Chapter 163: Too many misunderstandings
Leopold subconsciously clenched his hands while his face was still serene.
Carmen, who had been talking, turned her head to look at him and saw that he was not responding, not knowing if it was anger or sadness that filled her heart, but both were making it increasingly difficult for her to vocalize.
-Miss Diana came for a confrontation with Madame that time, Madame did not dare to provoke her because she was pregnant, but she was still affected afterwards.
She had been relating in a declarative tone, without mixing her own personal emotions. She told it all to Leopold, out of the affair, as a spectator.
-I then became concerned about Madame and called the old lady, her grandmother, to tell her about the incident, but I didn't expect to cause a major misunderstanding between the two of you.
After a pause, Carmen looked at him.
-Now that Madam is like this, there are things I'm not sure you know, if you knew and treated her like this, that's really....
The unkind words were not spoken by Carmen.
-If not, I will tell you today so that you do not cause any more misunderstandings between you.
With a heavy sigh, she rose and came to the front of Leopold, bowing deeply and saying in a slightly apologetic tone:
-Mr. Durán, I know that what I said today was a bit out of place, but I don't care so much anymore that the lady ends up in this situation. If you want to fire me, I have no regrets, since it was the old lady who recruited me to take care of you.
Over the past few days, Carmen had repeatedly reviewed recent events and only then wondered if Leopoldo had misunderstood something.
Now being able to say it all left her more relieved.
-If the lady wakes up later, she must be hungry, so I'll go back to cooking and bring her some food.
After saying this, she turned and left despite remaining concerned that Mariana would be left alone.
Silence returned to the hallway. The door was a short distance away, but Leopoldo was frozen in place.
It turned out that he had been misunderstanding her and had hurt her deeply.
The heart in his chest felt as if it had been hit hard, leaving him breathless.
Only after a long while, he got up, walked slowly to the living room and opened the door to see the woman lying on the bed.
Her face was haggard, cheeks still streaked with tears, eyes red and puffy and frowning tightly, looking a little restless; she clenched her hands into fists and placed them at her side, as if she couldn't be calm in her sleep either.
It looked very fragile.
Leopold sat on the edge of the bed, frowning and with a different emotion in his eyes. Suddenly he reached out and gently stroked her slender cheek; apneas he did so, he felt only a coldness and it took a moment for a warmth to reach his fingers.
Variety of thoughts that burst into his mind at this point made his eyebrows furrow even more and his eyes were tinged with compassion, which rippled between them.
However, he did not realize it himself.
He pursed his lips as a huge guilt hovered in his heart and stirred it.
As I was about to withdraw my hand, the woman on the bed suddenly moved and the next moment she opened her eyes.
Their gazes met, and confusion and guilt seemed to violently collide in the air. At this moment, it was as if the only thing in their eyes was each other, reflecting their figures.
Mariana blinked, turned her head and averted her eyes, pain coming from within her heart.
And Leopold had concealed the various emotions he had just expressed. He stood up and his face had regained its usual indifference.
After a long silence, a cold voice came from above:
-Take care of yourself.
The woman lying on the bed did not move or respond, as if she had not heard him.
Leopoldo watched her with a deep look and stood for a long time, without coming out directly.
-It's clear to me what happened before.
Just in time, Carmen, who had not long returned home, came back with two thermoses in her hands and, seeing Leopoldo, said smiling hastily after being stunned:
-I spent hours this morning making this soup, which must be very tasty. Mr. Durán, you shouldn't have eaten, should you? Would you like some?
With that, she set them aside and opened one of them, immediately the aroma filled the room and quickly penetrated their noses.
Carefully setting the table for Mariana, Carmen served the meals on it one by one. As soon as she tried to help her sit up to eat, she was surprised when Leopoldo stopped her.
-Leave them here, I'll do it.
Carmen froze and then a bright smile appeared on her face. She hurried to step back and took a while looking at them happily.
So it seemed that it was helpful to have told Leopoldo those things before.
Thinking to leave them some space where they were alone, Carmen stopped stalling and quietly withdrew, closing the door carefully in the process.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Leopoldo looked at Mariana who had her back to him, and such a slender figure making such a movement still gave him a feeling of utter disgust.
He sighed secretly and picked up a white spoon, scooping up some rice and using the chopsticks to catch food before speaking quietly:
-Come and eat.
But the figure on the bed did not move at all.
Leopold frowned, looking somewhat helpless, but did not show his usual impatience.
-Eat all the food, and I will give you an explanation of this matter.
The slender figure trembled softly. After a moment she sat up, her puffy eyes staring at him as she asked in a muffled voice:
-Really?
The woman looked quite pale and had her lips tightly pursed in resignation; though she remained wary and suspicious, her eyes shone as brightly as the brightest stars in the night sky.
-Really.
With that, Leopoldo passed the spoon full of food in his hand towards Mariana's mouth, patiently waiting for her reaction.
-I can eat by myself.
The woman looked at him and her face improved, but her body was still tense. She looked again at the spoon in front of her and, less naturally, reached out her hand ready to take it.
-Do you still want justice?
The stern words fell on his ears, but they were not as cold and harsh as usual, they seemed to have a different meaning, so deeply hidden that he could not detect it unless he listened carefully.
The man's hands were still wrapped in thick white gauze, and Mariana frowned slightly as the past events unfolded somberly before her eyes, making her heart flutter.
Before he could come to his senses, he had leaned forward and shoveled what was on the spoon into his mouth, chewing mindlessly, as if he had lost all his senses.
When the woman had swallowed, she passed another spoonful of food to her lips and had to open her mouth to take it again. Before long, the small bowl of food in Leopoldo's hand was finished.
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