Chapter 2 The Black Card

• “Aunt, that card belongs to Hazel! Please give it back!” Hazel said anxiously. Her face looked worried that the card would be taken by Ellena. She feared that Theo would ask about the card.
• One attempt to grab the card missed.
• Ellena glared at Hazel. “How dare you talk back to me now?!”
• Hazel shook her head and continued to reach for the card in Ellena’s hand. “Please, Aunt. It’s not Hazel’s; it’s just a loan from Theo.”
• “What’s wrong with you?” Ellena pushed Hazel, causing her to fall.
• Ellena looked very pleased when the card was finally in her hands. “With this, I can get rich quickly, right?”
• “Aunt,” Hazel whispered. She was just about to get up, but her leg felt cramped.
• “Just be quiet! You’d better fulfill your duty as Theo’s wife! Get out of here!” Ellena said before walking away.
• ***
• Hazel was silent, tears streaming down her cheeks. She quickly wiped her tears and tried to get up. Despite the pain in her leg, she forced herself to go inside.
• Once inside her room, Hazel sat on the edge of the bed. To her surprise, her hand was also hurt from Ellena's grip.
• “Why is Aunt so cruel? What should I do later if Theo asks?” Hazel murmured.
• She laid her leg down on the bed and gently massaged it. The pain she felt was overwhelming.
• “What should I do to get that card back?” Hazel kept thinking about the card.
• After resting for a few minutes, Hazel got up from the bed and tidied her room, despite still feeling pain.
• “Miss, you should just leave the room as it is. I’m sorry I went out to buy groceries earlier,” said Hallen, a maid in the house, who had just returned.
• “It’s okay, Aunt. I’m done anyway. Do you want me to help put the groceries in the fridge?” Hazel offered.
• “Oh my, Miss. You don’t have to. Let me handle it. If that’s the case, I’ll go to the kitchen now,” replied Hallen before leaving.
• Hazel continued cleaning her room. After she was finished, she decided to go outside to get some fresh air. She looked at the place where Ellena had taken the black card.
• Hazel sighed heavily. Honestly, she felt hurt remembering some of the events caused by that relative of her parents.
• Hazel wanted to forget everything that happened earlier and decided to order some painting supplies.
• She took the painting materials she had just ordered and tried to forget about the problems she faced a few hours ago. Then, she went back inside and placed the supplies on the floor.
• After setting up the canvas and some drawing tools, Hazel decided to paint on the canvas that was prepared. It had been a while since she painted like this. It felt very stiff.
• “Not too bad; it’s a good way to sharpen my skills again,” Hazel murmured.
• “Hazel, is that you?” That voice made Hazel turn around. It was Theo, who had entered the room in his wheelchair. Hazel quickly stood up.
• “Theo, you’re back? Are you okay?” Hazel asked, placing her brush down.
• Theo cleared his throat. He looked at the canvas depicting a man that was not yet finished. “You can draw? Are you good at painting?” Theo asked.
• Hazel cleared her throat. “Can I see the results? I’d like to take a look.”
• Hazel seemed to try to change the subject and wanted to take the envelope from Theo’s hand.
• However, Theo held Hazel’s wrist, causing her to wince slightly.
• Theo looked surprised and immediately released Hazel’s wrist. “What’s wrong with you?” Theo asked with a worried expression.
• Hazel shook her head and held her wrist again.
• Theo glanced at Hazel’s injured hand. Her hand was indeed hurt; he was not mistaken.
• “Let go of that hand. Do you think I’m blind?”
• Hazel paused for a moment and removed her hand that was covering her bruised wrist.
• Theo looked sharply at Hazel. “Who did this to you?”
• Hazel fell silent and quickly pulled her hand away. “It’s nothing; I had an accident earlier. That’s why my hand looks like this,” she said.
• Theo was silent for a moment. It was unlikely that Hazel's hand was bruised from an accident. Someone must have done this.
• “Forget it, Theo. I want to see how your leg is doing,” Hazel said, then sat at the edge of the bed to examine Theo's leg.
• Theo moved closer to Hazel and remained silent, watching her read.
• “It looks like it’s improved since yesterday, right?” Hazel compared it to the X-ray results from two weeks ago.
• Theo cleared his throat. “Get me a drink. I’m thirsty.”
• Hazel glanced at Theo, then placed the paper on the table. “Alright, Mr. Generous Theo, let me get you a drink. You must be tired, right?” Hazel said before walking out.
• Theo continued to watch his wife. He felt that Hazel’s movements were not like usual.
• “It seems she’s hiding something from me,” Theo murmured. Curiously, he pushed his wheelchair outside.
• Meanwhile, Hazel, who was in the kitchen, was making hot tea for Theo. She didn’t realize that Theo was watching her every move from behind.
• After finishing, Hazel brought the drink and stepped forward. She stopped when she noticed Theo's presence there.
• “Theo? Since when are you here? Wait, I’ll help you guide your wheelchair,” Hazel said quickly, putting the glass on the table. Then, she assisted Theo in pushing his wheelchair into the living room.
• “Are you hiding something from me?” Theo asked suddenly.
• Hazel frowned. She looked at Theo and tried to hide her nervousness. “What? Do you sense it? Besides, I’m not hiding anything from you.”
• Theo sighed softly. He picked up the drink from the table and stared intently at the hot tea.
• “You’re not poisoning me, are you?” Theo asked with a wary look.
• “What are you talking about, Theo?” Hazel sat in the chair. “I just made you a drink, not poisoned you.”
• Theo sighed softly. Not wanting to waste time, he finally drank the hot tea. It felt warm and just the right amount of sweetness. “This tea is good; it might be the best tea I’ve ever had.”
• “Thank you. If you want, I’ll make you hot tea again sometime.”
• Theo nodded slightly. “If I feel like it. I actually prefer drinking plain water.”
• Theo placed the glass back on the table.
• Hearing that, Hazel understood that she also needed to learn more about Theo.
• “Tomorrow, I want to go to the mall. Do you want to accompany me?”
• Hazel blinked and looked at Theo with an awkward expression. “Uh—yeah, sure. Once I finish preparing everything with Aunt and clean up, I’ll accompany you,” Hazel said with a small smile.
• “Hmm, you’d better keep that smile for others,” Theo said before leaving Hazel.
• Hazel looked confused and stared at Theo’s back as he disappeared from her sight. She got up from her seat and hurried to her room.
• Inside her room, she found no one. “Is Theo in the next room?” Hazel murmured. She closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.
• “Huh, I guess I need to keep moving to avoid cramps.” Hazel stretched her legs on the bed, occasionally rubbing them gently.
• The pain was still there. “What if I can’t walk tomorrow? Should I tell Theo the truth?”
• “What are you talking about? Just say what you want to say.”
• That voice startled Hazel, and she turned to look for the source of the sound.