Chapter 36 The black out.
Vivienne's POV
She left without staying another second, that was when it dawned on me that my staying in Rapheal's house had to be solidified.
Rapheal and I became extremely close, happy and always at each other's hair.
“I didn't know you had it in you to stand up to Margot, she didn't come back here for any counter attack,” he said.
“Her silence means something. With Margot, you just have to be one step ahead of her, so that she doesn't take you by surprise.”
“So I assume you’re prepared for her, right?”
I smiled.
“I have lived with Margot for a long time, so I know exactly what to do whenever she brings up her mischievous ways again.”
What I didn't know was that Margot is planning her next move.
“Claudine is coming to the house tomorrow to make amends of what she did to you, Raphael said.
“What for? I don't need it!” I sparked
“Take it easy tiger, she won't bite. Just being friendly towards her, that's all she needs.”
I didn't see any reason for her to be in my space. But I just had to agree for Rapheal's sake.
I nodded slightly, my gaze landing on his face.
“Will you be here when she comes?” I finally asked.
He drew me closer to him, his hands wrapped around my waist. We're still testing the waters of intimacy, trying to maintain boundaries while taking it slow.
“But you know I have work to go to, I won't be here but I’ll tell the housekeeper to stay close in case anything happens,” he said, his eyes soft and encouraging.
I believed him, I knew he would do it. But I still wasn't comfortable with Claudia coming to the house when Rapheal isn't around. So I agreed and he went to work, smiling but not without kissing me on my forehead.
A few hours later, the maid walked to my room after knocking for a while. I gave her permission to open it, as I was in pain.
She entered and rushed towards the bed when she saw how my face was squeezing.
“Miss Vivienne, are you okay? Do you want me to call Boss Raphael?” She asked.
I could see the fear on her face but I declined it, and just told her that I will be fine.
“Okay, but someone is downstairs to see you.”
At that instant, I knew it was Claudine.
“If it's Claudine, just tell her I can't see her at the moment, you can tell her that I'm not feeling well,” I said.
She left but came back a few minutes later with the frantic Claudine.
“Is it something you ate?” Claudine asked.
“I don't know,” I winced in pain.
She placed her hand on my forehead to feel my temperature.
“You're burning up, let me tell the driver to get the car ready, we have to go to the hospital.”
I opened my eyes and met her.
“No hospitals please,” I warned.
She didn't push for it. She didn't bother trying to convince me. She simply said.
“Alright then since you don't want us to go see a doctor, I’ll just give you some homemade herbs to stop the pains.”
Before I could object, she left.
A few hours later, she came with a glass of herbal drink, the content was dark. I stared at it for a while before speaking out.
“I can't take this, I just need some painkillers then I'll be fine."
"Nonsense, don't give me that silly excuse. You just refused to let me take you to the hospital," she said, her voice firm but worried.
She gently wiped the sweat from my forehead with her soft hand, then placed a cool, wet rag on my head. The coolness felt good against my burning skin.
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on anything other than the pain in my stomach.
"This is a homemade herb," she explained, holding up a glass cup filled with some kind of brownish liquid. "My grandmother taught me how to make it. It calms the stomach and also helps in reducing the temperature."
She set the cup down on the bedside table for a moment and carefully helped me sit up. Her arm supported my back as I struggled to stay upright. Everything felt heavy, like my body wasn't my own anymore.
"I know it probably doesn't taste great," she said, picking up the glass again, "but trust me, it works. I've used it many times before."
She brought the glass cup to my mouth, tilting it slightly. The smell hit me first; earthy and bitter, like nothing I'd ever smelled before.
She acted like though she cared, while I didn't have a choice because Rapheal was working and I just couldn't call him to leave his work and come.
I couldn't argue with her anymore. I was too weak. My stomach felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside out. The thing is, I didn't even know what was causing the pain, but I just wanted it to go away. I would have tried anything at that point.
I parted my lips and let her pour a little of the liquid into my mouth. It was warm and tasted even worse than it smelled—bitter and slightly sweet at the same time. I forced myself to swallow it, feeling it go down my throat.
"Good," she whispered, encouraging me. "Just a little more."
Even when I said, I'm not taking it, she urged and encouraged me to take more so it can work fast and perfectly well.
I managed to drink a bit more before my head started feeling strange. Everything around me began to blur. Her voice sounded far away, like she was speaking from the end of a long tunnel.
The room started spinning slowly, and I felt myself sinking back into the pillow.
That was the last thing I remembered before everything went black.