Chapter 21: Bleeding

Clara had long been tossed into a deep sleep, and when she woke up, her whole body ached. Every movement felt like her bones were about to fall apart. Mateo was not here either, and Clara felt sour and bitter in her heart. The pain in her heart made her even sadder than the pain in her body.

Tightening the blanket, memories of last night flooded back, how Mateo treated her as a tool for release. The pain in her heart was worse than the pain on her body, making her even more distressed. Pulling the blanket over her head, Clara cried, her eyes red and swollen. She thought she had found a good person, but unexpectedly... Clara felt her body alternating between hot and cold.

Mateo went out to fetch water, and upon returning, he saw Clara buried in the animal hide. He faintly heard low sobbing, and his heart was instantly thrown into chaos. He was driven mad by anger, and later regretted it. It seemed he had been too rough with Clara, but there was a subtle sense of satisfaction in his heart, Clara would be his forever.

Anxiously approaching, Mateo called out to Clara in a hoarse voice. Clara ignored him, crying even more intensely, and shivering slightly. Mateo panicked, reaching out to uncover the animal hide covering Clara's face. He saw her pale face, swollen eyes, filled with tears, like a small creature wronged and distressed. Unforgivable emotions surged in Mateo's heart, wishing to hold Clara in his arms and comfort her.

As Mateo approached, Clara shrank away, sobbing, "Go away! Don't touch me!"

"I won't go away. Do you want to be with Thomas? I saw everything yesterday." Remembering yesterday's events, Mateo felt uneasy. Thinking that Clara wanted to leave him, the pain was unbearable, and his tone was full of grievance.

What a jealous lion, Clara ignored him, thinking it was just because of this, he bullied her. She felt so wronged.

Mateo sat by the bed for a while, Clara still ignored him, even telling him to go away! Mateo brought some food, placed it on the bed, and then left again. Clara belonged to him, and he had to take good care of her.

After a blurry sleep, Clara suddenly felt a warmth around her body. Her tense body gradually relaxed. Opening her eyes, she saw herself lying in a stone tub, bumpy and uneven, probably just made. She had always dreamed of taking a bath, and today it seemed to come true.

But her whole body was sore, and she couldn't move. Mateo was like bathing a child, helping her wash, wiping her dry with a cloth, wrapping her in animal hide, then holding her in his arms, helping her dry her hair. Throughout the process, Clara just kept her eyes closed, enjoying it.

Hmph! Now that he's being nice to me, it's useless. I won't forgive him! She gets angry so easily, and when angry, he either fights or bullies her. Clara thought about it and cried again. It's not that she's being pretentious, she really feels uncomfortable.

"Cla! Stop crying!" Mateo couldn't bear to see Clara crying all the time, but his Cla ignored him, leaving him helpless. He was also careful with Clara, afraid of hurting her again. If Clara continues to ignore him, what should he do.

Clara spent the whole day in a daze, feeling a bit cold. She ate something, then fell asleep again. What should happen will always happen, just didn't expect it to be so sudden, and in a situation where she wasn't prepared. And all because of that ridiculous jealousy. This time, she won't go easy on him; she'll make him understand to respect her.

In the middle of the night, Clara suddenly couldn't sleep. Mateo's hands were tightly holding her, the two of them close together. From now on, he would be the other half of her life. Thinking of her parents' unhappy marriage, Clara suddenly felt a sense of unease. She was just a traditional woman, as long as it's simple, she would be happy.

"Mateo! You must be very good to me!" Clara leaned into Mateo's arms, expressing a faint sigh.

Early in the morning, she heard Mateo screaming and shaking her. When she woke up faintly, Clara felt cold and dizzy. She seemed to be sick.

"Cla! You're bleeding." Mateo knelt on the bed, his leather skirt stained with blood, and the air filled with a bloody scent. Clara, moving slightly, felt a warm flow from her body. Checking the date, it's not good! Auntie came!

What to do? No toilet paper, no sanitary pads, and seeing the filth on Mateo's body, Clara felt both embarrassed and shy.

"What are you doing?" Clara was startled by Mateo's action of lifting her legs and pushed him away.

"Don't move!" Mateo hugged her tightly, his hand reaching between her legs. His hands were covered in fresh blood, and Clara felt his body tremble violently. Staring at the hands covered in red, hot tears dripped down. Why is he crying? Mateo held her so tightly that he almost crushed her. "Cla! I've killed you. I made you bleed."

Hey! What's going on here? If he doesn't let go, she'll be strangled. Her heart, already tangled, softened at Mateo's tears. "It's okay, I won't die."

No matter how Clara explained, Mateo wouldn't believe her. He rushed out urgently to find herbs to stop her bleeding. Clara couldn't help but laugh and cry. After Mateo left, she took out the prepared animal-skin underwear.

Luckily, she had prepared in advance. The house was too damp, and she already experienced pain during her period. After taking care of herself, she lay back on the bed, her forehead sweating from the pain.

In no time, Mateo returned with a bunch of herbs. He ground them with a stone and prepared to apply the medicine. Clara recognized these herbs. Gloria had used them to treat her when her hand was injured, and it worked quite well.

But this is different! Clara was in so much pain she couldn't speak. Mateo saw Clara trembling in pain on the bed, and his heart trembled along with her. He cried while holding Clara, regretting it so much. Clara was going to die. Mateo insisted on applying the medicine, and the two were deadlocked. If it weren't for Clara's harsh words, Mateo might have forced his way again.

Seeing Mateo, worried and sad, shedding tears, his emerald eyes full of sorrow, standing straight in front of the bed, still holding the medicine, Clara's heart softened again. Taking the herbs weakly, she said, "I'll apply it myself. Go light a fire; I feel cold."

Mateo hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly went out. Clara breathed a sigh of relief, wrapped the herbs, and stuffed them under the pillow. She slept with the animal-skin blanket.

Not long after, Gloria came, asking incessantly where she was hurt. Knowing she had bled a lot, Gloria's face turned pale. Clara, feeling dizzy, answered a few words and fell asleep again. This time, with the combination of menstrual pain and cold entering her body, Clara, who had been in the other world for so long, fell seriously ill for the first time. She almost lost consciousness, feeling cold all over.

The elders came, but there were no medicinal herbs or doctors in the tribe. There was no one who could treat illnesses, and among the beasts, those who fell seriously ill either died or survived. Mateo, upon hearing the words of the elders, was half scared to death. He felt so sad that he didn't eat or drink, sating in front of Clara's bed every day.

Those who had a good relationship with Clara came to visit every day. Gloria and Dani cried red eyes. Thomas fought with Mateo several times, beaten until his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, but Mateo, despite being beaten up, but he didn't fight back.

Later, one elder mentioned that deep in the forest, on a very high mountain, there was a black plant that looked like a cloud. It was said to have the power to bring the dead back to life. Of course, this was just a legend. In that high mountain, no forest creatures dared to go, not even the fierce white tiger of the jungle.