Mommy，We Got a Husband

"The only way to win a child's affection is with sincerity. What do children understand about feelings? It's simply a matter of loving those who love them," replied Galatea. "Is that so?"

"Of course. If you're willing to spend time with them, understand and play with them, naturally, they'll grow closer to you. Conversely, if you're reluctant to spend time, they'll drift away."

"I do believe I spend a lot of time with my son, but he..." Alaric trailed off, not wanting to admit that his son seemed to love Galatea more than him.

"That's just about finding the right approach," said Galatea. "After all, I've raised two kids of my own, so I have some parenting experience. You've always wanted me to meet your son, right? Maybe I could talk to him and give you a hand." Alaric remained silent, thinking about how if Galatea was unaware of the situation, he would certainly find a way for her to meet Caspian. For one, Caspian had begged him not to tell Galatea, and for another, a part of Alaric wasn't ready to share that with her just yet.

"Galatea, can I ask you a question?" Alaric inquired. "Would you ever mistake someone else for your own son?"

Galatea was momentarily stunned by the question, then burst into laughter, finding it incredibly amusing: "Alaric, what kind of silly question is that? How could I ever mistake my own flesh and blood?"

Indeed? Alaric suppressed a smile, finding it ironic. Despite Galatea not recognizing her own son Caspian after several encounters, she hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Seeing Alaric burst into laughter, Galatea became infuriated and said, "What are you laughing at? You think because you treat my son like your own, that gives you free rein to diagnose everyone with delusions like yours?"

"Yes," Alaric replied, struggling to contain his laughter. "I've got delusions, and today, I've come to realize just how serious they are."

As Alaric continued to chuckle, Galatea was lost, expressing her frustration, "I always thought you never laughed because you had a really high threshold for humor, or maybe you lacked a sense of humor altogether. But I never imagined it was because you have such a peculiar sense of what's funny. What was so hilarious about what I said? Where's the humor in that?"

Alaric laughed again, amused by this baffled woman. She didn't even realize why he was laughing at her, which he found quite entertaining.

"You're insane!" Galatea exclaimed. "Can you just listen to me and maybe see a psychiatrist?"

"Right, Dr. Galatea has a point," Alaric conceded.

Dinner with Galatea felt oddly surreal. she couldn't pin down what Alaric found so amusing the entire time.

Yet, having known him for so long, this was the first time she saw him smile so freely. When he didn't smile, there was a sense of distance, but his smiling face was surprisingly approachable.

Galatea recalled that Alaric usually ate quickly during their past meals, but today, he was exceptionally slow, and it was nearly nine o'clock by the time they finished eating.

"If I had known better, I wouldn't have agreed to eat first," Galatea remarked after they got into the car. "It's already nine, and by the time I finish your acupuncture, it'll be past ten." To that, Alaric only gave a sly, wordless smile.

Alaric drove them to the lounge at his company, and this time, without waiting for Galatea to say anything, he took off his shirt.

"You seem eager today," she noted and then took out her toolkit to start the acupuncture session.

In previous sessions, Alaric never showed any reaction, but as soon as she inserted the first needle, he said, "Ouch..."

"Ouch?" Galatea asked, surprised. "You've never felt anything before. Does it hurt now?"

"Yes, it hurts," Alaric confirmed firmly.

Unsure if he was lying, Galatea decided to be more cautious. "I'll be lighter then. Make sure you stay still in that position," she advised, handling the needles with tender care. Alaric just watched her, finding her intense concentration truly enchanting.

After Galatea had placed all the needles, she took a deep breath of relief and quickly reminded him, "Make sure not to move around."

"Mm." Alaric nodded, then added, "I'd like some water."

"Oh." Since he was currently unable to move, it fell to Galatea to do the task. She poured him a glass of warm water and extended it toward him, but Alaric didn't lift a hand to take it. "Feed me."

"What?" Galatea almost sounded like she was cursing. "It's your body that can't move, not your hands. Why do I need to feed you?"

"There's an IV in my chest. I don't dare move my hands too much."

"Just be careful. It won't affect it."

"It does affect it!"

Galatea was at a loss for words but relented and brought the water to his lips.

After Alaric finished drinking, Galatea set the glass aside and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

"After some time with this therapy, you should see significant improvement in your insomnia. Once that's taken care of, I'll start working on treating your other symptoms, although that's going to be a bit more complicated. I'll need to think carefully about the treatment plan."

"Thank you, Dr. Galatea, for all your hard work."

"It's not hard work. Have to pay off my debts by working for you, right?"

In response, Alaric just offered a faint smile, then asked, "Your birthday is coming up, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" Galatea was surprised.

He had learned about Galatea's soon-to-arrive birthday from the kids but didn't want to betray Caspian's confidence, so he joked, "Because I'm psychic."

Galatea frowned. "That's a pretty cold joke."

Alaric just smiled subtly, and Galatea couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. "Alaric, what's with you tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been smiling all evening. I really don't get what's so funny."

"That's because you're not getting it."

"Yeah, keep thinking you're the smart one." Galatea stood up and walked to the window. Looking outside, she made a surprising discovery.

"So you can see my house from here."

"Well, we're close by. It's not surprising."

Galatea scrutinized the view toward her place more closely, her gaze falling right on her bedroom.

"You haven't been..."

"I'm not as shifty as you think."

Fair enough, considering he hadn't taken any advantage of her all the times he'd accompanied her to the hospital. He might be considered quite the gentleman. When it was time to remove the IV, Galatea was very careful as she extracted the needle, and then she tidied up her toolkit.

"It's late. You should rest. I'll be going now."

"I'll see you out."

"No need. It's just a short walk. Don't trouble yourself, Mr. Alaric." Having said this, Galatea stepped toward the door, but just as she reached it, Alaric stopped her. Alaric stood at the doorway, so close to her that she could feel his breath.