only one who treats him like a prize!” “What are you saying!” Jane playfully glared at her, giggling. Talking to Kate May was a breath of fresh air, and she felt lighter. Even the pain seemed to have
subsided, Just as she was relaxing, the sound of a gurgling pot drew their attention. The soup was nearly bubbling over. Kate made a beeline for the pot and removed the lid. Upon recognizing the ingredients of the soup, her expression took a sudden shift. O(6)