Chapter 29: Beginning of Attention

Nicolas frowned as he looked at Angeline. From her tone of voice, it seemed that Angeline didn't like the person she was talking about. But her face told a different story. She smiled with bright eyes, as if she was talking about someone she liked. Even if her words said one thing, her heart said another. Quietly, Nicolas understood and empathized with Angeline's feelings for another man. This realization made him self-aware and he made an effort to control his own emotions. Truth be told, Nicolas had feelings for Angeline from the moment they first met. Angeline, who seemed happy and charming, but Nicolas could see the sadness in her eyes. Her loneliness emanated from her gaze, which often wandered inside the house. Angeline, who sometimes daydreamed while doing her chores, made Nicolas very curious. To him, Angeline was a wealthy woman who undoubtedly had everything a woman could desire. But Angeline didn't look like that at all. She looked more like a lonely woman confined to this big house. It was strange that a woman like Angeline would choose to spend her time gardening instead of spending money shopping in malls or traveling abroad. And now Nicolas understood that someone was keeping Angeline from going anywhere. Even though she might have felt suffocated by not being able to go out, she seemed to be okay with it. She didn't complain and stayed in the house. In fact, she seemed to miss that man, the man who had left her and made her feel lonely. Nicolas felt sorry for her and empathized with Angeline. It touched his heart to see her like that. That's why he felt guilty when he was in the hospital because he couldn't answer Angeline's phone calls. Feeling guilty, Nicolas finally decided to visit Angeline after her condition improved. He was a little apprehensive because he knew Angeline couldn't garden. But when he arrived, he was amazed to see that the flowers were thriving and looking as fresh as ever, as if they had never been drenched by a heavy rain. At last, his question was answered. None of this was Angeline's doing; it was the man who had captured Angeline's heart. The man who made Angeline look both lonely and happy. "So, should we add more fertilizer? He said the rain washed away the previous fertilizer, so we need to fertilize again. Did you bring extra fertilizer?" Angeline interrupted her thoughts. "You're really lucky, miss, because I brought everything we need for today," Nicolas said, walking to his pickup truck and unloading extra fertilizer, soil and other flower seeds they would plant today. "Well, you're a genius. How did you know I needed all this?" "Because I am a genius," Nicolas replied, making Angeline laugh. Nicolas began fertilizing the flowers while Angeline dug the soil for planting new ones. Nicolas, who was busy spreading the fertilizer, noticed that Angeline was having trouble digging the soil because it hadn't rained the night before. The soil had become hard and difficult to dig. Nicolas left his fertilizer and took the shovel Angeline was holding. "Maybe we should swap jobs. You can spread the fertilizer and I'll do the digging. Men have more strength, so you take the easier task," Nicolas suggested. "I can do it too!" Angeline protested, but didn't refuse. She took a small shovel and began to fertilize around her flowers. "He asked me yesterday why I had to work so hard to plant flowers in the garden instead of putting them in pots. What do you think?" Angeline asked, remembering Bryan's complaints and scolding as she cried when she saw her flowers dying from the overnight rain. "When you put flowers in pots, you are actually torturing them," Nicolas replied, still digging. "Torture them? But many vendors sell potted flowers. I'm sure they don't intend to torture the flowers." "All trees and flowers have roots that continue to grow and develop. If you put a flower in a small pot, when the flower starts to grow, it will be hindered because the pot is too small. As a result, they will either damage the pot from the inside or rot because they don't have enough space to grow," Nicolas explained. "So letting them grow in a garden like this is the same as letting them grow freely and become big?" "And strong. The bigger they grow, the stronger their roots will become and spread everywhere. You won't just uproot them because you're bored and want to replace them with something new." "You are right. They will definitely be happy to grow in a garden without barriers. Why didn't I think of that?" "Did you forget because you were too comfortable in a pot?" Nicolas asked, making Angeline look puzzled. Why was Nicolas talking like that and looking at her strangely? Did Nicolas see her as one of the potted flowers? Trapped and unable to go anywhere. Yet the flowers managed to survive and grow beautifully. Just like Angeline, who stayed in the house and endured by doing what she loved. Nicolas was surprised that anyone could be like that, when elsewhere many people longed to break free from such confinement and live according to their desires. "I meant the flowers, right? Why are you talking like that, looking at me as if I were the flower you were talking about?" Angeline asked, feeling uncomfortable. "I don't know, I was just talking. Is that how you feel? Living alone in a big house like this. Maybe, if you need help, I can take you to a bigger garden and free you from loneliness," Nicolas said sincerely. He really wanted to help Angeline. "No need, I'm fine here. Let the flowers grow in the garden. And I'll let them grow well and freely here." "Even if you suffer?" "I'm not suffering, I'm fine, so don't jump to conclusions. And... are you going to dig up all the earth here?" Nicolas looked at the earth he had already dug up. He had dug up half of the garden and realized that he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed what he had done. Nicolas stopped and smiled slightly. Apparently, Nicolas cared about Angeline so much that he didn't realize what he had done. He couldn't stop worrying about her. He walked over to Angeline, who looked at him curiously. "Why... don't you want to go out?" Nicolas asked, looking seriously at Angeline.