Independence

Hansel endured the lecture for a few seconds before hanging up abruptly. Then, he switched his phone to flight mode. Finally, he had some peace and quiet.

Once he got home, he felt less agitated and let out a long breath. As he was about to go upstairs, he changed his mind and found himself turning toward the kitchen.

He noticed the kitchen utensils were spotless and neatly arranged in rows in the kitchen. Memories of Miranda bustling in and out of the

kitchen resurfaced in his mind. This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

Making cream of vegetable soup took a lot of time. She had to prepare, clean, and soak the ingredients the night before. The ingredients would’ve softened by the next morning. Then, she’d cook them.

Hansel used to think it was too much trouble and had told her not to

bother making it. However, there would always be a steaming bowl of soothing soup waiting for him on the table when he returned home from work the next day.

Eventually, he’d stopped protesting. He’d taken it for granted, enjoying the delicious food and care she showered on him.

While Hansel was lost in thought, he heard the front door open suddenly. “Mr. Johnson?”

Evelyn had sent Martha over.

She’d been at a loss regarding her stubborn son after he’d run out of the hospital. She’d been worried that he might have an accident at home, so she’d instructed Martha to go over and look after him.

Hansel instructed Martha before heading upstairs, “Martha, make me some pumpkin soup.”

Martha was left speechless. Pumpkin soup again? When would Miranda return? Making her cream of vegetable soup–which Hansel kept referring to as pumpkin soup–was such a tiring chore…

Despite her complaints, she put on an apron and started making soup in the kitchen. Once the soup was ready, she took it upstairs. But she found that Hansel was already fast asleep in bed.

His face still looked pale. His brow was furrowed tightly, even in his sleep. Martha gently placed the soup down, tidied up the kitchen, and left the house quietly.

Half–asleep, Hansel felt a burning sensation in his stomach during the middle of the night. He felt as if his whole body was on fire.

Suddenly, an icy needle pierced into his veins. The burning pain in his body gradually subsided as the cold fluids entered his veins. However, he still felt very hot.

Evelyn stood by the bed in Hansel’s bedroom. She felt both sorry for and angry at Hansel, who was delirious from the high fever.

She’d called him at 10:00 pm at night, but he hadn’t answered the phone. She hurried to the mansion, worried that something bad might’ve happened to him.

Sure enough, Evelyn had found him burning up with a fever as soon as she’d entered the bedroom. His fever was so severe that he was

delirious.

In a daze, Hansel kept murmuring Miranda’s name, but he wouldn’t regain consciousness, no matter how much Evelyn tried to wake him.

She’d quickly contacted the family doctor, Peter Lance, and asked him

to come over.

“Dr. Lance, how is Hansel’s condition?”

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“I just took Mr. Johnson’s temperature. His fever is slowly coming down. This fever is due to his chronic stomach issues. I’ll prescribe some medication, and someone will deliver it shortly. Please take note of the instructions.”

At that moment, Hansel’s fingers twitched. Evelyn followed Peter to the hallway outside because she was worried about disturbing Hansel’s

rest.

A nurse was changing the empty IV drip. Suddenly, Hansel opened his eyes. Seeing a figure moving in front of him, he shielded his eyes with an arm and said in a hoarse voice, “Can I borrow your phone to make a call?”

Hansel took the phone and dialed a familiar string of numbers. After two rings, the call was connected.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his rough voice choked up. The words. he wanted to say seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he was unable to make a sound.

On the other end, Miranda had been soundly asleep when she’d heard her phone ring. She blindly reached out for her phone and answered the call instinctively.

However, no one spoke after she said hello. She struggled to open her eyes. She thought that someone had called her number by mistake and was about to hang up.