They went to the river near Quincy Manor and strolled along its bank.

A golden-red light spilled from the west, dyeing the clouds. The scenery, with the land and river bathed in the glow, was breathtaking. ’It’s been so long since I’ve walked with someone like this. I really wish this moment could last forever.’

The sunset was glorious, but it was fleeting. In the end, the sky grew dark.

Maybe it was because she had just recovered from her illness, but on the way back, Claire’s feet grew sore after only a few steps. She couldn’t go on.

Adrian suddenly turned his back to her. "Get on. I’ll carry you home."

"I’m heavy!" Claire was too embarrassed to let him carry her.

’It felt wrong, making a man of his status carry her. It was like treating him as a workhorse.’

Adrian was unconcerned. "Are you doubting my stamina, or do you really think you’re that fat?"

’It was neither of those. She just couldn’t bear to make him carry her...’

Seeing that she wouldn’t budge, Adrian decided to be more forceful. He simply reached back and hoisted her onto his back.

Suddenly airborne, Claire instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. It felt a little awkward at first, but after a few steps, she found herself unconsciously pressing her cheek against his.

Her heart overflowed with happiness.

"Adrian..."

"Hm?"

"Why are you so good to me?"

"You’re my wife. It’s only natural that I treat you well."

"But it’s not like I genuinely wanted to marry you. Aren’t you afraid I’ll run off with another man?"

Hearing this, Adrian suddenly slowed his pace. He tilted his head slightly. "Don’t you ever think that again. Unless you want him dead."

’The implication was that he would kill the other man...’

’How terrifying!’

"You’re too scary. I want to get down."

"I wasn’t being scary with you." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Yes, you were..."

"Fine, I was."

"..."

’He’s insane.’

...

Early the next morning, before Claire even had a chance to eat breakfast, Adrian whisked her off to the hospital.

There was blood to be drawn for tests, scans of her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys... The ultrasound alone took an hour and a half, covering the area from her neck to her lower abdomen. She had no idea what the doctor was even looking for. In short, everything, inside and out, had to be examined. It was as if she was getting every medical check-up she had—and hadn’t—had in her entire life all at once.

Throughout the entire process, the doctor only instructed her to cooperate with the tests, not uttering a single unnecessary word.

The morning passed in a blur. Some of the test results were ready, but before she could get a look at them, Adrian snatched them away.

Adrian carefully read through all the reports, and some of the worry in his heart finally subsided.

However, the results for several important tests weren’t back yet, so he couldn’t completely relax.

Claire craned her neck, her eyes glued to the reports in his hand.

Adrian handed the reports to her and started fussing. "Moderate anemia, malnutrition, underweight, mild astigmatism in your right eye, mild nearsightedness in your left, an irregular heartbeat, and mild nervous weakness. From now on, no working overtime, no junk food, and you will go to bed on time."

"..." ’Can I refuse?’

’Looks like I don’t even need to read these,’ she thought. ’His summary was so thorough, and I probably wouldn’t understand all the medical jargon on the reports anyway.’

With that out of the way, Adrian wrapped an arm around her slender waist, preparing to lead her out of the hospital.

Claire couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t we waiting for other results?"

"We’ll wait for them at home. You’re tired, you need to go home and rest."

"I’m not tired."

"You need a nap even if you’re not tired."

"..."

’Who is this overbearing with their concern? I’m not moved one bit!’

’Yeah, right.’

...

After leaving the hospital, Adrian first took Claire home. Then he headed out again, saying he was going to the supermarket to buy groceries to cook something delicious for her.