12: Husband's duty

"You can look now."

When he turned to her, she was already wrapped inside her pink robe. Her knees were exposed and one of it had a light scratch while her right ankle was already quite swollen.

He looked at her face and saw her disheveled red hair slightly covering her wounded forehead. It was starting to bleed again. Her jaws were quivering, her lips were pale and her eyes were almost one tear away from crying out of embarrassment.

He sighed out of frustration.

"What the hell are you doing?" His anger was very evident in his tone.

Ruth covered her flushed face with the back of her hands.

"I was sleeping!" She squealed in between sobs.

He rolled his eyes out of disbelief.

"Were you trying to kill yourself?"

She scoffed.

"Kill myself? Why would I do that?"

He stepped closer. He stood up mightily before her. She backed down and transferred her weight to her right foot thoughtlessly.

She winced discreetly but Marcus' eyes caught that.

"Let me enlighten you if you've already forgotten, young lady." He put her hands on each side of his tapered waist and towered above her like a mad principal to his student.

"An hour and a half ago, you injured yourself here." He pointed the open wound on her temple. "And now this? How many injuries are you trying to achieve today, little Missus clumsy?"

Ruth pressed her lips trying to suppress her sobs and hopped in one foot towards the sink.

He clenched his fist as he followed her.

She was obviously hurt. Again.

"I was trying to get up, okay? Then I slipped." She blamed her scattered clothes on the floor.

"So, you slipped like an idiot?"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Yes, you are!" He pointed his finger to her dirty clothes scattered on the floor. "Why threw your clothes here if you have an arm away hamper on the side? You're not using your head."

"Stop calling me idiot!" Out of so much frustration, she stomped her feet but instantly grimaced in pain. She acted as if it was nothing and continued limping towards the door instead.

"Well, you should stop acting like an idiot first!"

She bit her tongue, glared at him one last time and walked out. A glistened of tear escaped her eyes.

Marcus frustratedly ran his fingers on his hair and shook his head.

"What am I going to do with you, woman?"

"Stop following m----"

To her surprise, Marcus swiftly grabbed her waist and carried her on top of his wide shoulder like a sack of wheat.

"Put me down!" She screamed as she repeatedly jabbed his back.

"Shut up or you'll get more than just a scolding, wife."

Ruth didn't listen and kept on hitting his shoulder and arms.

"How dare you?! Are you going to hit me now?"

He deposited her gently on top of the bed and pinned her arms behind her. She was trapped within his strong arms. She looked tenser by the minute. Her eyes were listless as if she was really afraid of him but still adamant to reveal it.

Marcus looked at her straight in the eyes, his look was piercing, throbbing and accusing.

"I never hurt you, at least I must make that clear between us." He said with a serious tone.

She gulped as if testing his already dimmed mood.

"Then what do you plan to do with me?"

"I'll let you know if you behave and stay here."

Despite her doubting glances, she nodded and quietly sat on the bed.

He stood up and went back inside the bathroom. When he returned, he got the medicine kit on his one hand and a clean towel on the other.

"You were never this clumsy before, wife."

"I don't remember that."

Marcus was applying ointment on her wounds in both her forehead and bruised knee.

"I know."

"No. Me as your wife, I mean."

He cleared his throat. He took an elastic bandage from the kit and wrapped it around her swelling ankle.

"Were we really married before?"

He gave her a simple nod.

"But why don't I have any recollection of you? I don't even remember this place, even the people around here seem strangers to me."

His eyes flickered.

He closed the medicine kit and placed it at the feet of the bed.

"Get dressed. I'll pick you up in half an hour for dinner."

He stood up and walked towards the door.

"Marcus."

He turned around. Their eyes met.

"Thank you."

"Husband's duty."

A faint smile formed on his lips before he went out and closed the door.

…

I was quite trembling as I clung to Marcus' arm as we stepped down the stairs and walked towards the dining hall.

I insisted on eating dinner alone inside my room but he persisted that we should eat together downstairs. He initially planned to carry me in his arms but I ran out of panic and embarrassment. I winced as I fell my weight on my injured ankle again and fell on the floor. He scolded me. Again.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Marcus' minty breath was fanning against my cheek.

I veered away my face and pinched his arm.

"Don't harass me, Mister."

He drew my waist closer to him. His strong arms supporting my back while my arm was still clinging around his neck.

"This is not harassment, Missus."

"Take your hands off me." I gritted my teeth.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid that's not a good idea."

"Why is that?"

A naughty grin formed at the side of his lips.

He moved closer and whispered near my ear.

"After everything that I saw earlier inside the bath---" His eyeballs gazed down at my chest.

My face turned red in an instant. I pushed him away but he was way stronger than me.

"You perv!"

His arms already wrapped around my waist became more tightened.

"Besides, what kind of husband would let his pretty wife walk alone with an ankle injury?"

"I'm about to attack you now, you know that?"

I clenched my fists and prepared to hit him when we reached the entrance of the dining hall.

"Hush, wife. We're here." He whispered and motioned me to glide towards the left side of the long dining table.

He held my arms steadily and deposited me to an empty chair.

I darted him with my deadliest glare.

He leaned down. Same level so our eyes would meet.

"Later."

"What later?"

He grinned.

"Attack me later all you want." He poked the tip of my nose. "In bed."

He teased before he let me go. He pulled the chair beside me and sat there.

I kicked his leg using my uninjured foot but he was quick to dodge it.

"I hate you." I mouthed.

I have never been this piss my whole life.

"Until when, my dear wife?"