Ghost of My Heart - Chapter 70

“Then, let’s get our marriage license as soon as possible so it can be a yes-yes from you.” Hue said with a wider smile over his face.

Jennet nodded her head with an even redder face. She could only comply with him at the moment because she wanted to try trusting him.

Well, though she had been dying to ask him where he had been last night, she couldn’t force him to answer her right away. It will just show how improper it will be to show her unsightly jealousy to him.

She had been raised to control her emotions no matter what the circumstances are but around this man, she had shown quite a number of emotions already. She even dares to raise her hands on him and did things beyond the proper act of an unmarried lady.

At the moment, she at least wanted to believe that he probably needs some time alone to think of her sudden proposal. After all, they met not up to two weeks just yet. They are still stranger to each other.

Hue also needs some time to rethink of his decision. Although he may be a being from another world, he also has his own worries. He also has feelings.

There is probably some custom of his world that he had to think of that she didn’t know. Well, there are lots of it actually. She will have a hard time to learn all of it.

Since Hue was burning hot with fever, she spent her time tending to him. She didn’t even dare to leave him alone in the room. So, they checked out of the hotel and head straight to the villa.

By the time they arrived, Hue collapsed on the floor in the living room. He was breathing even heavier and was moaning in pain.

“Hue,” Jennet called out for his name. She supported his head on her lap. She ran her hand on his forehead and found that his temperature rose again.

“I’m sorry…” He whispered in pain with his eyes closed tightly. “I’m sorry…”

He kept repeating the same phrase as if he was grieving over something. Sweats were all over his forehead.

Jennet felt her heart tinged with an unknown sadness. The familiarity she felt in his words, made her even sadder. A longing that she couldn’t understand, existed in her heart.

No, it’s a longing from a long, long time ago, but, not sure how long ago.

“Hue, stay with me. Don’t give in.” She said in a soft tone and wiped his forehead with a wet towel. She helped him to get on his feet and supported him into one of the guest room.

“I’m sorry…” He cried on the bed after he was put to bed with so much difficulty. His face was red and he was breathing heavily with his eyes closed tightly.

Jennet sat beside him wiped his arms and legs. She unbuttoned his clothes but was startled to see a few long red stripes over his chest. It seemed like he had been lashed.

She was taken aback by what she saw. Back at the hotel, there were no red stripes over his chest but traces of hickeys that she left on his skin from the other night.

“Hue, what on Earth happened to you?” She whispered. She wetted another towel and gently wiped over his chest.

Hue opened his eyes and they were in deep red. There was no jade blue colour at the outer rim of his irises. His irises were all in red, as red as the colour of blood.

Unknowingly, he grabbed her collar with one of his hand and pulled her forward towards him. Jennet gasped as she leaned uncomfortably over his chest.

“You, comfort me!” Hue commanded.

His tone was cold and overbearing. There were no traces of affections in his tone but rather he sounded like a master giving orders to his slave.

“Hue…” Jennet called out his name softly.

She stared deeply into his red eyes. She tried to search for the eyes that she knew but, it was all gone. The eyes that looked at her were red, domineering and frightening.

“Do you remember me?” She asked again.

Maybe because of the fever, he had gone nuts and uncontrollable. His sense of judgement was fleeting away from him, which drove him insane.

Hue groaned again. He pushed her to the side and curled in pain on the bed. Few more red stripes appeared on his back as if he was lashed by an invisible lash.

“Hue…” Jennet was speechless. At the same time, she was scared. How did he have these red stripes on his body?

“I’m sorry…” He cried softly. “I’m sorry…”

His cries broke her heart. She had never seen him in so much pain and apologizing non-stop towards an unknown existence that she couldn’t figure out yet.

Hue cried again in pain when there are other red stripes appearing on his fair leg. There was no blood coming out of his skin but just a look of it was enough to make a person cry.

Jennet looked around, in agitation. Her eyes roamed the entire room, searching for anything that may show the evidence of some unknown existence in the room but, there was none.

“Whoever you are, stop punishing my husband!” She roared out loudly. Anger was making her pipping hot and she looked formidable and undeterred.

From the corner of her eyes, behind the curtain, she catches a glimpse of a figure which disappeared in an instant the moment she turned her head.

“Don’t you dare hurt my husband again!” She shouted.

She felt the atmosphere in the room turned calmed. The suffocating feelings were gone. Hue was still breathing heavily but he seemed to be calmed down now.

Jennet hovered towards him and kissed him on his temple, “It’s all fine now. I’m here. Don’t worry, I am here.” She whispered and added, “They won’t hurt you…”

Hue turned towards her and pulled her down on the bed, embracing her body tightly. His actions were like a kid who had finally found a safe place to hide from his pursuers. He clutched to her and didn’t move even a muscle.

Jennet kept silent in his embrace. She embraced him back gently while caressing the back of his head. His long and silky golden coloured hair was soft to her touch.

Hue embraced her waist tightly with his eyes closed. Listening to his wife’s heartbeat had calmed his muddled mind and made him forgot about the pain that he had gone through.

What he went through was, he got punishment from a Punisher, an existence that appeared to punish exiled Gods and other beings for breaking any rules that had been set for them.

The Punishers are being with no sympathy. They live as long as there are rules. They also work closely with Reality in managing her children. They punished her children to make them regret their wrongdoings.

Their punishment can come in various form. The easiest one is death but a Punisher prefers to exert pain in the one who is being punished because they need to make sure the one punished must regret it and not repeat the same mistake again.

As for punishing an exiled God, the form of punishment is continuous and hellish. No naked eyes can see the punishment being commenced but only the exiled can feel it.

***

It was a very nice and bright day when Hue opened his sleepy eyes. He found his wife sleeping peacefully beside him. He smiled and tried to move but his entire body aches.

He laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. ‘Ah, I was punished again it seems…’ He thought.

He closed his eyes and at the same moment, Jennet aroused from her slumber. She sat down and stared at the sleeping man beside her.

Placing a hand on top of his forehead, she smiled. “His fever is gone. That’s unbelievable…” She whispered alone.

Hue wanted to open his eyes but he kept pretending to be fast asleep. Well, it’s not every day she showed her concerns towards him.

Jennet glanced at the time. It’s eight in the morning. Another day had passed by without doing anything. Well, she was busy, nursing him all night and she didn’t dare to sleep. She only fell asleep when it was near dawn.

Jennet stepped out of the bed and stretched her back. “I need to prepare breakfast before he wakes up. I have to give him something yummy so he has some energy to move around. ”

She, then, yawned. She was still sleepy but, she had to take good care of the sick person on the bed.

Hue opened his eyes and smiled widely. He was moved by her kindness.

‘Breakfast… She’s going to make me breakfast full of love!’ He exclaimed with excitement and rolled over on the bed, but then…

“Argh!” His back ached. He felt all of his muscles were pricked with needles.

His face was getting sourer than before. He can’t move freely to hop all the way to the kitchen, to give his wife a surprise. He can’t witness his wife cooking for his food with love in her eyes. Well, will there be any love for him?

The aftermath of the punishment always resulted in his inability to move freely. His body suffered from the stress of being lashed mercilessly by the Punisher. It was excruciating!

Hue laid back on the bed obediently. It was such a relief that Jennet had actually spared him from getting the punishment. She was brave to get angry at the Punisher for punishing him.

‘Kyahh, that’s my wife!’ He exclaimed alone with excessive excitement.

Well, she didn’t know the reason he was punished and she acted that way because she had pity on him. Such an innocent soul.

“I will abolish such laws when I return to my realm.” He said with determination.

Then, he remembered all about the phone call from last night, the call that was accidentally made to her home.

Hue clicked his tongue. ‘Ahh, I need to know what had she hid from me. I still don’t understand why she was so angry at me about that phone call. Something is indeed fishy when she proposed to me so suddenly. Well, getting legally married in both realm is better but, why does it feel something is off about her proposal?’

Hue squeezed his brain to think of the possibility. She said not to ruin her plans. But, what was it?

“This is troublesome.” He whined alone. “I need to see my wife.”

He forced himself to sit down and with all his might, he stepped out of the bed and left the room.

His appearance in the kitchen startled Jennet. “Hue, what are you doing here?!” She rolled her eyes in alarm. He was fast asleep minutes ago.

Hue smiled at her sweetly and replied, “I am hungry.”

Jennet placed the mug down and approached him. Taking his arm, she said, “Sit down. I’ll serve breakfast shortly.”

She helped him to sit on one of the chairs. Then, she touched his forehead again, making sure his temperature is back to normal.

“Well, your recovery speed is just unbelievable.” She said. “Your temperature is normal now.”

Hue looked at her, this time, showing his pitiful look. “But, my whole body aches. I can’t even raise my hands. How can I eat and shower afterwards?”

Jennet looked back at him and said, “I’ll take care of all of your concerns. So, you just need to relax.”

She was so calm when expressing her willingness to take care of what troubles him. She was looking brave and formidable at the moment of her speech.

Hue, inwardly, screamed with excitement. He was so flustered and his face reddened. He started to visualize her holding a spoon and fed him with a loving gesture.

‘Aa, open your mouth hubby or should I feed you with my mouth?’

He, even, visualized her washing his body in the tub with both of them not wearing a single piece of clothing.

‘Hubby, I need to wash your little brother properly…’ And then, he visualized her reaching down his torso for his little brother…

“My goodness, my wife is so bold and naughty!” He cupped his red face. He was already on cloud nine. The wild imagination of his was making him over-excited and blushes even intense.

Jennet frowned in confusion before him. What the heck is he thinking about? Did his fever act up again?