C4 Take My Place

The corridor wasn't wide, and they met on a much narrower path. "Miss Russel," Schaffer said, straightening his back. "I came to see Regina."

He was Kieran's long-time friend. There were sayings that said—to know how a man felt about you, look at the way his friends treated you. I took a deep breath.

Well, I seemed to only go with one name. Miss Russel. That was all he ever called me.

It was polite, yet unfamiliar—like this marriage.

Even then, I smiled. "Yes, please, go inside."

Sometimes, I couldn't help but envy Regina. As long as she was hurt, she'd receive all the warmth that I could never receive in two years. My fingers dug into my palm as I watched them head into her room.

With a sigh, I turned back into my room. No matter how many times these feelings plague my thoughts, I could never do anything about them. I might as well just live with them. I found a set of clothes that Kieran had not worn before and quickly carried them out into the living room.

Schaffer had already treated Regina by prescribing her some pills. Within a few minutes, he had already made his way to leave.

Just then, he caught my eye. "It's getting late." He smiled. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I'll sleep later." I handed him the clothes. "You're drenched from all the rain, so change into this clean set before you leave. That way, you wouldn't catch a cold."

There was silence at first before he grinned. "There's really no need for this. The rain won't affect me as much."

"Kieran hasn't worn this shirt yet, and the tag is still there." I placed it on his hands. "Since you're the same size, you can wear it."

Without another word, I headed upstairs.

When my grandmother had been hospitalized, Schaffer was the one who took care of her. He was an internationally renowned doctor. To be honest, if it wasn't for the Juarez Family stepping in, he wouldn't have agreed to it.

The next day.

The smell of earth and dew seeped into the living room as I went down. There, I found Kieran and Regina lounging in the kitchen.

The cold man seemed to have a soft look on his face as he concentrated on his eggs. It almost appeared as if he was caring and sweet, not the startlingly emotionless man that she had once known.

Regina's face was flushed red, having recovered from her high fever. She stood behind him like a sweet wife to her doting husband.

"I want to try your eggs!" As she spoke, she stuffed a strawberry into his mouth. "But it shouldn't be too charred, okay? Else, it will taste bitter."

Kieran chewed on the strawberry, not saying a word. Even then, one look from him was enough to satisfy her.

They were the perfect match!

Weren't they sweet?

"They're a good match, huh?" I turned around to see Schaffer standing behind me. Right. Since Regina was suffering from a fever, Kieran wouldn't allow him to return to his home.

"Good morning." I forced a smile. My gaze fell on his clothes, noticing that they were the ones I had given him last night.

"Thank you for this!"

"There's no need." I had initially bought that shirt for Kieran, but he wouldn't touch it. Might as well give it to someone else.

"Teresa, Schaffer, you're awake! Brother Kieran's frying us some eggs. Why don't you eat with us?"

She sounded like this was her home in the first place.

"There's no need. I bought some bread and milk yesterday. I can do well with that," I responded. "You should drink more water. We wouldn't want yesterday's incident to happen again." I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

While I may be powerless, I wouldn't let her take my place this easily.