Chapter 11 Threat

I understood that Aaron's words were not just a threat; he meant every word he said. If I rejected his insistence that I eat, I would indeed be denied any food at home from that point on. I had anticipated him being angry when I refused to eat earlier, thinking he would scold me as a form of punishment. However, I didn't expect him to react this way. He had prepared an extravagant meal, with imported ingredients, and I had not only defied him but also wasted the food. Reluctantly, I picked up the cutlery and took a bite of the steak in front of me. It was undeniably better than the one I had at the restaurant. Had I not eaten earlier, I might have managed to finish it. Throughout my meal, Aaron's gaze remained fixed on me. It made me nervous, and I was cautious with my utensils, trying not to make any unpleasant noises. Finally, he couldn't contain himself any longer and chastised me. "Didn't your parents teach you any table manners? Must you make such terrible noises when you eat?" His comment caught me off guard, and I lowered my head to hide my sadness. I replied, "My parents passed away when I was young. They didn't get the chance to teach me." My parents were educated and would have taught me proper manners, but their premature death had prevented that from happening. I didn't want Aaron to know how deeply their loss affected me, so I tried to maintain my composure and resumed eating, making an effort to be more careful with the utensils to avoid scratching the plate. Despite my efforts, Aaron's unwavering gaze continued to make me uncomfortable. He had a knack for finding my vulnerabilities and could easily make me feel downcast. It was as if he had a talent for making me sad, and I often wondered if he enjoyed it. I eventually lost my appetite entirely. There was still half of the steak left on my plate, and I had barely touched the other dishes. Aaron also had a plate of untouched food in front of him, which surprised me. Could it be that he was genuinely waiting for me to eat? Recalling the ashtray filled with cigarette butts and ashes on the coffee table, I realized that he might not have eaten because he had been smoking excessively. In the past, when I pointed out the health risks of smoking and offered to make him coffee during his late-night work sessions, he had reacted angrily by crushing the ashtray. I had been cleaning the study during that incident and had attempted to kindly remind him, "I can make you coffee when you have to stay up late, Aaron. You shouldn't smoke so much—" Before I could finish, he had angrily hurled the ashtray into the air. I had managed to dodge, but it had hit the back of my foot, causing me pain. Reflecting on it now, I wondered if my well-intentioned reminders had only fueled his resentment towards me. Aaron snapped me out of my thoughts, asking, "What are you daydreaming about? Aren't you going to eat?" He thought I was lost in thought and had even put down my cutlery to spite him. "I don't want any more, Aaron." He didn't bother looking up, instead instructing the maids to reheat the cold dishes and criticizing me, "What were you thinking about? Are you reminiscing about your sweet time with that doctor?" As Aaron's eyes took on a malicious glint, I sensed that I needed to provide an explanation or face dire consequences. "No!" My emotions were running high, and the memory of his punishments filled me with terror. "I was just wondering why you weren't eating." He glanced at the empty plate in front of him and replied, "I'll eat when you're done." His words sounded like a sweet gesture between lovers, but I knew it was far from that. He simply wanted to exert control over me and make me do things I didn't want to do. The discomfort from overeating began to weigh on me, and I felt increasingly unwell. "Aaron, may I go rest upstairs? I'm not feeling well." I must have appeared quite pale at that moment because the world seemed to spin as I stood up. I clung to the corner of the table for support, but Aaron didn't offer any assistance. Instead, he ordered me to sit down. "You still have more dishes to eat. Sit down and wait." Though it was the most polite tone he could muster, I really couldn't eat any more. "Is it necessary to force me into something I don't want to do, Aaron?" He relented slightly, saying, "It's okay if you don't eat, but you must stay here." The maids promptly served the remaining dishes, and I reluctantly obeyed Aaron's command to sit there obediently. Aaron decided to move to the seat beside me and began questioning me about the details of my dinner with Shaun—where he had sat and how long we had been there. "Don't attempt to lie. I know everything," he asserted, his tone dripping with suspicion. "You didn't know how long your date was with him?" Exasperated, I tried to explain, "We sat across from each other, and I honestly don't remember how long we were there." But Aaron remained unconvinced. He accused me of having a two-hour dinner date with Shaun. "No," I protested, unable to understand why he was fixated on this issue. All I knew was that I had run into Shaun by chance, and it wasn't a planned date. His appetite seemed to have vanished, and I felt helpless. Even my silence and inaction managed to upset him. He appeared irritated whenever he saw me. In that case, I decided that it would be better to go upstairs and avoid further provoking him. "I'm going upstairs to rest." As I got up to leave, I saw him glaring at me with a fierce intensity. "Who gave you permission to leave?!" he demanded angrily. "Aaron, I really don't feel well. I…" I collapsed before I could finish my sentence, falling into darkness. When I regained consciousness, Aaron was standing next to me, and I desperately needed a glass of water. But instead of offering me one, he questioned me sharply, "The medical report says there's something wrong with your stomach. What's going on?"