Chapter 371
At night, in the capital.
The jet landed in São Paulo as the sky was already dark.
Exhaustion fell upon Lilian like a lead weight. The adrenaline rush from the confrontation with her father and uncles had evaporated, leaving only exhaustion. She didn't even have the energy to visit her mother, deciding to postpone the conversation about the will until the next day.
After a light dinner and some quality time playing with Théo, Lilian began to feel strange.
Her body felt heavy. A sudden wave of heat rose up her neck, followed by dizziness that made the floor of the room sway.
She put her hand to her forehead, but her hand was hot, so she couldn't tell the difference.
“Do I have a fever?” she murmured, frowning. “Oh, no. I hope not.”
She looked at the bathroom door, where she could hear the shower running. She thought about calling Ethan to ask for medicine, but the dizziness increased, the world spinning around her.
Weak, Lilian curled up in the blanket, shivering despite the heat radiating from it, and closed her eyes, surrendering to the darkness.
...
Minutes later, the bathroom door opened.
Ethan came out, enveloped in a cloud of steam, with only a white towel precariously wrapped around his waist. Drops of water ran down his defined chest as he walked toward the closet.
He stopped when he noticed Lilian in bed. She was completely covered, but the lights were still on.
“Are you already asleep, honey?” he asked softly.
No answer.
Ethan smiled, assuming that the “war” in Araraquara had left her exhausted. He was about to turn off the light when something made him stop. He approached the bed and noticed that her face was not just relaxed; it was red, an alarming shade of red.
Worry shot through him.
He touched her forehead and immediately pulled back. She was burning up with fever.
“Shit...” he cursed under his breath.
Panic set in. This was only the second time he had seen her sick, and the feeling of helplessness was terrible. Ethan rushed to the landline and dialed the internal number.
“Geoffrey! Lilian is burning up. Bring some fever reducers, water, and call the family doctor. Now!”
While he waited, Ethan paced back and forth, the towel swinging, unable to stand still.
Seconds later, there was an urgent knock at the door. Ethan threw it open.
“Sir, I brought...” Geoffrey's words died in his throat. The butler, always unflappable, widened his eyes at the sight of his half-naked, panicked boss.
“Where's the medicine cabinet?” Ethan asked, ignoring the other man's shock and snatching the tray from his hands.
“Here, sir. Medicine for the fever and fresh water.” Geoffrey regained his professional composure, but couldn't help making a comment. “Sir... with all due respect, you need to get dressed. Or you'll end up getting sick too, and I'll have two patients.”
“I'm fine. Go wait for the doctor downstairs,” Ethan ordered, slamming the door in the butler's face.
He quickly returned to the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the mattress and leaned over her.
“Darling... please wake up,” he whispered, brushing the sweat-damp hair from her forehead. “Can you hear me, my love?”
He touched her shoulder, shaking her gently.
Lilian heard Ethan's voice as if it were coming from the bottom of a well. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like they were made of lead. Her body ached.
“Can you hear me, Lilian?” His voice was full of anguish.
Lilian forced her eyes open a crack. She saw his silhouette, the bare skin of his shoulders... Her feverish mind made a wrong and hilarious connection.
“Oh... Ethan...” she muttered, her voice thick and sultry. “I'm too sleepy to... to do that now... Can we leave it until tomorrow? Please... not today.”
Ethan blinked, stunned. It took him a second to understand what she meant.
His panic dissipated, replaced by incredulous and relieved laughter.
“My dear wife...” He smiled, caressing her cheek. “Although I would be very happy to touch you now... I'm a scoundrel, but not that much of a scoundrel. I'm not going to take advantage of you while you're delirious with fever.”
Hearing the word “fever,” the fog in Lilian's brain cleared a little.
“Fever?”
She tried to sit up, but her body protested.
“Easy.” Ethan was quick, slipping his arm around her back and helping her sit up against the pillows. “Does your head hurt?”
“It hurts a lot... and I feel cold,” she admitted.
Lilian blinked, focusing her vision. She saw the tray with the pills and the glass of water already prepared beside the bed. She looked at Ethan, seeing genuine concern in his eyes.
She was surprised.
“How long have I been asleep? Did he prepare all this?”
“Drink this,” he said, bringing the pill to her lips. “It will help lower your temperature. The doctor is on his way.”
“Hurry, take the medicine,” he insisted, holding the glass of water, feeling the alarming heat radiating from her hand.
As Lilian swallowed the pill hastily, her throat burning and dry, Ethan checked his cell phone incessantly, tempted to call again to hurry the doctor along.
Ethan set the empty glass on the nightstand and smoothed the sheets.
“The doctor is on his way to examine you.”
“D-Did you call a private doctor?” Lilian asked weakly, surprised by the excessive care.
He didn't answer right away. He just settled her more comfortably into the pillows, making sure she was comfortable.
“Yes. He's reliable and he's almost here. Now try to rest.”
Lilian closed her eyes, exhausted. The dizziness made the room spin even in the dark. However, seconds later, she opened her eyes slightly and murmured:
“Husband... please get dressed. You'll end up getting sick like me.”
Ethan looked down and realized that, in his haste and panic, he was still only wearing a towel.
“Hmm...” He got up from the edge of the bed but stopped before going to the closet. A mischievous smile curved his lips. “Wife, were you dreaming about me before you woke up?”
Lilian frowned, confused.
“Dreaming about you? No. Why do you say that?”
Ethan chuckled softly, massaging the back of his neck.