(Freya's POV).
Panic engulfed me. I rushed to Devan's apartment. I left Adam with Tristan and told him to look after him while I was gone.
When I walked into his apartment, I saw him lying limply on the floor with a pale face.
"Dev? Are you okay?" I asked, grabbing his body. Trying to wake him up. "Dev?" I patted his cheek lightly.
He groaned. His eyes blinked a few times until I saw his pair of black eyes open and look at me.
"Dev, can you wake up? Let's move to the room first, okay?" I said. But he didn't say anything.
His hand came up and I felt the heat on my cheeks as he covered my face with his big palm.
"Dev?" I widened my eyes in surprise as I saw him shedding tears. Hugging my waist with sobs that made my chest feel tight. "Dev...." I mumbled.
I didn't know what had happened to him. But the living room looked very messy with empty drink bottles scattered everywhere. And I saw a broken drink glass near the bar table.
Did he drink alcohol to get sick? How much did he drink that I could smell the alcohol from his body?
"Dev, wake up first. Let's move to the room, shall we?" I tried to pull him up. Carried him with difficulty into the room and laid him on the bed.
"Oh my. His clothes...."
I covered my nose as the smell of alcohol returned to my ears. I had to change his clothes first before compressing his forehead with cold water.
He was completely unconscious. I struggled to undress him, replaced him with fresh clothes, and ran to the kitchen to prepare cold water.
"Dev, did you take your medicine?" I tried to ask even though he kept his eyes closed and groaned every time he felt pain. "Dev, did you hear me? Did you take the medicine? Did you buy it?" I asked again, but there was no response.
I took the initiative to check the drawer in his bedside table and found the medicine I thought he bought from the pharmacy.
"Stay here. I'll be right back," I said.
As I stood up, I felt my hand being grasped by his.
"Dev?"
"Don't go, please...." He groaned with his eyes closed.
I sat back down and rubbed his hot face. I had checked his temperature and he was running a high fever. He should have gone to the hospital in this condition.
"I just want to go to the kitchen to make you some porridge," I said, whispering in his face.
"No, no. Don't go," he continues deliriously, moaning in pain as his grip on my hand tightens. "Freya, don't leave me... Please..." tears welled up at the edges of his eyes.
"Is he dreaming?"
I tried to release his grip, but he pulled my hand away. He was bringing it close to his face and rubbing it. He kept doing that while chanting my name and telling me not to leave.
It took me a while to let go of my hand. I rushed to the kitchen and made some porridge for him.
"What are you doing?" I gasped in surprise as I turned around and saw Devan leaning against the wall, looking at me.
"Why are you awake already? Go back to your bed. You're sick," I said and rushed over to him. I was holding his limp body.
"Where did you..." He winced in pain.
"Lie down, Dev. You're not a kid anymore," I protested. I carried him back to the bed. I was helping him sit up with the pillow I put behind his head. "I'll prepare the porridge first," I said.
"Fey," he whispered, pulling my hand away quickly before I left.
My heart was beating very fast. I almost responded to his call if only I didn't remember who I was.
"Vivian. I'm Vivian," I confirmed.
He winces. Adam's apple rose and fell as he tried to swallow his saliva. His face was pale and looked very weak.
"Sorry...."
"It's okay. I'll be right back, so, can you let go of my hand?" I said to him, he looked at me with an expression of fear as if I was going to disappear. "Just getting some porridge," I explained. Then he let go of my hand.
I grabbed a bowl of porridge and a drink and returned to the room. He still sat waiting for me, occasionally groaning in pain while closing his eyes.
"Do you still feel dizzy? What about the fever?" I asked when I had put the tray on the table. I checked his temperature again and his fever still hadn't gone down. "Eat first, then take the medicine," I said.
He just looked at me with his deep eyes. Without saying a word. I tried to feed him the porridge I had made.
"I'll do it myself," he said. He took the bowl from my hand and ate it alone. In silence.
After he finished eating, I helped him take his medicine and told him to go back to sleep.
"Go back to sleep."
"You're leaving?"
I looked at him. I couldn't bear it when he looked at me expectantly.
"Don't go. Please..."
I had to go home immediately to make sure Adam was okay. And there's no way I'm staying here. But seeing Devan sick like this. I shouldn't be worried about him, but somehow I felt uncomfortable and uneasy.
"Alright. But I need to contact Tristan. There should be someone looking after Adam," I told him, "go back to sleep and I'll be back to check your fever again."
I walked out of the room and called Tristan.
"Tristan, I'm sorry, but can you look after Adam for tonight only? I'll be back as soon as I can," I told him.
"Why did something happen?"
"My friend is sick and she doesn't want me to leave. I have to wait for her. Just for tonight." I need to lie about Devan or Tristan will be angry.
"Okay. He's still in my apartment anyway. Let him sleep here tonight," he said.
"Thank you, Tristan." I let out a long sigh and ended our call.
As I was about to go back to his room, I was surprised to see our wedding photo. It was displayed on the shelf in the living room. I didn't think Devan would still keep our pictures. Back then, he wouldn't even hang them in the living room, not even in his room. But now he has tons of pictures of the two of us in his apartment.
My chest feels tight when I see all this. If only there hadn't been any problems in the first place, maybe our marriage wouldn't have ended so badly and I could have lived my married life happily.
But that's just the past. And we already have our own lives. There's nothing that can be done to fix everything.