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Was there any reason to think it would end differently this time?
The question lingered in his mind even well after he had boarded the jet, and it persisted in haunting him even as he made his way to the back entrance of his home.
Because he had arrived two hours earlier than expected, he was hoping to surprise Diana. But as soon as he made it near enough to hear and see her moving about in the kitchen, it was the professor who had a bombshell dropped on him instead.
One moment she was by the stove, cooking and humming as her hips swayed in gentle rhythm.
My Girl by The Temptations,the professor managed to identify in spite of being distracted by the way her butt had started wriggling, almost as if it was begging for a spank.
He was about to go in and do just right that...when history repeated itself.
And life threatened to fall apart once more.
Diana suddenly rushed to the sink and started throwing up.
Fuck.
He managed to get past his shock and already had his phone whipped out when, just as he was about to dial 911, he heard the retching sounds stop. His frantic gaze snapped back to her, and the first thing he saw was her pale face as her fingers fumbled for the phone lying on the countertop.
She was calling someone, and he tensed, somehow unable to make himself move as he waited for his phone to ring.
But it didn't.
Instead, he heard her start to speak, voice wobbling as her shoulders started to shake in silent sobs.
"D-Doctor Olsen?"
Matthijs whitened.
"This is Diana Leventis. I thought I'd leave you a voice mail in case..."
He watched her inhale, all the while thinking, this was it. He knew it in his guts. This was life coming to collect.
"Anyway, it's, um, Day 24. The nausea's still bad, and the vomiting...it's gotten worse."
And so it was.
"I think I'll go ahead with the kidney checkup you mentioned, and if the side effects still persist...we'll do it your way. We'll change medications then, but—-"
He heard her voice break, and his own chest caved in with it.
"Matthijs...he still doesn't know, and I'd like to keep it that way.Please.Him knowing won't change my condition, but what it will change is him worrying about me even more...and I just...I just don't want him to have any reason to push me away again."
The professor closed his eyes.
"So please..."
The sound of her voice faded as he slowly retraced his steps back to the front door.
FUCK. FUCK. FUCK.
He struggled to breathe.
I just don't want him to have any reason to push me away again.
Matthijs slowly raised his hand to press the doorbell.
He heard footsteps and a murmur of voices, Diana asking Oskar why the butler still hadn't opened the door. He listened to the other man make excuses, listened to Diana answer in exasperation, and then she was opening the door—-