Atlas Hallow sat in the car's backseat with Charlotte Miller, his dark eyes shimmering with a flicker of restless light; he was somewhat at a loss.
His heart seemed tugged by an invisible thread as Charlotte's increasingly pale face deepened his pain.
"Where do you feel uncomfortable?" the man's low voice rose in the confined space. Charlotte bit her lip, trying hard to sit up, whispering: "I don't know, just my stomach feels awful, and I'm dizzy and want to vomit..."
She couldn't be sure if it was poisoning, but she was certain that her physical reactions started after she drank that bowl of soup.
Thinking back now, the soup tasted a bit off, somewhat astringent— the Hallow Family hired professional chefs; they can't possibly fail at making chicken soup, right? Yet, she couldn't voice her concerns about the soup; some things she knew couldn't be spoken outright, especially since she had just married into the Hallow Family.
She likely wasn't poisoned with anything lethal; otherwise, she wouldn't have the energy to talk here, but it still left him deeply shaken.
The hospital was filled with the stinging smell of disinfectant. In the emergency room, doctors were tensely conducting various examinations on Charlotte, due to the odd symptoms.
The chief physician looked at Charlotte's swollen foot, then gently asked the pale woman lying down, "Mrs. Hallow, did you take oral contraceptives?"
Based on these physical reactions, this beautiful female patient was likely overly sensitive to oral contraceptives, rather than suffering from food poisoning.
Charlotte's stomach was still swollen and painful, her face pale like the glaring fluorescent lights in the emergency room. Her face flushed red upon hearing this—how could that be?
How would Atlas Hallow feel? Nothing had happened between them, and she was hastily taking contraceptives? It was utterly ridiculous.
"I didn't take any..." Charlotte whispered as the discomfort slowly eased, but her foot swelled even more.
Her foot, once like a white jade sculpture, was slowly turning into a white, plump bun.
"Could it be ingested by mistake?" The female doctor's voice remained gentle, and just then, the blood test results came out, clearly showing that the beautiful female patient's reactions were caused by a large dose of contraceptives.
Charlotte's mouth formed an O shape, speechless at how such medication could be ingested by mistake? Furthermore, the doctor's gaze at her and Atlas Hallow became somewhat displeased.
"Mr. Hallow may not know the harm these pills pose to women. They can trigger various side effects, and if you're not planning to have children with your wife now, there are many measures. Contraceptives should be handled by men," the doctor said, having seen too many girls come to the hospital due to this issue. And this Mrs. Hallow was so exquisitely beautiful that she shouldn't suffer such hardship; with such good skin, taking the medication for a couple of years would likely cause spots.
"Understood, I will be careful." Atlas Hallow looked at Charlotte, sitting in confusion on the white sheets, with a gaze that seemed to have a deeper meaning.
"These reactions will mostly disappear within twenty-four hours; there isn't much to worry about. Your body is particularly sensitive to these pills; even minor bleeding isn't cause for alarm, but it's best not to take them again." After briefing them, the doctor closed the medical record, handed it to an assistant, and left the emergency room.
"I didn't take them myself." Charlotte forced herself to calm down, but the matter felt too surreal; her stomach getting caught up in other people's schemes? Clearly, someone had deliberately made her ingest them.
"I know." Atlas Hallow's gaze darkened further as he looked at Charlotte's face, growing as deep as a starless night or a vast bottomless black hole.
"You should clearly tell me the dangers I face. I don't know what might be in the soup next time; so, can I go back to my own home today?" Charlotte's mind quickly raced, contemplating whether she could use this opportunity to stay home for a few days; being at the Hallow Family was both boring and dangerous.
"Your statement has a fallacy; Mrs. Hallow, isn't it said that a wife follows her husband? Your home is the Hallow Family." Barely two days into marriage and thinking of running away already? Atlas's tone was calm, yet one could sense a hint of anger.
"Mr. Hallow, I'm sure no one at my home would drug me." Charlotte said angrily, her watery eyes meeting Atlas Hallow's unwaveringly.
"It won't happen again." Atlas Hallow gently patted Charlotte's long hair, speaking softly.
"No one can guarantee the future; can you personally cook for me in the kitchen?" This was crucial—she was worried about not having a chance to leave, and today truly was a rare opportunity.
"Even if you could cook, I wouldn't dare to eat it. So let me ask the simplest request: I want to go out to work, do you think that's possible?" Being home all day would drive her insane.
Had she learned the art of negotiation? Atlas Hallow looked at Charlotte's swollen foot, nodding indifferently, "What kind of work do you want to do?"
"Can I choose myself?" Unexpectedly smoothing sailing, Charlotte couldn't help but ask cautiously.
"Of course…" The moment Atlas Hallow said "of course," she almost jumped for joy, but the indifferent man looked at her without haste and added three words, "No, you can't..."
Why couldn't he just say it all at once? Jerk...