Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 328: The Nightmare Plagued His Mind

Chapter 328: The Nightmare Plagued His Mind

Calix’s hurried footsteps stirred Leslie’s awake. She faintly saw his silhouette disappearing inside the washroom before anything registered in her mind.

In her drowsiness, Leslie wondered what made Calix rush to the washroom. She initially thought he was just desperate to use the loo.

But...

Leslie couldn’t help but shake the feelings that something was wrong with Calix, forcing her to check on him.

Realizing that Calix didn’t close the washroom door, Leslie pushed herself out of the bed to sit in the wheelchair. Her ears caught the sound of water splashing, followed by his rugged breathing.

’What happened to him?’

Leslie stopped right outside the open door. She saw Calix’s back as he stood opposite the sink countertop, his shoulders slumping forward.

Seeing Calix stare blankly into the mirror with his upper body drenched by water set alarm bells to ring in Leslie’s mind. He continued breathing heavily as if he had just finished a long marathon somewhere.

Calix didn’t notice Leslie’s appearance by the door despite the huge mirror facing in her direction. Wrinkling her brows, thoughts and worries flooded her mind and heart.

’Did he get a nightmare? But... this looks weird. Too weird for a simple nightmare. This... is this the same as that time?’

Leslie was reminded of the particular night that happened last week. She woke up to Calix sitting on the bed, seemingly disturbed by his nightmare[01].

’I hadn’t asked him about that yet. Should I ask him this time?’

The thought slipped Leslie’s mind because of Xander’s sudden appearance the following night[02].

Shaking her head, Leslie told herself to focus on the current event. Calix still hadn’t noticed her presence here.

Leslie raised one hand, intending to knock on the door to catch Calix’s attention. Hanging her hand into a fist, she dropped the idea. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to call his name.

"Calix? Calix... are you alright?"

Leslie witnessed the moment Calix froze once he heard her voice. As if he had just regained his focus, he stiffly tilted up his chin and looked into the mirror.

Abruptly turning around, Calix’s trembling eyes fell on Leslie. Lips shivering, he called back to her.

"Les... Leslie..."

Under Leslie’s surprised gaze, Calix suddenly sprinted to her before wrapping his arms around her. She caught the sound of his knees dropping hard on the floor and felt the trembling of his body.

The dampness of his drenched pajamas seeped into the dry fabric of her nightgown.

"Leslie... Leslie..."

The crack in Calix’s voice cloaked his usual mellowness, carrying doubt, relief and fear. The way he sounded inevitably tore a shallow wound in Leslie’s heart.

Biting her lower lip, Leslie stopped herself from asking Calix any questions. This was not the appropriate time for it. Raising her arms, she returned his desperate hug.

"Yes, I’m here... I’m here, Calix..."

Leslie ran her fingers through Calix’s wet hair. Pulling himself closer to her, she gently patted his back, hoping her small touch would bring him some comfort.

"Calix, I’m here... I’m here..." whispered Leslie, only audible to both of them.

Leslie let Calix press his forehead in the crook of his neck, sensing he was still deeply distracted by whatever had been plaguing his mind.

Calix and Leslie stayed in the exact position for a few more minutes until he pulled away from her embrace. Blinking his reddened eyes, his cheeks flushed with the faint ruby color.

"...sorry. Your gown got wet. You... you better change it now. You might catch a cold if you don’t..."

Calix’s voice was akin to a whisper. He sounded very guilty for letting Leslie’s nightgown soak by his drenched pajamas.

Leslie let out a chuckle. She swept her gaze over Calix’s drenched pajamas before looking at her own nightwear.

"I think you’ll catch a cold first... instead of me..."

"...maybe."

Calix’s one-word answer enticed Leslie to laugh more. She quickly covered her mouth before turning to look at the bed.

A small bundle lay in the middle of the mattress, still deeply enjoying her sleep. Calliope pressed her little face toward Mimo, never realizing both of her parents were out of the bed.

"Well... you go and change first..." Leslie returned her eyes to Calix. Smiling, she patted his right shoulder, "Wash your face too, okay?"

"I will call Mrs. Su to help you... ah!"

Calix abruptly rose to his feet. He winced, sensing some kind of throbbing coming from his knees.

"Calix? What happened?"

Leslie noticed the slight change in Calix’s contorted expression. He also let out a short yet sharp hissing sound, indicating he was in pain.

"N-nothing..." Calix quickly shook his head. Forcing himself to smile, he stepped out of the washroom, "Are you sure you don’t need Mrs. Su’s help?"

"Did you get hurt? Are they... your knees?"

Instead of responding to Calix’s question, Leslie came up with her own as she recalled the loud sound of his knees hitting the floor earlier. Surely, such an impact would harm him.

"No, no. I’m fine, really."

Calix quickly shook his head, denying Leslie’s correct guess. He felt a bit ashamed to think of what had just happened earlier.

Haha... At least he didn’t cry in front of her, right? Well, he almost did ah.

Frowning, Leslie pointed at Calix’s knees. Her words sounded like an order once she spoke, "Show them to me..."

"...yes, ma’am."

Unable to resist Leslie due to his guilt for making her worry, Calix slowly folded his pajama pants above his knees. Red marks were evident on his kneecaps.

Leslie let out a sigh. She refrained from touching Calix’s knees. Thankfully, there were no wounds aside from the blemishes.

"...you need to treat them. Put on some ointment."

"Okay..."

Leslie lightly patted Calix’s arm, insisting he change his clothes and treat his knees. Having no other choice, he abid to her urging.

"I will just take my clothes change. You can use the wardrobe when I’m using the washroom."

"Yes, yes... Hurry, you go..."

Leslie watched Calix rushing to the ensuite wardrobe. More thoughts formed in her mind, all of her concerns were centered around the man.

Shaking her head, once again Leslie shifted her eyes toward the bed. Calliope spread all of her four short limbs after kicking the blanket off. The toy Mimo lay on her round tummy.

’Thankfully, Poppy’s sleeping well.’

Leslie maneuvered the wheelchair to the ensuite wardrobe. Calix had just taken a new set of clean pajamas out of the closet.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to call Mrs. Su?" asked Calix quietly, his eyes locking onto Leslie’s.

"It’s fine... Go now..."

"...yes."

While Calix changed in the washroom, Leslie did the same in the ensuite wardrobe. She was already able to undress and wear clothes herself as long as the outfits were not complicated. The downside was her slow movement.

’Should I ask him?’

Leslie couldn’t take her mind off how bizarre Calix behaved tonight. While smoothening the collar of her new nightgown, she wandered her gaze toward the connecting door of the wardrobe and the washroom.

The way Calix’s face was heavily clouded earlier was a far cry from his usual confident and cheery look. No matter how much Leslie tried to ignore it, her concern for him only continued to grow.

’Does he always have nightmares?’

Tonight was the second time Calix appeared out of sorts after waking up from a disturbing nightmare. Leslie remembered he didn’t look this worse during the previous one.

Knock!

"Leslie, can I get inside?"

The knocking sound and Calix’s voice startled Leslie. It seemed like he was already out of the washroom, asking her permission to enter the ensuite wardrobe.

"Y-yes! It’s fine now..."

Leslie saw the handle turning before Calix pushed the door, revealing his tall stature. He had already changed into another set of pajamas, looking a bit fresher than before.

But...

"Your hair is still wet..." Leslie pointed out, helplessness imbuing in her voice, "Why haven’t you... dried it?"

Droplets of water still dripped from Calix’s hair. Some of them left marks on his shoulders. The tiny blobs formed dark patches on his pastel blue pajamas.

Calix blinked. He awkwardly lifted one hand, lightly touching the bangs sticking to his forehead. He uttered, "I’m afraid I’d wake Poppy if I use the dryer..."

Calix’s answer amused Leslie. Shrugging, she waved one hand, beckoning him to come closer to her. Her other hand reached out for a drawer where clean towels were kept.

"Sit here... Let me dry your hair..."

"...okay."

Grasping the hem of his shirt, Calix quietly approached Leslie before sitting on the vanity stool opposite her wheelchair. She pulled one small towel from the drawer.

Curling up her lips, Leslie purposely teased Calix, "Bend down, won’t you? You’re... so tall ah."

"Okay..."

Doing as he was told, Calix lowered his upper body, hindering him from staring at Leslie’s face. He heard her giggling as she put the towel on his head. She began to wipe his hair dry.

"We need to treat your knees next..."

"Okay..."

Calix sensed heat gathered around his eyes. Biting his lower lip, he tried to keep his turbulent emotions in check.

He was alive.

He was still breathing.

He was not dead.

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Reference:

1 - 297

2 - 305