Chapter 185
Zinnia hurried into the kitchen to prepare Soothing Soup, deliberately avoiding Yannis’s visibly dejected expression. She thought, ‘That face is downright dangerous. One look at those puppy dog eyes and I’d give in to anything
‘His health is genuinely poor. If he didn’t take proper care of himself, he might not even make it past his forties or fifties.
‘With me around, I can supervise and prepare Soothing Soup for him. But once I am gone, he will have to do it on his own.
Zinnia put the herbs into the pot, set the timer, and walked back out. She said, “Why don’t you go take a shower and finish up your work? I still have a bit of homework left. Once I’m done, I can give you a massage.”
Yannis stepped forward and gently patted her head, a faint smile on his lips. He said, “Zinnia, I’ve been sleeping much better these past two days. You’re swamped with schoolwork right now, so you don’t have to give me a massage every day.
“That herbal pouch works wonders. I can fall asleep just fine with it. Once you’re done, make sure to get some rest yourself.”
Yannis thought, ‘It is already past eight. Zinnia still has homework to finish, needs to wash up, and has to pack her things. Our routines are out of sync.
‘If she waits for me to fall asleep before going to bed herself, it will be too late for her.
can’t keep relying on her to help me sleep. Her academic workload would only get heavier, and I can’t let her juggle her studies and look after me at the same time. That would be far too exhausting for her.‘
Yannis asked Zinnia to stay, not intending to burden her. Letting her treat his condition was just an excuse to help her feel at ease about staying.
Truth be told, he didn’t care much about his health. His life felt like something he’d stolen back from death’s door, and fate might decide to take it back any day.
Zinnia shot him a skeptical look and asked, “Can you really fall asleep by yourself?”
Zinnia knew she couldn’t always help Yannis sleep. But while she could, she didn’t want to see him tossing every night. She knew prolonged sleeplessness took such a toll.
Zinnia had no idea what Yannis had gone through before. She could only guess it must have been something so painful, something that haunted him every time he closed his eyes.
Zinnia thought, ‘I need to find another way to help Yannis sleep. The herbal pouch isn’t cutting it. His insomnia is just too severe, and the effect doesn’t last long.
‘It isn’t just ordinary insomnia; his is trauma–induced, and his defenses are always up. Finding an approach he wouldn’t resist won’t be easy anytime
soon.‘
Yannis nodded and said, “If I can’t sleep, I’ll come ask you for help. Do you like the room? If there’s anything not to your liking, I can have it redone for
you.”
Jackson glanced at the completely transformed living room. He had arranged for the renovations right after dropping Zinnia off at school that morning, but when he got back, James and Victor were already there, so this was his first proper look at the redesigned space.
“I love it. It’s perfect. Thanks,” Zinnia said.
“Don’t stand on ceremony. Once you finish your homework, get some rest early, Zinnia. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come find me. I’ll be right across the hall,” Jackson said, his eyes twinkling with a gentle smile.
Zinnia replied softly, “Alright, the soup should be ready in about half an hour. Drink it when it’s ready and get some rest early. Don’t stay up too late.”
The monthly exams were approaching, and Zinnia’s schoolwork had piled up. Studying wasn’t her strong suit; many concepts still confused her, so she had to put in a lot of extra effort just to keep up.
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15:15 Thu, 19 Jun
Chapter 18
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AD
