Claudia was indeed in pain, so she did not refuse Marcia's kind offer. "Yes, please. Thank you, Marcia."

She was not feeling well and had Lost her appetite as a result. During breakfast, she barely managed to consume more than a few bites.

Aurora messaged her to inquire about her meeting with Bennett‘s uncle and aunt the night before.

Claudia replied, "It went well. His uncle and aunt are wonderful people."

Aurora, sensing something was off, asked, "Is there something wrong? I feel like you're in a bad mood."

Claudia answered, "Nah, I'm just on my period.”

Aurora immediately felt sorry for her.

“Oh, my poor Cece. Drink only warm water for today, and ask Marcia to make some ginger tea for you. Don't reply to my message anymore. Go to bed and get some rest."

Claudia responded with an OK hand emoji and waited patiently for Marcia at the dining table.

The tea did not require a lot of time to prepare, and soon, Marcia finished making it. When she emerged from the kitchen, she found Claudia slumped over the table, and her heart went out to her. "Do you want to take a painkiller?"

Claudia gave a slight shake of her head.

“I can still endure the pain. Thank you, Marcia."

Her gastric mucosa was sensitive, so she could not take ibuprofen for her stomach problems. The one time she did, the cramping worsened. In any case, it was not new for her to experience severe cramping every time her menstruation arrived, so Claudia knew she could handle it.

Marcia nodded. She noticed that Claudia was not in a good mood and had not eaten much for breakfast, so she offered, "I'll prepare some Light dishes for you for Lunch, okay?"

"If you don't mind, then please do that."

“Okay. Just call me if you need anything. My daughter also experiences stomach cramps during her period. Sometimes, she even vomits and has diarrhea."

Claudia gave a feeble nod and sipped from her mug of ginger tea.

After she finished everything, she retreated to the master bedroom and settled into a fetal position on the bed. She was too drained to work on her piano skills today.

She felt tired and groggy, but the excruciating ache in her abdomen made it hard for her to fall asleep.

For a while, she Lay on the bed, tossing and turning. Eventually, though, she managed to doze off.

Claudia woke up when she heard Bennett's voice.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. She had to squint at first because of the sunlight seeping through the floor-to-ceiling window, but her eyes soon adjusted.

She Looked over at Bennett, who was sitting next to her, with a hint of astonishment on her face. She blinked and asked, “Why are you here? Did I sleep the whole day?"

Surely, that was not the case, right?