Chapter 3

When Theodore went down, he saw Carmelo wheeling Maurice into the house and a crew of movers offloading various items onto the floor.

“Well, look who finally decided to join us.” Maurice looked up and sneered, “I was wondering if you were going to hide in your room forever.”

Carmelo stood next to him with a cup of tea in hand and remarked in a gentle tone, “Maurice has just finished his rehabilitation session. The doctor says he could use some more walking around.”

“Rehabilitation?”

Theodore could not help but stare at Maurice’s legs.

Maurice tapped his own knees and announced smugly, “What is it? Are you surprised? The doctor says my recovery is progressing very well, and in time, I will be fully recovered.”

Then, he gestured upstairs, “From today on, Carmelo will also be living here so he can care for me. Whether you like it or not, that’s how it’s going to be.”

Theodore remained silent. All he did was smile and turn his attention to Sylvie, who stood next to them.

She pursed her lips together and murmured meekly, “Theodore has agreed. It’s fine.”

Maurice paused for a moment, then scoffed, “You’ve finally shown some sense for once.”

Meanwhile, Carmelo smiled and put his hand around Maurice’s arm. “Shall I take your luggage upstairs for you?"

Maurice gently patted his hand. “Go ahead. You can pick whichever room you want for yourself, too.”

Carmelo’s eyes lit up, and with that, he ran upstairs.

Shortly after, Theodore heard a round of commotion from upstairs. He went up to see Carmelo directing the housemaids to take down the decorative artworks lining the hallway.

He and Sylvie had picked those out together. One of them was a painting depicting the ocean where they had their first date.

“These paintings are so tacky and don’t go well with the style of the house,” Carmelo said with a grin as he tossed the painting aside, then pointed to the photos on the wall. “Take them down too. They’re an eyesore.”

One by one, the artworks were torn down. Among them was their wedding portrait.

Sylvie stood at the foot of the stairs with a frown, as if she wanted to say something. In the end, all she did was turn to Theodore and console him, “It’s fine. Let them be for now. We can put them back up later on.”

Theodore’s lips twitched, but he stayed silent.

Suddenly, Carmelo turned to Sylvie and used his most darling voice to plead, “Sylvie, I’d love it if I could have the master bedroom! It’s also closer to Maurice’s room, so it’d be easier for me to care for him.”

Maurice gave his approval immediately. “Right, how thoughtful of you, Carmelo.”

Sylvie glanced instinctively toward Theodore as if she expected him to object.

However, all he did was nod calmly. “Alright. I’ll move to the guest room.”

As he walked toward his room, Sylvie suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and stated, “Something is off with you.”

Theodore shot her a look. “What does that mean? You guys were the ones who wanted him to move in.”

“Yes, but you…” Sylvie frowned. “This isn’t how you would’ve reacted in the past.”

“The past?” He chuckled. “Isn’t this what you wanted?”

With that, he pulled away from her and went into his bedroom to pack up his belongings.

Sylvie followed behind him and watched as he grabbed his luggage, which had been packed beforehand.

At last, she blurted out, “What’s going on with you?”

Without looking up, he replied, “I’m just making room for you two, is all.”

Sylvie paused for a bit but said nothing in the end.

That evening, Theodore headed down for dinner. Maurice, Carmelo, and Sylvie were already seated, and the table was filled with food.

Carmelo was placing a piece of meat onto Maurice’s plate, and Maurice was smiling from ear to ear.

“You’re as thoughtful as ever, Carmelo,” Maurice said.

Upon looking up and noticing Theodore, Sylvie gestured, “Join us for dinner.”

After sitting down and glancing at the dishes on the table, however, Theodore froze. They were all dishes he was allergic to—seafood, mango, and nuts… all things he was allergic to.

When he looked up, he happened to meet Maurice’s eyes. The man was looking at him with a smirk.

Sylvie remained oblivious the whole time.

She took a piece of prawn for Carmelo and said, “Try this. It’s your favorite.”

Carmelo smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Sylvie.”

Then, she ladled a bowl of soup for Maurice before finally turning toward Theodore, only to notice he had not touched his utensils at all.

With a frown, she grumbled, “Stop kicking up a fuss and eat something.”

Theodore paused. She must have forgotten about his seafood allergy.

Once, he had to be rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night because he accidentally ate just a tiny bit of shrimp. At the time, she had stayed by his side all night.

She was crying as she promised, “From now on, I’m going to make sure to take out anything you’re allergic to.”

Yet now, here she was, busying herself with serving Carmelo and Maurice while completely forgetting about his seafood allergy.

He looked down and picked up a piece of lettuce to chew on as if he were a cow.

Suddenly, Maurice blurted out, “Sylvie, Carmelo here has been trying to pursue you for a while. All he wants is a wedding with you. What do you say?”

Sylvie froze and instinctively looked at Theodore.

Carmelo immediately protested, “Maurice, you’re putting Sylvie in a difficult position. I… I’m fine with things the way they are.”

Maurice patted his hand and shushed him. “That cannot be! We have to make things official for you.”

A heavy silence fell over the dining table.

After a moment’s hesitation, Sylvie said in a low voice, “I’ll have to talk about it with Theodore first.”

Theodore cut her off suddenly, “There’s no need for that.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

He set aside his fork and announced plainly, “Sure, go ahead with it.”