Chapter 27 Before It's Too Late

Chapter 27 Before It's Too Late
For three consecutive days, Moriah endured the awkwardness in the hospital as Ethan and Hazel were in the news three days in a row. Doctors and nurses who saw her gave her a pitiful glance.

Seeing the faraway look in Moriah's face while she sat on the couch, Cindy couldn't stop from asking, "Are you okay Moriah?"

Cindy could see the news had taken a toll on Moriah.

Cindy's voice seemed to come from a great distance away, and Moriah had a hard time focusing on Cindy. "Are you okay?"

Moriah looked at her friend and blinked. She was thankful that in this torrential downpour in her life, Cindy had been her shelter. She couldn't run to her father and mother as she didn't want to worry them and make them guilty, particularly her father.

"Cindy, can I stay here for a few more days?" Moriah didn't know how to face Ethan after she realized and admitted that she loves him.

"You can stay as long as you want," Cindy said.

"Thank you," she hugged Cindy and added, "I'm going to take a nap and we'll go out for dinner," she felt her whole body aching.

"Alright," Cindy knew she had not rested well for the past few days.

When the clock struck 7 in the evening, the doorbell chimed. Cindy opened the door and was taken aback to see Ethan. "What are you doing here Mr Miller?" Cindy didn't even bother to conceal the anger she felt for him and allowed it to seep through her voice.

"I'm here for my wife," he icily answered.

In derision, Cindy laughed and then she said when she stopped laughing, "You remember you have a wife after having the time of your life with your lover in Miami. For three days Moriah endured humiliation because of the news of your rendezvous with your lover."

"I want to see my wife, where is she?" Ethan snapped at her.

"Don't worry, I won't hide her, she's in her room taking a nap," Cindy stepped aside for him to enter.

"Her room is on the right side," Cindy said, though she's mad at him, she can't decide for Moriah.

Moriah didn't tell her that she didn't want to see Ethan. So she can't push away Ethan.

With his big strides Ethan reached Moriah's room in no time. Slowly, he turned the knob to open the door and he made sure not to create a noise that would wake her up.

He sat on the bed and watched his sleeping wife. A smile made its way to his lips when Moriah frowned. But soon replaced with a frown when tears rolled from her eyes.

He used his thumb to wipe away the tears that kept pouring down like rain, but Moriah swatted his hand as if it was an annoying mosquito. Ethan held her hand and was anxious, discovering that she had a fever.

Immediately he went outside and told Cindy, "Did you know that she has a fever"

"No, she didn't tell me she wasn't feeling well," Cindy scurried to her room to take some medications from the medicine cabinet and her thermal scanner to check Moriah's temperature.

"It's a high fever," the thermometer reads 40 degrees Celsius.

"I'll take her to the hospital," Ethan frantically said.

"No, don't take her to the hospital," Cindy said while shaking her head, "She'd been enduring shame for the days you were in the news. And that's the last place she'd wanted to be."

"I'll take care of her and you can go home now," Cindy said as she headed to the bathroom to get some wet towels.

"No, she won't stay here," Ethan said curtly while his eyes were on his wife.

Cindy halted, turned around to face him, "She didn't want to go back to your mansion," Cindy refused to say 'home' as she felt Moriah was not really feeling at home in that cold and lonely mansion.

Answering her, Ethan schooled his features, "I am her husband, I have the right to take her home."

"Make sure your mansion is really a home for her, not a cold and impersonal place like prison walls. And stop being a jerk before it's too late for you," Cindy fired back and then entered the bathroom and took wet towels.

Ethan breathed in gently. Something seemed vaguely flickered in his eyes.

"Now, show me that you can take care of her," she gave him the wet towels.

Ethan wiped Moriah, he began at her face and then her neck, next was her arms.

Cindy came back and placed the glass of water on the nightstand.

"Wipe her whole body and let her take this after you finish wiping her," she went out and closed the door behind her. That was the only thing she could do for her. She was hoping that Ethan would love her back.

Cindy thought for a while and frowned. If Ethan didn't love Moriah, what was he doing here? Why did he come to take his wife back? She was bewildered, if he was having an affair with Hazel, why does he still care for Moriah?

Inside the room, Ethan took off Moriah's clothes.

"So cold," Moriah murmured, as she hugged herself.

"Wife, I got to wipe your body," he cooed while patiently wiping her body.

Moriah opened her eyes and held his gaze with her sorrowful eyes. Ethan's heart sank seeing the sadness in her eyes. "Ethan..." she whispered.

"Yes, I'm back," he caressed her face.

Again her eyes drifted shut, as dizziness overcame her. When he completed his task and put new clothes on her, he held Moriah's back and lifted her back from the bed and had her take the medication.

After taking the medication she turned to him, embraced him and snuggled against his chest.

"We're going home, wife," Ethan murmured while his lips were on her forehead.

"Mm," Moriah hummed.

He laid Moriah on the bed and took her coat and put it on her. He then slung her bag on his shoulder and carried Moriah in his arms.

Cindy watched him carry Moriah in his arms and said, "Call me, if you need me to take care of her."

"Thanks for taking care of my wife, I really appreciate it," he said before he walked out of the apartment.

Ethan placed his sleeping wife in the passenger seat. And buckled her seatbelt before going to the driver's seat. He called George to call a doctor, then he started the car engine.

All through the drive to the mansion, Ethan glanced at his wife from time to time.

"Sir, the doctor is waiting," George said when Ethan walked into the mansion with Moriah in his arms.

"George, let the chef prepare a soup for my wife," Ethan said while he was headed to the stairs.

The doctor followed Ethan and checked on Moriah. Ethan was pacing while the doctor checked on Moriah, prowling back and forth like a restless lion and shoving his hands into the pockets of his tailored trousers.

"Mr Miller, there was no sign of colds or coughs. It's more likely a psychogenic fever, it's a stress related fever," the doctor said.

After telling him what to do, so her fever would subside, the Doctor bid his goodbye and left.

There was an unreadable expression on Ethan's face the whole time he read the news and looked at the photos.

After he had his shower, he went out of the room and took the soup the chef prepared and headed back to their bedroom.

It surprised the butler to see the high and mighty Ethan Miller carrying a tray. As Ethan's butler for seven years he had never seen Ethan lift a finger to carry a plate to the sink after he ate. Whenever he came to the dining room everything was ready. He just sits and food is served to him and he leaves after eating.

Ethan finally propped Moriah up with pillows while she struggled to open up her eyes.

"Have some soup before you go back to sleep," Ethan took the bowl of soup and scooped a spoon full and placed the spoon near Moriah's mouth.

"Open your mouth," Ethan said, which Moriah obediently did.

When finishing nearly half of the soup. "I'm already full."

"Three more," he lifted the spoon to her lips, but Moriah stubbornly shut her mouth.

"Alright," he said. "Now drink water," he lifted the glass to her lips.

Pressing the intercom, he called a servant. The servant took the tray out and was careful not to make noise as she saw Moriah sickly countenance.

"Sit for about 15 minutes before lying down," Ethan instructed her, however, she can't fight the urge to lay down.

Ethan put Moriah in his lap so she wouldn't lay down, but Moriah's action caught him off guard that made his heart pick up its tempo as she straddled him and wrapped her arms around him while she nuzzled his neck.