Chapter 5

Morning arrived, Catherin dashed to pick out clothes that had to suit her husband's taste. If Nolan didn't like them, she had to choose another outfit until her husband said okay. After finishing serving her husband in the bedroom, Catherin went downstairs to the kitchen following her husband's steps - Nolan. Just as she reached the kitchen, she felt like she was going to vomit. Before she could even sit down, she ran to the toilet near the kitchen. Her stomach felt uncontrollably nauseous, perhaps because she had slept on the floor for two consecutive nights with just a blanket. As she emerged from the toilet, all eyes were on her.

"Are you sick?" asked Emma, who immediately approached his daughter-in-law.

"Maybe Catherin's stomach is bloated, Mom," Catherin answered honestly, as she did feel uncomfortable.

However, it seemed like there were eyes looking at Catherin with hope. Who else but Louis? The man was eagerly hoping to have grandchildren soon, but it was impossible for Catherin to be pregnant so soon. Even if she and Nolan had already had marital relations, it was impossible for her to be pregnant.

"Are you pregnant?" asked Louis with a joyful expression.

Catherin knew what Louis imagined, so she immediately shook her head to prevent her father-in-law from hoping even more.

"No, Pak Louis, I think I just caught a cold." Catherin said convincingly, and Louis looked disappointed.

"Call 'Dad,' now that you've become Catherin's father too," said Emma gently, her daughter-in-law nodded and smiled shyly.

"Dad, why would you ask that? Nolan and Catherin just got married 2 days ago. It's only the third day, too early to expect a grandchild." Emma tried to comfort her husband so he wouldn't be disappointed for hoping too much.

"And you, Catherin, you don't have to go to class today if you're not feeling well. Just rest at home." Emma said, this time she looked at her daughter-in-law.

"I'll take medicine later, I'll be fine, Mom. I'm really okay," said Catherin, who didn't want to skip class again. Especially just because of feeling nauseous, she really didn't want to miss class.

The woman then sat next to her husband until breakfast was over. After that, Catherin got up and bid farewell to her in-laws to go to class. How surprised she was when she saw Nolan's car still parked in the house yard. As she walked closer, Nolan rolled down the car window.

"Get in," he said softly from the passenger seat, as Nolan was always driven by his private driver.

"I'll just take a taxi, Nolan."

"Get in! Are you daring to disobey your husband?!" Nolan asked, startling me, a mix of embarrassment because he always yelled at me. Embarrassed because there were his driver and gardener who saw me being scolded. Catherin, annoyed, got into the car and sat next to her husband.

"Drive, please," said Nolan.

The car driven by Nolan's private driver then drove off at a moderate speed. Catherin just sat silently in the car, still annoyed by her husband's always rude behavior towards her.

Nolan paid attention to his wife, intentionally asking her to ride in the same car with him. Besides wanting to take Catherin to campus, he also wanted to say something. At that moment, he realized that his wife's appearance was not so bad. She looked simple, yet still beautiful and charming.

"Tell my parents, so we can live in my house. You can sleep comfortably there, there are many rooms and beds. If you're not good at making excuses, just sleep on the floor forever," Nolan said softly before Catherin got out of the car.

His wife understood her husband's words. "Yes, you have a house. We can live there and we can use 2 different rooms. You must be tired of having to act in front of your parents every day. I'm also tired of sleeping on the floor every day. I'm also sick," Catherin thought to herself.

"Okay," she said softly.

***

After finishing her classes, Catherin went straight home because her condition was worsening. She had a fever, her stomach still felt nauseous, and her mouth tasted bitter. During dinner time, she had to eat with her in-laws even though she was sick. Her husband came home just as dinner was ready to be served, so Nolan could join them.

"Why does Catherin look pale? Have you taken your medicine?" Emma asked Catherin. The woman was always kind and attentive to her daughter-in-law.

"I've taken my medicine, Mom. This morning and this afternoon, I'll take it again after eating," Catherin said, smiling at Emma.

After dinner, Catherin immediately took her medicine as she had promised. Then, all she wanted to do was sleep. As usual, she would sleep on the floor with just a blanket. Suddenly, Nolan approached his wife, making her startled because she was afraid of being scolded or yelled at as usual. Just hearing her husband's footsteps made Catherin scared.

Catherin tried to think of what she had done wrong. "I've locked the bedroom door, I haven't done anything wrong. Why is he coming here?" she wondered.

However, her fear turned into a strange feeling when Nolan's hand landed on her forehead. The man showed a little bit of his care for his wife. Surprised, Catherin leaned back to create distance from her husband.

"Don't you want to be touched by your husband?!" Nolan scolded again. Catherin was truly tired of seeing her husband always being rough and yelling at her.

"Sorry," Catherin said weakly, then she bowed her head, holding back her anger. She didn't see her husband's care, all she saw was his rough behavior. She was already hurt by Nolan's behavior. So, his kindness wouldn't be noticed.

"Sleep in the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," Nolan said, shocking his wife. How could he not, usually he was always harsh to Catherin, but now he was willing to give up his bed for the woman he hated.

Catherin's response was quite funny; she just stayed silent and blinked a few times. She couldn't believe it right away, afraid that her husband's words were just a trap.

"Don't you hear what I said?" Nolan asked, looking annoyed as he saw his wife just staring at him without immediately responding.

"Do you really want to sleep on the floor? But it's cold here," Catherin said, still not believing what she heard.

"You know sleeping on a cold floor, and now you're sick. You should listen to me, tell your parents, so we can live in my house. Why don't you want to listen to me?" Nolan asked softly. Hearing her husband's calm voice, Catherin felt something different. She realized her husband wasn't entirely wrong; he might be hurt because he was matched with a woman from a different class. They were total strangers before.

Nolan looked different, and Catherin began to see her husband differently.

"Never mind, you go sleep on the bed." Nolan kicked his wife's leg, gently. He was impatient, and he was also annoyed to see his wife just staying silent all this time.

Just when Catherin felt that Nolan was a good person, she was treated badly again. She obeyed, climbed onto the bed, and lay down. It felt different, very comfortable, soft, and warm.

Catherin used the blanket that Nolan had used before, smelling his scent, which made her feel strange. "Why? Why does it feel comfortable?" she wondered.

At that moment, she looked at where Nolan had replaced her sleeping on the floor. It was clear that he was uncomfortable, tossing and turning. Of course, he was uncomfortable; it was not only cold but also hard there.

"Sleeping on the floor is very uncomfortable, cold, and makes your body ache. Especially for a rich kid like him, how could he possibly endure sleeping on the floor?" Catherin thought to herself.

"Let me sleep on the floor, Nolan. You don't need to sleep on the floor just because I'm sick. I can get another blanket to make the padding thicker," Catherin said casually, because she actually really enjoyed the softness of her husband's bed. However, seeing her husband suffer also made her uncomfortable.

Nolan ignored his wife's words; he still didn't want to share a bed with a woman he hated. However, despite trying hard to close his eyes, he still couldn't. In the end, he gave up.

"Ah, we'll share the bed this time!" Nolan shouted, then lay down on the bed, but he kept his distance from his wife. He really couldn't stand the idea of touching her.

Catherin was surprised and then sat up, looking at Nolan who had gotten into the same blanket as hers. She felt disappointed; she chose to sleep on the floor again rather than share a bed with a husband who didn't love her.

"I'll sleep on the floor, Nolan."

"Are you trying to anger your husband?! Hah?! I said tonight we share the bed! Are you defying your husband?! I won't touch you! Even if I wanted to, you're my wife! It's your duty to serve me! You poor, disrespectful woman!"

Nolan continued to shout, unaware that his harsh words were hurting his wife even more. Catherin wiped her tears gently, then turned her face away in shame.

Catherin affirmed in her heart and mind that Nolan was a cruel person and she would never forgive him for his actions. Being called a poor, disrespectful woman deeply wounded her and made her resent her husband.

"Are you crying?! Why?! Ashamed?!" Nolan shouted again.

"Why do you just yell at me? Why don't you just kill me?" Catherin asked softly, but her words were clearly heard by her husband. She could no longer contain her anger because of his actions.

"Do you dare to challenge me?!"

"If you don't like me, why did you marry me? Huh? Do you think I wanted to marry you? I was forced too! It's true that I'm poor and disrespectful. So what? Are you not satisfied with how you've treated me so harshly all this time?" Catherin stared sharply at her husband.

Nolan appeared very emotional hearing his wife's response. He approached Catherin and placed his left hand on her neck.

Nolan choked and pushed his wife until she fell onto the bed, very hard. Catherin groaned in pain, but her husband seemed not to care as he was also consumed by anger.

"Do you dare to defy me?!"

Nolan stared sharply at his wife, while Catherin struggled to breathe and couldn't answer him. She tried to defend herself by hitting her husband's hand repeatedly, but to no avail. Nolan continued to choke her.

"Do you want me to kill you? Well, be prepared to die tonight," Nolan said, making his wife even more scared and crying in pain.

At that moment, when he saw Catherin crying, Nolan realized he had hurt his wife. He immediately released his grip on her neck and calmed down. He was just angry and threatening, not actually wanting to harm her. He wanted his wife to obey all his wishes, without any refusal.

"Aren't you going to apologize to me? If you die, your family dies too," Nolan threatened his wife even more. He wanted to show his power so that Catherin would become a submissive wife.

"I'm sorry, Nolan," Catherin said softly, regretting her defiance towards her husband. She was afraid of dying and also afraid of her parents being affected by her actions.

"Just that?" asked Nolan, holding his wife's chin firmly.

"Forgive me, Nolan. I was wrong, I apologize, and I won't do it again," Catherin sincerely apologized, not wanting to defy her husband anymore, and no longer expecting anything. She believed her life had been sacrificed to cure her sister.

"If you dare to defy me again, you will die at my hands," threatened Nolan, then he slapped his wife's face as hard as he could.

Even without Nolan's threat, Catherin deeply regretted daring to defy him. She felt her behavior was not suitable for a wife. The woman cried uncontrollably, angering her husband even more.

"Shut up! I want to sleep! I don't want to hear your crying! And starting tonight, we'll sleep in the same bed! Remember that!" Nolan yelled, then he slept with his back to his wife.

Catherin immediately stopped crying, but it seemed difficult. Her tears still flowed, from the pain in her heart and fear of her husband. To calm her husband down, she lay down and turned her back to him. She didn't want her husband to know that she was silently crying.

To be continued...