Chapter 4
After all, when he turned 50 in my old timeline, he was almost giddy upon hearing of Yelena's husband's death. I doubt he would've smiled that brightly even if he'd avenged his parents.
Instead of eating that orange he peeled, I just held it in my hand.
With my eyes glued to the TV, I gave him a perfunctory reply.
"Okay," I said.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from the kitchen.
Seeming to have realized something, Channing jumped to his feet from the sofa.
He just rushed into the kitchen without hesitation.
"Yelena, what happened?" Channing cried out.
Later, Channing carried Yelena out of there and gently set her down on the sofa.
I scooted as far away as possible, my face twisted in obvious disgust.
"Ah... what happened to me?" Yelena came around in Channing's arms, her body limp as a rag doll. "Channing, I'm so sorry... I was just trying to cook for you and Shania. Didn't expect I would faint."
Hearing what she said, Channing got so anxious. "Why did you cook when you were not feeling well?"
Without saying anything, I pulled out my phone and typed into the search engine. [Do leukemia patients often faint?]
Soon, the results came back. [Leukemia may cause fainting, but it's not particularly common.]
Yelena seemed to have done her homework on leukemia symptoms, too. Regardless of the frequency, as long as there existed such a possibility, Channing would blindly believe her without question.
"Shania," he turned to me and said, "Go cook for us."
My hand froze. The old me would've done as he said.
After all, a drama queen was pretending to be sick, and Channing needed to take care of her.
However, I was no longer Channing's lamb.
I clutched my stomach and whimpered, "Ouch, Aunt Flow's in town."
Pretending to be in pain, I looked at Channing and continued, "How about we order takeout? And could you please get me some pills?"
The moment I was finished, I scurried back to my room with my hands rubbing my belly.
Though Channing was shocked by my reaction, he still chose to believe me. He once saw me in pain when I started my period.
At that time, he would bring me all that I needed to get through it.
Yet now he'd already stopped tracing it.
So when I used that as an excuse, he was totally lost, unable to tell if I was telling him the truth.
He always professed his love for me, so he would never admit he'd forgotten the date of my period.
After all, he once swore I'd never have to lift a finger during my period and that I'd get queen-level services from him.
That promise felt like it was made 1,000 years ago.
Yelena, lying in Channing's arms, was also thrown off.
According to her plan, she and Channing would be lovey-dovey right now, while I was cooking for them like their maid.
"Channing," she said. "Takeout isn't so hygienic. Besides, the doctor said I should avoid takeout for the sake of my health."
Her insincere voice, though soft, penetrated the door of the guest room and reached me, making me sick.
All thanks to that hole Channing left on that door.
I lay in bed, wondering how I was supposed to survive the next 15 days.
Finally, I decided to spend this day at the gym.
I still had a few months left on the annual membership I'd bought when I signed up for a photography project.
As soon as I entered the gym, I started working out.
I specifically focused on endurance training.
At noon, I bought a low-calorie meal from the gym. While eating, I booked a flight to the shoot location and then rented a local car there online. The film crew would return it after I joined them.
Finally, I ended up hanging out at the gym all afternoon.
Not only did I get to work out today, but I also managed to avoid those two lunatics.
Suddenly, I felt awfully happy.
I couldn't even remember the last time I was this happy.
Besides, it had been ages since I broke a real sweat.
This was really addictive.
Too bad I couldn't work out like this every day.
In the evening, I went back and saw Yelena and Channing at the table, sharing dinner and laughing together like a sweet couple.
Every time Yelena fainted, she somehow ended up staying here for five whole days. Channing only let her go once he was sure she wouldn't pass out again.
Channing's house here had four bedrooms, each equipped with a bathroom.
So, I might as well consider them my roommates here.
"Shania, you're back. Channing made dinner, especially for you. Come join us." Yelena's cloyingly sweet tone sounded again.
It wasn't until now that I glanced at the table—there were only scraps and leftovers left.
For what? Cleaning up the table?
With a faint smile, I replied, "I've already eaten out."
"Shania, where have you been all day? Why haven't you texted me? I bet you were off taking on some shady photography work again. If you get scammed, don't expect me to help you out.
Channing, who had remained silent all along, suddenly slammed his bowl onto the table.
"Didn't I tell you before? You must report your daily schedule to me so I won't lose track of you."