Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Ch 47: What do you want?
Rika’s body, a heavy burden, seemed to drag her down with each step. Her feet struggled to keep up as if shackled by invisible chains. Every movement was a struggle, as if she were walking on air, her steps devoid of their usual impact.

Moreover, she could not tell if this was the side effect of her medicine or another medical condition Rika would ignore.

“Oh my! You sure slept for much longer than I expected you to. Are you sure you are alright? You don’t need anything more to make yourself comfortable, right? You can tell me if there is anything you want.”

The dorm lady was extra kind, and Rika spotted many of her favourite dishes in the mix before her.

Although these dishes were off the menu for the day, Rika was assured that the dorm lady had prepared them specifically for her.

Even Charon did not complain about the menu change, and she quietly sat down to eat. It made Rika feel accepted and cared for in a way she had never felt before.

‘I feel so thankful for these two. This feels like silent support. Along with making me feel better, they do not ask me any questions. This is the dream scenario for me.’

Rika quietly saw down to eat. It was a silent dinner but not a tense one for her.

She did not remember how, but Rika could finish everything on her plate before heading to her room and feeding her puppy.

Charon followed her at a moderate distance but did not ask Rika any unnecessary questions.

“Nothing much happened while I was kidnapped. The kidnapper did try to blackmail my family to get money, but they got captured before they could make any other move. There is no need to look so worried for me.”

Rika assured Charon, but she could tell her roommate did not have it. The suspicion in Charon’s eyes made Rika sigh.

She kept waiting for the question, but Charon never asked Rika what else happened or what she was hiding.

Had it been any of her family or friends, Rika doubted they would be this considerate.

‘Actually, I am pretty sure that at least Mark and Emily would have taken offence if I had not told them all the details of what happened. They are such control freaks.’

Rika felt a small chuckle at the thought that had just occurred.

“Well, as long as you are okay, I don’t care. But what are you going to do now? You slept the whole day, so I don’t think you will have much success sleeping during the night. Are you going to stay awake the whole time?”

Charon asked with a worried expression on her face.

And truthfully, Rika did not know the answer to that question.

The answer came to her when Rika lay on the bed and closed her eyes. She was asleep once more when her head hit the bed.

Rika woke up late the following day, and the first thing she noticed was Charon’s worried expression.

“Are you sure you are alright, Rika? You slept for so long that I was sure something happened to you. You should go and get yourself checked out if you are feeling unwell. Sleeping this much cannot be normal.”

Charon pointed out, and Rika knew the older beta had a point. Sleeping a whole day away was not expected.

But Rika did not have the guts to attend a hospital right now. She felt afraid of what she would hear and what those doctors would tell her about her condition.

She was also afraid to know more about her stunned development and how it could still be cursed.

But since Rika did not want to worry Charon, she smiled and agreed to what Charon asked her.

“I will go to the doctor as soon as I have time. But I am sure this is just a side effect of the medicine and nothing more. You do not need to worry about me, Charon.”

Sui assured Charon with a smile on her face.

It was clear to see that Charon did not believe Rika, but she was not willing to take any risk and offend her either.

“Alright! Just take care of yourself today. Are you going to head to work now?”

Charon asked in a worried voice, and Rika nodded.

“Yeah! It might be a little early, but I might as well head out now, right? I’ll need to give my boss an explanation of why I did not come in yesterday. I am sure he will understand my reasons, but I still do not want to keep him hanging around like this.”

Rika assured her roommate before quickly getting up and opening the door.

Before Rika could go, she quickly grabbed her mask to put on. She did not want to leave the house and expose her identity.

The puppy took this as an invitation to head out with Rika and get to work. It was clear from the puppy’s behaviour that it would not listen to what Rika said at this point.

“Well, we’ll be the two of us this time. Well then, I’ll be heading out.”

With that second call, Rika finally left the house and headed down the street.

She had only turned one street corner when Rika’s eyes met familiar dark ones looking back at her.

‘Oh no! Since when was Damian waiting for me? Is he even waiting for me? Should I turn around and pretend that I did not notice him? But isn’t it too late to do that? I guess I have no choice but to face the music.’

Rika tried walking past Damian, hoping he would not notice her.

But, of course, that did not happen. Not only did Damian spot her, but he also picked Rika up by the back of his clothes and dragged her toward him. It was clear that Damian wanted something from Rika.

‘Now what! How long is Damian going to hold me captive? What the hell does he want with me?’