Chapter 1581
A suffocating wave of guilt washed over Eleanor. It was obvious his fever had spiked last night, and now, he had been burning up for hours.
"You have a fever. Let me take you to the hospital," Eleanor said, stepping forward. "Or I can call Gavin and have him drive you."
lan propped himself up on his elbows. A second later, Eleanor was yanked into a scorching, solid embrace. The man panted slightly, his voice muffled and thick with childish stubbornness. "I'm not going anywhere."
Trapped in his tight hold, Eleanor couldn't help but feel a surge of anxious dread. She reached out and patted the back of his hand. "Let go of me first. You have to see a doctor like this."
Instead of releasing her, lan tightened his arms, burying his face deep into the crook of her neck. His scalding breath fanned across her collarbone, his voice raspy from the high fever. "No—as long as you're with me, I'm not going anywhere—"
Eleanor felt a heavy knot of remorse in her chest. She hadn't picked the right time to say those harsh words to him last night, completely missing the fact that he was sick. Her resolve softened, and she coaxed him gently. "Okay, no hospital. I'll go get you some fever medicine, alright?"
If his fever stayed this high, it was going to be dangerous.
She remembered she had a first-aid kit stocked.
lan hesitated for a moment before finally loosening his grip. Eleanor got up, pushed the door open, and went into her side of the house. A few moments later, she returned with the medication.
She poured him a glass of warm water and handed the pills over. "Take these first."
lan took the medicine and the water, swallowing them obediently, though his intense gaze remained locked on her—as if the moment he finished, she was going to abandon him.
"Cough!" He choked on the water, breaking into a fit of heavy coughing.
That was what happened when he didn't pay attention to what he was doing. Eleanor handed him a tissue. After the coughing fit subsided, lan tugged at his collar. The heat radiating from his body was making him miserable.
"Go upstairs and take a shower," Eleanor told him. "Put on some clean clothes and get into bed."
lan leaned back against the sofa. His expensive black dress shirt was messily unbuttoned, his head tilted back, and his eyes half-closed. His Adam's apple bobbed as he Swallowed through the discomfort, his long eyelashes casting dark, heavy shadows beneath his eyes.
He didn't move. After a long moment, he looked at her. "Can you help me upstairs?"
Eleanor knew he was faking his helplessness, but he really had been burning up all
night. He was genuinely grieving the loss of his family member. With a soft sigh, she
extended her hand. "Alright, I'll help you up."
lan reached out, resting a heavy arm across her shoulders, and used her leverage to stand. The
of him nearly the weight
Eleanor off.
balance, and she quickly steadied herself, wrapping her free arm
around his waist to support him.
lan wasn't actually that weak. What he really wanted was just an excuse to pull her close.
Her words from last night had deeply wounded him.
Was he really just a burden to her?
That thought hurt infinitely more than his physical illness. He had never imagined that one day, she would look at him and see nothing but a dead weight pulling her down.
They finally reached the second floor, and Eleanor guided him to the door of the master bathroom. Ian straightened up, turning to look at her. "I'm hungry. Do you have any food?"
"I'll go ask Joslyn to make you some light chicken soup. Go take your shower first," Eleanor instructed.
Only then did an obediently step into the bathroom. He stood in front of the vanity mirror. The man staring back at him had a dark shadow of stubble along his jawline The razor-sharp, commanding aura he usually carried was gone, leaving him looking like a discarded vagrant.
lan let out a soft sigh, a self-deprecating smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Perhaps she was right. In Eleanor's eyes, he was nothing but a burden—a problem she just couldn't shake off.