But soon, he noticed that she was eating plain rice with soup. Looking at her—her obviously sallow and malnourished body, slightly hunched shoulders and pale cheeks.
He paused mid-bite.
And then, without a word, he stood up, startling her.
She assumed he was finished eating or perhaps going to take a call, though she hadn't noticed a phone on the table. She didn't pay much attention and kept her gaze fixed on her nearly empty bowl, pretending not to notice the way her stomach twisted with hunger. A bland mixture of rice and boiled vegetables sat untouched, the same thing she'd been eating for weeks now. There was no flavor, no joy in it—but it was cheap, and that was all that mattered.
A few minutes later, he returned—carrying not one, but two large trays laden with a variety of food.
