Chapter 199: Is she... a pervert?
Atlas watched the doctor, who had rushed to the penthouse in the middle of the night after an emergency call. The latter was seated on the chair beside the bed while Atlas stood at the other side.
The doctor nodded quietly before looking up at him. "She’s going to be fine, Mr. Bennet. The Young Madam must’ve been exhausted. It can happen—especially if she’s been missing sleep, under a lot of stress, and exposed to heat."
"But she will be fine," he added while folding his stethoscope back into his bag. "For now, she needs rest. I’ve also put her on an IV to keep her hydrated while she rests."
Atlas sighed faintly. "I see."
"I’ll be sending a nurse later to remove her IV—"
"There’s no need for that," he cut in. "I’ll do it."
The doctor opened his mouth but ended up just smiling. Nodding, he picked up his bag and walked around the bed, stopping in front of Atlas.
"Don’t worry too much, Mr. Bennet," he reassured. "All she needs is enough rest and balanced sleep."
"Are you sure it’s not because I kissed her?"
The question made the doctor knit his brows before he chuckled. "I doubt that," he said, unaware of the full story behind the question. "You are husband and wife, so I don’t think a kiss would cause all of this."
In his mind, Atlas and Lola must’ve done it many times already.
"However, if you’re worried about your marital activities, then I advise you to let her rest for at least a few nights. That could also exhaust her. Anyway, I’ll get going. Let me know if there’s anything else."
Atlas nodded, watching the doctor leave after their brief pleasantries. The doctor insisted on leaving without Atlas sending him off, so the latter let him be. When he was gone, he snapped his eyes to Lola.
"Stress, lack of sleep, exhaustion," he repeated, tilting his head. "I don’t think she’s dehydrated."
Nor did he think she lacked sleep. Perhaps she was, indeed, exhausted today.
He nodded to himself, unaware of the invisible arrows pointing at him as the culprit behind her lack of rest.
Atlas looked up, remembering what had happened before she fainted. After a moment, the corners of his lips curled down as his eyes fell on her.
"She... she reminds me of a certain fool whose nose bleeds just because his wife told him she loves him," he whispered, curiosity shimmering in his eyes. "Is she... a pervert?"
*
*
*
"I was waiting for you."
"I was going to you, not my kids, since I know they were already asleep."
"I believe we had some unfinished business to attend to, as we were interrupted earlier."
"I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll help myself, then."
As soon as those words rang in Lola’s head, before the soft, body-tingling sensation surged through every fiber of her being, her eyes snapped open.
"Hah!" She sat upright unceremoniously, shock and dread plastered across her slightly pale face. Her eyes widened in horror as Atlas’s voice faded in her head.
Lola whipped her head to the side of the bed on instinct, only to heave a sigh of relief when she found it empty and neat.
"Ah... goodness!" She patted her chest, closing her eyes as her heart raced early in the morning. "What the hell was that dream about? God. Should I get myself checked?!"
First, she was dreaming with her eyes open. Now, she was dreaming about it and even waking herself up. This was not healthy at all!
As Lola calmed herself, she noticed the room she had woken up in. Deep lines quickly resurfaced on her forehead.
"How did I end up in his room?" She asked herself, only to freeze as she gazed down. Seeing herself clothed and realizing nothing was sore, another wave of relief filled her chest.
"Even so, how did I end up in his room?" She wondered, looking around in confusion. "Last night, I was about to sleep with the twins, but I didn’t have water. So I... went to get a glass of water and—"
Lola gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth before she could even finish mumbling. Her wide eyes shook as she remembered walking past Atlas, stopping, then being cornered at the stair landing. He had pinned her hand against the wall and started kissing her.
Was that what happened?
"Did we really... did he really..." Her face slowly turned red as her breathing grew heavier and faster. Her heart raced, its beating echoing in her ears. "What happened then?"
After the kiss?
She looked up, trying to rummage through her hazy memory. But alas, she couldn’t remember anything! All she remembered was that her heart pounded so much it felt like her entire body was throbbing.
"Why can’t I remember?" she winced, pinching the bridge of her nose in distress. "Why can’t I... wait a minute."
Her face twisted as she lightly bonked herself with her knuckles. "Don’t tell me it’s really all just a dream?"
Could it be that she was so exhausted that after getting a glass of water, she just went straight to his room? She had been sleeping here for a few days now, so her body could’ve followed muscle memory. As for the memories in her head, they could have been her mind concocting a hundred scenarios while she was weak, defenseless, and exhausted.
"Damn it," she hissed, huffing sharply as she now felt exhausted just minutes after waking.
Lola collapsed on her back once more, bouncing slightly against the soft mattress. Staring at the ceiling, her breathing slowly stabilized until she let out another deep exhale.
"Goodness..." she whispered, turning on her side and facing Atlas’s side of the bed. Slowly, she reached out to the empty side and closed her eyes.
"I really... really need to get checked. I’m really going to go crazy at this point."
Suddenly, Lola heard faint voices out of the bedroom. When she turned her head, she caught that the door wasn’t fully closed.
She let out another deep exhale. "How... how am I going to face him at this point?"