Chapter 15: Olive, I'll Get Better

Olive stood up and gently hugged Elvis's waist from behind. He stopped when her soft body touched him. Olive hugged him tightly, her pale, stunning face tilted up to his handsome one.

"Mr. Augustine, let's not fight in the future, okay?"

Elvis's eyes were filled with mixed emotions. He cupped her face, saying in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Augustine. Did I say a lot of hurtful things?"

"Yes, a whole lot. You said you didn't lack women, that many were more beautiful and better than me. You said if I cheated, you wouldn't want me anymore, and that I could get a divorce if I found someone better…" He bent and covered her mouth with his lips.

Consumed by a dark and violent anger, he hadn't realized how much he'd said. Hearing her repeat his words, he felt ashamed. He kissed her gently but passionately, as if trying to express his guilt.

He slowly released her lips, his face still close to hers. "I was losing my mind. Seeing Marvin with you at the institute, I wanted to kill you both. I wanted to destroy everything. Olive, I feel terrible about myself. I can't promise it won't happen again. I'm sorry. Are you afraid of me now?"

Olive gazed into his dim, uncertain eyes. Tiptoeing, she quickly kissed his lips. "No, I'm not afraid of you, Mr. Augustine. I've gotten used to you, if I may say so. I'm really not afraid anymore."

Her eyes were clear, clean, and beautiful, filled with love and care, devoid of fear. Elvis pulled her into his embrace, his strong arms tightening around her. He kissed her forehead.

"Olive, I'll definitely get better."

Her heart skipped a beat. She echoed silently, "You will be cured, no matter the cost!"

Placing her hands on his chest, she said softly, "Mr. Augustine, let's make a deal. The next time you're angry, you're not allowed to mention divorce, or leave me. Some words are forbidden. And you need to know I won't run away with another man; I only want you."

Elvis narrowed his eyes and kissed her hair. "Me too. I don't want anyone but you."

They remained in each other's arms for a while. Olive suddenly pushed him back, muttering, "Come here, I'll treat that wound on your hand."

She went to the drawer, retrieved a first-aid kit, methylated spirits, and cotton wool. She cleaned his right hand, her gaze fixed on his face. "Don't you look handsome? Next time, why don't you smash a wall? I want to see if you can make a hole in it."

He chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

After bandaging his hand, she put the kit away. "Mr. Augustine, go shower. I'll clean up here."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I can clean anything. You can shower with one hand; just keep your injured hand out of the water," she soothed.

He kissed her face, then whispered in her ear, "Did I hurt you just now?"

She immediately understood his question—a moment ago, he'd removed her pants to check if she was still a virgin. She grabbed a towel and threw it at his face. "What? Stop. I don't understand!"

He pulled the towel away, smiled, and went into the bathroom.

Olive cleaned the broken glass. She went to wash her hands, noticing his scattered clothes. She picked them up.

A sudden chill overcame her. The day wasn't cold, and the bright bathroom lights made it feel warm, like spring. Yet, she felt intensely cold.

Olive often used herbal remedies, and her body was immune to all poisons—a gift from her mother. This cold was unfamiliar.

As a doctor, the subtle change in her body alerted her. The Mandala flower poison was the deadliest in the world. Catching a cold now suggested the poison had eroded her blood, making her vulnerable.

She needed a blood test. Convinced the first test was insufficient, she decided on another.

Elvis heard her outside and opened the frosted glass door. He stared at her.

Olive snapped back to reality, lowering her eyes. She was holding his underwear. What was she doing? She quickly tossed the clothes into the hamper. His low, magnetic voice sounded teasingly, "Is it big enough?"

This revised version corrects grammatical errors, improves sentence structure, and removes inconsistencies in punctuation and capitalization. The asterisk-marked words were likely meant to be "mouth" and "glass," and I've corrected them accordingly. The title was also unclear and inconsistent. I've removed the unnecessary repetition and made an assumption on the correct spelling. Finally, some potentially awkward phrasing has been smoothed out to improve readability.