Villain: 10x Rewards Begins With The Protagonist's Mother

"No, Master. Let me order something. You already took care of Dante the whole night." Emma quickly stopped her.

Natasha wanted to say it wasn’t a problem, but then she remembered something.

She still needed to warn Dante to act sick.

"Fine. Go ahead."

Twenty minutes later, the food arrived. Emma went to get it and Natasha used the chance to remind Dante, leaving with the excuse that she was going to wake him up.

After a short while, Emma walked into the room carrying food for the three of them. A smile broke across her face when she saw Dante sitting up against the headboard.

"When did you get here?" Dante asked with an awkward face.

This was the first time he had seen this woman face to face but his heart skipped a beat. It was such a strange experience. At the same time, from the corner of his eyes, he could see Natasha watching the two of them.

Her attitude hadn’t changed much on the surface but he could feel a clear wall between them. One he had intentionally made her build.

"Just two hours ago." Emma had an awkward look on her face too. He was the same guy she knew for so many years, but something about him felt different.

She started unpacking the food as she talked. Out of habit, Natasha picked up the chicken soup and walked toward Dante to feed him.

"Master, wait!" Emma reached over and took the bowl from her hands. "You were up the whole night taking care of him. Please eat first. I’ll handle it."

Natasha blinked. It took her a second to realize what she had been about to do. "Ah, okay."

She picked up her food without a word and sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"You look terrible." Emma said with a worried smile, setting the food aside on the bedside table.

"Haha, I’m better now." Dante said, scratching his cheek with his finger. "Master took care of me."

"Yeah, the same master you fought with!" Emma put her hands on her hips with a scolding look.

"I’m sorry." He lowered his head, looking depressed.

"At least you know you were wrong." Emma huffed, sat down on the bed, and pressed her hand against his forehead without a second of hesitation.

Natasha watched her hand on his face. She had touched his forehead before too, back when she was checking his condition. But now, she could only watch from a distance as someone else took her place.

"Phew, his temperature isn’t that high." She said with relief before turning to Natasha with a grateful face.

Natasha nodded back awkwardly and took a bite of her sandwich. And it tasted a lot more salty than it was.

She watched as Emma pulled Dante out of bed and dragged him toward the bathroom, one arm around his waist like he would collapse without her.

"I can walk on my own." Dante said.

"You had a fever. Stop being stubborn." Emma kicked the bathroom door open with her foot and pushed him inside.

"Are you going to watch me brush my teeth too?"

"Yes. Who knows what you’ll do if I leave you alone."

Natasha could hear them going back and forth through the door. Emma nagging him about using warm water, Dante telling her she was worse than a nurse, Emma threatening to brush his teeth for him if he didn’t do it properly.

They walked out a few minutes later. Dante’s face was freshly washed and Emma handed him a towel.

Neither of them looked at Natasha.

Dante had been deliberately ignoring her since Emma walked in.

Emma helped him back to the bed and started opening the containers. She picked up a spoon, blew on a spoonful of soup, and held it in front of his face.

"I can feed myself." Dante said.

"You have a fever. Open." Emma’s tone left no room for discussion.

Natasha watched him open his mouth and Emma scoop another spoonful before the last one was even fully swallowed, wiping his chin when the soup dripped. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

She had fed him before too. Quite a few times.

The more she watched them, the more it felt like she was being replaced in real time.

’But this is the best outcome for everyone. I should be happy.’ She thought, forcing herself to take another bite.

Then the two of them started talking. At first, she managed to get a word in here and there. But the topics slowly drifted into territory she couldn’t follow. They were talking about things she didn’t know and people she had never met.

Emma laughed at something and smacked his arm. He pretended it hurt and she called him dramatic. They bickered like they had been doing it their whole lives.

Because they had.

It was like the two of them existed in their own world and a line had been drawn between them and her. Their side was full of color while hers had turned completely gray.

’Why? Why? WHY?!’ Natasha was spiraling inside her own head. She tried to pull herself back to that side but the more she walked toward it, the deeper she sank.

"Hahahaha!"

"Stop joking around and eat."

Their voices snapped her back to reality.

’I need to go.’ She made the decision instantly and stood up from the chair.

"Master?" Both of them turned to look at her at the same time.

"I’m going to catch some sleep." Natasha said with a smile. "You two catch up. It’s been a while."

"Rest well, Master."

She walked out of the room calmly with her back straight and her expression unchanged. She made it all the way to her room and closed the door behind her.

The lock clicked and her knees gave out immediately.

She slid down the door and hit the floor. Her hands went over her mouth but it wasn’t enough to hold everything in.

’I already decided to let go. I told myself last night. So why can’t I do it?’

The tears came before she could stop them.