Chapter 55

"Did you not know? He was here for a while," Pipi said, rubbing Lia's back.

"Why?"

"He was the one who told me that you had a fever. I had gone to the market, you see."

Lia placed a hand on her forehead, astounded. She had taken the medicine and fallen asleep in an instant; she hadn't even entertained the thought that Claude would come back. Lia clutched at her thin nightclothes.

"It's the wet season, so the air is still cold," Pipi said as she stood up to cover Lia with a blanket. "What's the matter? Are you afraid he might've found out?"

Lia looked up at her, wrapping the blanket around herself. "Did he act strangely at all?"

"No, he was just as intimidating as he is normally," said Pipi, shaking her head. "He told me to take care of you. He seemed really worried."

Lia burst into laughter at Pipi's answer, but also felt a wave of sadness that she had pushed away into a corner. "No, he wasn't worried for me."

"What do you mean?"