Substitute Wife for the Mafia King R18-Chapter 323: By My Side

Everyone insisted on the same thing, that I had to eat a balanced meal, get enough sleep, and keep my stress at bay as best as I could. I had to say that all of that was much easier said than done, and I doubted that the doctor that took care of me got his full 8 hours of sleep a night.

"You should stay here for a couple of days until you’re completely back to normal. As the doctor recommended, rest is the best cure for your condition right now," Bradon told me as he sat next to my hospital bed. I wanted to tell him that his presence close to me made me feel slightly restless. After all, how did he expect me to completely relax and fall asleep when he was practically staring at my face the whole time?

"When I was asleep, were you...umm... were you here with me the whole time?" I asked hesitantly as my hands fiddled together under the blanket.

"Not quite, but almost," he replied.

"I see. Thanks for that, I guess," I replied before trying my best to smile his way to hide my embarrassment.

Although I was the one who asked him the question, I hadn’t expected him to answer so honestly or so directly, and because of that, I found myself feeling slightly embarrassed. I looked away from his face to focus on an imaginable spot on the pure white blanket that covered my body because I could no longer meet his gaze.

"I’m fine now, so I guess you should get some rest," I suggested.

The truth was I couldn’t relax in his presence, and I wanted some space. On top of that, it looked like Bradon could use some real rest because I was sure sleeping in the chair next to my bedside wasn’t ideal or comfortable for a good night’s sleep.

"Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Just focus on your recovery and worry about yourself," Bradon advised quite sternly.

"You’re not planning to spend another night in that chair, are you?" I asked, although I was pretty sure that that was his plan.

I wondered if he was scared that I would run away from him or something along those lines. I wondered when he was going to start listening to me.

"Should I get into bed with you instead?" he asked me, grinning my way.

There were times like these when I couldn’t tell whether he was really joking or if there was a high possibility that he would actually do as he said.

"Can you save the jokes for later? If you want to climb into bed with me, I expect you to look fit to perform your role, and also I expect you to be showered and clean," I said teasingly before pulling a face.

"You are very picky," he replied before he reached out a hand and placed it on the top of my head.

I could feel his genuine concern for me, and that made me feel slightly guilty. That was before I was reminded that perhaps this whole episode that I went through was because of how he had jammed my schedule with unnecessary events, and perhaps that was why he was taking such good care of me. In a way, he might have felt guilty, and this was his way of apologizing and taking responsibility.

"I want to go back home," I said in a slightly whiny voice.

"You can go back in a few days when we’re sure that there’s nothing wrong with you and that you’ve rested enough," Bradon replied, and it sounded like he wouldn’t take any more arguments from me. I decided to rest my case.

"If you want me to get some rest, you should give me some personal space. Honestly, I don’t think I can fall asleep with you staring at me," I murmured before looking away.

"All right, but call me if you need anything, okay?" he asked as he brought his face close to mine.

"Okay," I whispered.

It felt like I had already caught up on my rest after sleeping for around 3 days. As a result, I didn’t even feel sleepy even later that night. If anything, I felt bored and restless. I wonder what happened during the three days that I was lost in slumber. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door slowly cracking open.

"Bradon?" I called out his name because something told me that my visitor would be none other than him.

"I guess you can’t fall asleep? I saw the lights were still on," he asked as he approached me in the bed.

I watched in silence as he slowly sat down on the chair next to my hospital bed. It was late at night, and I wanted to ask him the same thing. I wondered only for a moment why Bradon wasn’t asleep before I figured out that he was probably just hanging around outside as if he was guarding me. At least, it seemed like he had showered and changed his clothes. There was more color to his face, and he looked better than before when I first saw him after waking up.

"Shouldn’t you go back to the mansion to get some sleep?" I asked, and I had to admit to myself that I was slightly worried about him.

"Didn’t I tell you to stop worrying about other people and to worry more about yourself?" he reminded me with a grin.

"I’m feeling just fine, and I’ve told you that many times already. Plus, it’s going to be bad if you get sick too," I mumbled my reply.

"If you don’t get enough rest, you might end up collapsing just like last time," Bradon said as he took one of my hands into his.

The warmth of his palms sandwiching my smaller hand made me feel very secure. When our eyes met, I felt a fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wanted so badly to ignore.

"This all happened because of you. If you hadn’t worked me so hard like that, I would have gotten enough sleep and rest," I said before pouting and looking away.

—To be continued...