CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
OLIVIA
“MRS. MAXWELL, please make sure to take these medications religiously,” said the psychiatrist after handing me a prescription with a list of medications I have to take to treat my anxiety disorder.
The psychiatrist eyed me as if she was trying to read my mind. I was uncomfortable admitting that I had experienced so many panic attacks in the past months, knowing that Chase was seated beside me, listening to whatever we were talking about. I was torn between being honest and telling lies.
This anxiety disorder was Olivia’s problem after all. It wasn’t Reese’s.
I licked my lower lip, and carefully took the prescription from her, trying to look away from her serious gaze. “T-Thank you, Doctor Singh. I will take them religiously.”
“Great, and if you can also do dietary adjustment and exercise in the morning, it will help you ease your mind and minimize your body’s responses to anxiety. I will see you after a week for a cognitive therapy session as per your husband’s request.”
I glanced at Chase, who was completely silent. He only nodded, confirming what the doctor had said just now. Doctor Singh provided additional advice and then after that, we left her office.
I could not help but inhale sharply as we walked to the pharmacy. Chase’s silence bothered me the most. He was clearly bewildered to find out that I had an anxiety disorder, and I knew he was upset that I did not tell him.
How could I? I bet Reese did not have the same disorder as mine, and I was aware that telling him would only mean I would put myself into trouble. I got it from when I was a child, in the orphanage to be exact, and this disorder has remained a constant reminder that my childhood was far beyond the worst, it was traumatic, and unbearable.
I bought some of the medications I needed to take. One of them was familiar, as I had been taking it for a couple of years, thinking I would be treated by it alone.
“We can go,” I said carefully, and took a glimpse of Chase.
His lips were pressed together and had formed a thin line. Brooding eyes looked down at me as if he had a lot of things to say but was only fighting the urge to spill them out. I swallowed hard and held his hand even though my heart was racing fast.
“I-I am so sorry if I did not tell you.” I finally said it, hoping somehow my apology would relieve the stress he had because of this.
Our eyes locked. His expression finally softened, and then he let out a long sigh. Holding my hand and intertwining our fingers, he said, “I am fucking upset to myself that I haven’t noticed you going through such things, Reese.” I did not know you were going through a rough time.”
“Hey, it’s fine, Chase-”
“No, it isn’t, baby. The past weeks have been stressful, and I did not have any slight idea that you’re suffering from anxiety. I should’ve taken care of you way better, had I only known about this from the start.”
Chase looked so upset, worried and regretful. My heart could not help but race more, to the point that my limbs were tightening. Seeing him worried about me made me feel a lot of emotions. It was as if I was on cloud nine. No one had ever worried about me and my anxiety disorder except for Lara before, and now I had Chase. I knew this was not the right time to feel happy, but I could not fight the smile that escaped my lips.
“Don’t smile at me like that. I am worried about you,” he said, then his lips protruded.
“You make me flutter, I can’t help it.” I squeezed his hand enough for me to assure him I was completely fine. “As long as my panic attacks do not happen every day, and for as long as I am taking my meds, I will be in good condition, Chase. Don’t overthink it.”
“I can’t easily be at ease, Reese. Please follow Doctor Singh’s instructions. You will go to your weekly therapy and if I need to join you for morning exercises, I will do so.”
I chuckled a bit and offered him a nod. “For as long as you’ll come with me every week for the therapy, and yes, you can join me for the morning exercises.”
“Then that’s a done deal.” He offered me a thin smile, put my hand all the way up to his lips, and kissed my knuckles. “I am going to take care of you more, wife.”
I smiled at him, trying to suppress the loud beating of my heart, then gave him a nod.
We walked to the parking lot of the hospital, and from there, Mathias was patiently waiting for us. He opened the passenger seat soon after seeing us. I hopped in first, and Chase was seated beside me.
I leaned my head on his shoulder with our hands still clasped together. I shut my eyes when the car started moving. I felt Chase caressing my hair for a bit and giving me a kiss on the forehead.
“Too romantic…” I murmured.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
I heard him chuckle softly. “For you, yes.”
“I am sorry if I got you worried back at the university. I will be careful next time,” I said. I thought about bringing a small and portable fan with me in case I need to walk outside the classroom during afternoons, I would be able to prevent getting a nosebleed.
“That’s alright, Reese. We’ll take care of your health together.”
I nodded.
Silence engulfed us for a few moments. I thought Chase had fallen asleep while I was leaning my head on my shoulder, but I was surprised by his sudden question.
“Are you friends with Charles Brent?” he asked curiously.
I rose and looked at him.
“No,” I replied, with my brows furrowed.
“He has a bad reputation.” He looked at me intently. “I mean, when it comes to women.”
“I know. Mia told me about it and it’s quite obvious that he is a casanova.”
“That man does not know the meaning of respect. He tries to flirt even with married women. Seeing him there made me a bit concerned about you,” he said in his serious deep tone.
I raised one eyebrow. “Are you saying that he might try to flirt with me and steal me away from you?”
He jerked his head, at the same time rolling his eyes when he saw I was about to burst into laughter.
“Like I said, he doesn’t hesitate to flirt with married women, and apparently, you are a married woman…” He then cleared his throat. “I just don’t like that man to be near you.”
“I can smell jealousy here,” I joked as I bit my lower lip.
“I am not jealous… yet.” He sighed. “But I am not comfortable seeing you with him. If it isn’t too much to ask, can you stay away from him?”
“Okay,” I replied, nodding at him. “I don’t like his attitude, anyway. To be honest, I was quite surprised that he was with me in the clinic earlier. But you have nothing to worry about, I won’t give him even the tiniest of my attention.”
“Thank you,” he said.
I leaned my head into his shoulder again, let out a sigh of relief, and closed my eyes for a bit.
***
AT HOME,
Just before we had our dinner, I worked on a couple of homework assignments our professors had given us and which had to be submitted once I got back. Chase nagged about not doing it right now and completely taking a rest, but I refused to do so. I felt better now, so I did not allow any excuses to prevent me from doing my studies.
After working on my homework, I also reviewed my notes to ensure that I wouldn’t forget what had been discussed during the 2 classes I attended today. Mia sent me some notes for the third class too, which was a great help for me not to miss anything at school after I fainted.
“Look at you, Olivia. You are getting so productive,” I said to myself, giving my shoulder a pat.
I looked at myself in the mirror and decided to tie my messy hair. Chase was the one who prepared dinner for this night, and it had been two hours since he went downstairs to maneuver in the kitchen.
I went there to check on him. I saw him dressing up the roasted chicken he prepared, putting some green leaves on it to make it more appealing. I sniffed and smelled the familiar scent of egg soup, making my stomach rumble.
“There you are. Done with the homework?” he asked when I walked towards him.
“All done, Mister!” Then I looked at the food. “This chef doesn’t fail to impress me.”
“That’s what I’m good at, impressing you.” He gave me a cocky smile, and I just rolled my eyes. “Go prepare the plates in the dining room. I will have this served in a few.”
“You don’t need to dress the plate that much, baby. We are going to eat it anyway,” I commented, but he only clicked his tongue.
“Just leave this thing with your chef,” he said and winked at me.
We had dinner, and after that, Chase went to the swimming pool as he wanted to have a dip. I planned on joining him, so I wore a yellow two piece and brought some towels with me that we could use.
Chase was swimming like an athlete. With every sway of his arm in the water, his muscles flexed perfectly. The night wasn’t that chilly, and I could see the stars in the sky. It was, indeed, a perfect night to go for a swim. I put the towels down and went to the side of the pool and dipped my feet under the water. It brought me a relaxing feeling, and I could not help but play with it, splashing water all over as I kicked my feet under.
“Look who’s here,” said Chase, who swam towards me. “Swim with me, jump down.”
I shook my head and swallowed. “I’m not sure if I can still swim. I am not comfortable going to the deeper part of the pool.”
“I know, don’t worry, I will hold you. Come…” He extended his arms, looking forward to me jumping into the water.
I chuckled and nodded in the end, and joined him. The coldness of the water instantly engulfed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, making sure that I would not easily drown.
“Do you feel okay now?” he asked, and I simply nodded and gave him a smile.
“Yes, my love. This is great, very relaxing,” I said while still embracing him in the cold water.
“It’s been a while since the last time we took a dip together,” he said, pulling me closer to him.
I couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful eyes.
“Mine…” he murmured as he stared at me.
“I’m all yours, Chase,” I said in my low tone of voice.
He then kissed my lips so tenderly that it made me shiver. I kissed him back, tasting the warmth of his mouth. His hands traveled from my hips down to my bottom. I could not help but smirk when I felt him pulling down my high-waisted bikini bottom. He then squeezed my behind as he bit my lower lip. Heat and sensation went through me when I felt his shaft brushing into my thighs, completely turning me on.
He continued kissing me passionately on the water, and I was catching my breath while I was embracing him. I could feel his body becoming warmer than before, and the cold water didn’t feel cold anymore.
I said in hushed tones, “I love you, Chase. I love you so much. You’re the best thing that happened to me.”
He kissed my neck, and the next thing that happened shocked me, as he had already slid his shaft into my sex.
I embraced him tightly and cried out because of the pain. I bit his shoulders, causing him to groan.
“That hurts so much,” he said, and that made me laugh.
“That’s my love bite,” I said with glee, but I closed my eyes as he got deeper inside of my sex.
“Alright, baby, let me pour all of this inside you. How many kids do you want?” He jokingly asked, then pounded my sex so hard that it made my body numb in the water. My feet felt numb as he aggressively thrust his waist towards my sex.
“Don’t stop, Chase, I’m going insane. Ugh, fuck, Chase, come on, baby!” I moaned and I thrust to welcome his shaft’s attack even more.
“I want more of this. Your sex is driving me crazy,” he said.
Those words made me bite my lower lip.
“F-uck, make me your slut, Chase…” I groaned as he approached my sweet spot. My eyes were weeping with pain and pleasure at the same time. “Here it goes… don’t stop… Chase, ugh, fuck… I’m your f-ucking sl-ut! Shi-t, you’re so fucking great at this!” I said out loud and cried.
When I cummed, I yelled and groaned so loudly that I could feel him pouring everything inside of my sex.
“That was good, baby.”
He kissed my forehead, and I caught my breath and clung onto him.