I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

“It’s nothing.”

But Ricardo’s face didn’t look like it was nothing at all.

Just moments ago, the atmosphere between us was great. It felt like I was having a genuine conversation with Ricardo for the first time in my life.

But suddenly, that atmosphere shattered into pieces, and a sharp barrier seemed to rise between Ricardo and me.

Clearly, something was wrong.

“Is there bad news?”

“No, there’s no bad news.”

Finally, Ricardo looked at me again. And he smiled, but it was an awkward smile.

“Ricardo…”

“Bianca!”

As I was about to ask him again what was wrong, the door swung open.

“Mom! Dad!”

Seeing the faces of my parents entering the room, I couldn’t help but smile brightly.

“You’re awake!”

As my parents approached my bedside, Ricardo respectfully stepped back. My father tapped Ricardo’s shoulder as a gesture of acknowledgment.

My mother, in her usual flustered manner, came straight to me and grabbed my hand tightly.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt? Of course, it must hurt. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Tears welled up in my mother’s eyes as she spoke.

“I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt.”

Not wanting to worry her, I tried to smile, but my mother didn’t believe me. Instead, she continued to shed tears, saying how pitiful I looked.

“My dear, stop crying. You’ll frighten Bianca, the patient.”

“But…”

My mother seemed about to argue with my father’s words but bit her lip instead, shedding even more tears.

“Ricardo isn’t even looking. Come on, stop crying now.”

My father handed her his handkerchief to comfort her and shot a glance at Ricardo. It was a somewhat ambiguous look, somewhat reproachful, and somewhat awkward.

“I’m fine. You must have been very worried since your daughter got hurt. I’ll step out so you can talk to Bianca calmly.”

“Thank you.”

The two men nodded to each other in acknowledgment.

“Ricardo.”

Just as Ricardo was about to leave the room, my father called him back.

“Thank you very much.”

As Ricardo turned to face my father, their eyes met, and my father nodded again.

Being thankful for being by my side when I woke up, or for saving my life during the incident long before now, I couldn’t tell which one it was. It could have been both.

Ricardo left the room without saying a word after nodding slightly.

“Bianca, my poor girl.”

My mother, holding tightly onto the handkerchief my father handed her, burst into tears again.

“Mom, I’m really okay now. It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

Actually, I had been feeling a dull ache in the wound area since waking up, but I said that to comfort her.

But no matter how much I said I was okay, my mother’s tears didn’t stop, even as my father comforted her by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

It was quite a surprise.

For a daughter like me, who had never experienced any serious pain or injury in her life, to suddenly say she had been stabbed with a knife would naturally cause a stir. Moreover, my mother, who had always been a refined lady, far removed from knives and blood, would have been even more shocked.

“Yeah. Did Ricardo say something?”

My father asked, looking at me with soft and warm eyes.

“It was just about my discharge and the wound.”

Feeling a bit flustered as both of them seemed unusually focused on my story. While they had always listened to me and supported me well, they had never focused so intently on each word I said.

“Any particular story?”

Bending slightly toward me, my father asked. My mother, who had been shedding tears, also stopped crying and looked at me.

“Oh, that’s…”

Feeling a bit awkward with both of them focusing on me so much, I hesitated. Should I tell my parents about the marriage? But the issue of the book hadn’t been resolved yet, so I hesitated to speak.

“Just various things about the discharge and the wound.”

I answered vaguely, and my father nodded, straightening up again. My mother pressed her lips tightly.

“According to Ricardo’s experience, he said my wound should heal in about two months. I might be discharged next week. But I need to talk to the doctor to be sure.”

“Yeah. The doctor mentioned that too. Do you want to go home soon?”

“Of course. I want to go home and have a little tea party with you and mom. It would be nice to have a picnic in the garden too. The flowers in the western garden will be in full bloom soon.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“Mom, do you think so too?”

Now, a little calmer, I asked my mother, who was wiping her tears with a handkerchief. Actually, she liked flowers more than I did.

“I’ll get better soon. So we can have a tea party and go on a picnic together.”

“Sob…”

Did I say something wrong?

My mother, who had seemed somewhat calmed down, suddenly burst into tears again.

“Oh, my poor Bianca…”

Not knowing what to do, I looked up at my father, who was already comforting her.

Avoiding my eyes.

***

Something was off.

Ricardo, who seemed to be hiding something from me, my mother, who was crying incessantly, and my father, who seemed to understand her.

At first, I thought it was just because I was injured, or because they were being cautious around a patient. But even if that were the case, everyone seemed off.

Was it too much?

“Something’s not right.”

Without hesitation, I pulled the call cord to summon someone from outside. Within moments, the door opened, and a nurse or caregiver entered.

“Is there anything uncomfortable?”

“I have one question.”

“What are you curious about?”

I hesitated for a moment before trying to speak straightforwardly about the matter. Would this woman reveal what those three had hidden from me?

I couldn’t be sure. If they were hiding something from me, they would likely have cautioned her to be discreet as well.

“I’m curious about the side effects.”

“Are you referring to the wound?”

“No, something else.”

I decided to play along just a little.

I dropped my gaze to the floor, mimicking the tragic demeanor I had seen my mother wear. Whatever they were hiding, judging by her reaction, it didn’t seem like good news.

“I know everything. If there are side effects, I want to know exactly so I can prepare myself.”

I didn’t specify. I didn’t want to risk revealing that I knew nothing.

“Oh… Miss…”

The woman beside me leaned in, her voice softening with apparent sympathy. The moment her shadow loomed over me, my heart sank.

“Cheer up.”

My suspicions were confirmed. Something was definitely wrong.

The fact that this woman, a stranger, was offering me such tender words of comfort indicated that something significant had happened. Something concerning me.

“Are you pitying me now?”

I raised my head, staring at her. Without realizing it, my expression had become stern.

While everyone else seemed to know what was going on with me, I was left in the dark, unaware of my own situation.

“N-No, it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I-I just…”

She stammered, clearly flustered.

“Tell me about the side effects.”

“When you go about your daily life, there shouldn’t be any major side effects. I assure you. You’ve probably already heard.”

“That’s impossible. There must be side effects. You’re just spouting strange medical jargon to confuse me, aren’t you?”

I shook my head in disbelief. I had undoubtedly heard about it, but the difficulty of the terminology had made it incomprehensible to me.

“Really. While it may be difficult to have children, there shouldn’t be major inconveniences in your daily life…”

“What?”

I jerked my head up in surprise at what she had just said. She looked stunned, her eyes wide.

“What did you just say?”

“Excuse me?”

“What did you just say?”

I was certain I hadn’t misheard. Or perhaps the woman was just speaking nonsense.

“I, I…”

She stumbled backward, her face turning pale. She looked as if she had seen something terrifying.

“You!”

But I couldn’t let her escape like that. I sprang to my feet, feeling a sharp pain shoot through my injured abdomen. Ignoring the pain, I grabbed her arm firmly.

“Say it again.”

“I-I’m sorry, ma’am, I thought you knew…”

“You mean I can’t have children?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“No need for apologies. Speak properly. Look me in the eye and say it!”

As she tried to pull away, the pain in my abdomen intensified. Perhaps the wound was reopening.

“I, I can’t…”

“Speak!”

“Y-Yes.”

I stared into her shocked and bewildered eyes. Whoever she was, I wouldn’t forgive even the slightest lie.

“I…”

“Get out.”

As I quietly spoke, her feet hesitated.

“Get out!”

With a sharp command, her hesitant feet disappeared from my sight. I heard the sound of the door opening and closing faintly.

“Am I… infertile?”

My trembling hand instinctively grabbed the blanket. Blood was spreading slowly over the pristine white hospital gown.

As if to remind me that this was reality, a sharp pain spread through my lower abdomen.

“Smile Love”