Ruled by Heart's Law

(7) "Between Raindrops and Secrets"

💙 Monday morning arrived, and as usual, Maria went out for her morning exercise. As she jogged through the park, she wondered, "Did I miss seeing Thiha this morning?" Maria returned to the condo, took a shower, and put on makeup. As she exited the elevator, she overheard the condo cleaners and two security guards talking about Thiha. Curious, she approached them and asked, "Is everything okay with Thiha?"

"I think Ko Thiha didn't go to work today," one of the condo cleaners said. "His car is still in the parking lot, and he didn't go out for his morning exercise."

The security guard nodded. "Yes, I haven't seen Ko Thiha ride the elevator yet. He always goes to work early in the morning. It's already half past ten."

Maria thought to herself, "What is Thiha doing?" She then hired a taxi and went to Capital Hypermarket. It was already noon when she returned to her condo. As she opened the door to her room, she paused and stared at Thiha's door for a moment, lost in thought. Then she went into her room and sat down with a glass of orange juice. As she sipped her drink, she couldn't stop thinking about Thiha.

After finishing her orange juice, Maria decided to check if Thiha's car was still in the parking lot. Sure enough, his car was there. She then returned to her room, still puzzled.

Before entering her room, Maria called Thiha. She dialed his number five times, but there was no answer. Undeterred, Maria rang the doorbell of Thiha's room. Despite waiting and ringing for three minutes, Thiha did not come out.

Maria entered the room by pressing the password that Thiha had given her. As soon as she stepped inside, she called out to him, "Thiha, Thiha, it's Maria. I've entered your room." She called out as she sat down on the sofa. She heard Thiha's phone ringing from his bedroom.

When Maria walked in, she found him lying on the floor, still wearing yesterday's clothes. Maria was startled and shook Thiha, calling out, "Thiha, Thiha, Thiha." His whole body was burning hot. He had already been sick, and the night before, he had worn wet clothes and drank beer. Maria pulled Thiha up and laid him on the bed. She then dressed him in fresh clothes and placed an ice pack on his forehead to reduce the fever. She covered Thiha with three blankets before going back to her room to cook chicken porridge for him. Maria took her medicine box to Thiha.

When Maria arrived at Thiha's room, he was already awake. He looked at her with weary eyes and said softly, "Maria, you're here. I have a headache, and my whole body feels stiff and achy."

Maria gently replied, "Thiha, try not to talk too much. I made chicken porridge for you. You'll need to take your medicine after you eat."

She added, "Go back to bed. Your temperature has dropped; it's not as high as it was before. I'll stay here with you while you sleep." Placing her hand on his forehead, she smiled reassuringly. Once Thiha fell asleep, Maria began tidying up. She was about to dispose of the fifteen beer cans scattered on his table when a dark blue book slipped off and landed underneath. It was a very thick book.

Curious, Maria picked up the book and wondered aloud, "Why did Thiha keep this book next to the beer cans? He must have been reading it last night. What is it?" She opened the book and realized it was Thiha's diary. Setting the diary aside momentarily, Maria cleared away the beer cans and then sat down at Thiha's desk. She couldn't resist the temptation and began reading the entries in his diary. The contents revealed... 💙
✨"Grateful
for your time spent
on my story."✨