Divorce you and marry him novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Katherine didn’t answer. She just looked at him quietly.

Her gaze was too clear and calm that it felt like she could already see straight through every promise he would never actually keep.

The uneasiness in Nicholas’ chest worsened. Instinctively, he wanted to avoid her eyes, but pride wouldn’t let him. He tried to find something else to say, something that could make up for everything.

Before he could even figure out how to phrase it, Katherine closed her eyes in exhaustion, as if even looking at him for one more second was too much work.

Nicholas swallowed the words he was about to say. When he saw how pale and fragile she looked, like she might break at the slightest touch, the guilt in his chest only grew heavier.

After a moment, he softened his voice, like he was negotiating a favor. “Since you’re awake and the fever’s gone down a little, there’s something I need to ask you to do.”

Katherine’s lashes trembled slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes.

He said, “Sammy hasn’t had an appetite lately. Everything tastes bland to her. But today she suddenly said she wants crab cake and garlic butter shrimp. The cooks tried a few times, but they couldn’t get the taste right.” He paused, then made his voice gentler. cooking Nashville cuisine. So… could you do it for her? Just this once. It might help her eat.”

Katherine slowly opened her eyes and looked at him.

She said softly, her voice carrying a tired

ember you’re best at

why I’m best at making those dishes?” emptiness that felt almost wind-worn, “Do y

Nicholas froze. Clearly, he’d never once considered that question.

you know

Katherine looked at his blank, clueless expression and let her lips curve into the faintest smile, full of bitter self-mockery.

She remembered the first two years after their marriage, Nicholas had been deeply depressed after Samantha married another man. His appetite vanished, his body thinned quickly, and his mood was permanently dark. Katherine panicked. She tried everything. She cooked endlessly- dishes, new methods, anything she thought might tempt him to eat-but every time he took a bite

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Chapter 5

and set the fork down.

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Until one night, when he was drunk and half-asleep, he mumbled a single sentence. “I want Nashville cuisine. Something light…”

She had been thrilled, like someone had finally thrown her a rope. She thought he was finally willing to eat.

She spent a fortune finding a chef from Nashville, and she learned dish after dish by hand. Her fingers blistered from the steam, she burned herself more than once, and she sliced her own skin while chopping, but she swallowed every tear and forced herself to keep going.

Finally, she made a full table of authentic Nashville cuisine. He tried them, and for once, he ate more than a few bites.

She had almost cried from happiness. She thought every bit of pain was worth it.

Later, she found out by accident that Samantha’s mother came from Nashville, and Samantha’s

favorite food was Nashville cuisine.

So it wasn’t the food he wanted. It was Samantha. He used those dishes as a way to miss her.

That realization became a tiny thorn lodged in her chest, stabbing her for years. Every time she remembered it, the ache would spread in fine, sharp threads through her heart.

Now, maybe because her heart was truly dead, she didn’t feel anything at all when she heard him ask her to cook Nashville cuisine for Samantha.

She didn’t say anything. She simply pushed herself upright, got out of bed, and walked into the kitchen.

Hours later, a full table of gorgeous Nashville cuisine was arranged neatly on the island.

Katherine’s face was bloodless, sweat beading along her forehead. She leaned against the refrigerator, barely able to stay standing.

Nicholas looked at the beautifully prepared dishes, and something complicated flickered in his eyes. The compliment rose to his lips, but it felt dry and difficult to say.

Seeing how exhausted and pale she looked, he finally felt a rare trace of genuine concern.

“Thank you for your

hard work. Didn’t you always want me to sit down and have a proper meal with you? This is a good chance. I’ll eat with you today.”

Katherine was just about to refuse when a maid hurried in. She was from Samantha’s side.

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“Mr. Padilla! Ms. Lester says she’s hungry. She’s asking if the food is ready yet?”

The warmth on Nicholas’s face froze instantly. He looked at the dishes on the counter, then at Katherine.

Katherine spoke calmly, as if it didn’t matter at all. “You don’t need to stay with me. I’ll eat by myself. Take it to her.”

He visibly relaxed, then moved in a hurry.

mug

As he picked up the final water simmering on the stove.

of soup, his elbow accidentally hit the small copper kettle of hot

With a loud clatter, the kettle tipped over. Scalding water spilled out and splashed directly onto Katherine’s lower leg.

“Ah!” she cried out in pain and staggered backward.

Nicholas panicked and quickly set the food down. “Are you

But even as he asked, his feet shifted half a step toward the doorway without him realizing it. His mind was already with Samantha.

Katherine watched his reaction. Her leg burned with pain, but all she felt inside

it was.

as how absurd

She shook her head and didn’t say a word. Limping, she slowly walked back to her room.

Nicholas watched her disappear through the doorway. Then he looked down at the food container in his hands. In the end, he only sighed and left quickly.

Back in her room, Katherine found ointment herself and quietly applied it to the burn on her leg.

Brittany stood beside her, crying. “Mrs. Padilla, why do you have to treat yourself like this?”

Katherine applied the ointment calmly, as if she couldn’t feel the pain at all.

“It’s not humiliating,” she said softly. “It’ll be over soon.”

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