Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 73

Ines’s sickness was severe this time. Ethan not only fed her medicine to bring the fever down but also used alcohol to wipe her body down. It took some doing, but he managed to stabilize her condition.

She was restless all night, mumbling away in her sleep. Ethan couldn't make out what she was saying at first, but after listening intently he finally got it.

She kept saying, "I'm not going back to the Galeana family, absolutely not."

It wasn't hard to guess that tonight's episode had something to do with the Galeana family. Thinking back to a phone call he had received a few days ago, he could pretty much guess why. Probably only Hunter could make her emotions swing like this.

It wasn't until just before dawn that Ines' body temperature finally dropped. Ethan could finally breathe a sigh of relief and managed to get some shuteye.

When Ines woke up, she felt like her head was about to split open and her throat was dry as a bone, as if it had been burned. Instinctively, she reached out only to find that the spot next to her was empty. So, she opened her eyes.

She saw Ethan sitting on the bed, asleep against the headboard. Her gaze traced from his firm jawline to his well-defined nose, and finally landing on the dark circles under his eyes.

Memories of the previous night slowly came back to her. She remembered getting to her front door but not being able to get in because she didn't have her keys. She had sat on a stone bench in the complex and had fallen asleep there. Later, Ethan had carried her home. She had developed a high fever in the middle of the night, and he had taken care of her the entire time.

"Ethan," Ines gently shook his arm. Ethan woke up and immediately placed his hand on her forehead, asking worriedly, "Izzy, are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"

Ines shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'm fine, come to bed and get some sleep."

Ethan touched his forehead to Ines' face, making sure she no longer had a fever before finally relaxing. He got up to pour her a glass of water. "Your throat must be uncomfortable, have some water to soothe it."

After she finished the water, he went to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of cereal. "Eat something before you sleep."

Ines watched Ethan's every move, thinking to herself, why does she need a father or family when she has a husband who loves her so much?

Ethan touched her forehead before lying down next to her. She leaned into him, her head buried in his chest, his large hand wrapped around her waist. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Neither of them said anything, and they fell back asleep in each other's arms. Having slept for quite a while the night before, Ines woke up not long after. Seeing that Ethan was still sound asleep, she didn't want to disturb him and just watched his face. Eventually, she couldn't resist the urge to touch his handsome face. His skin felt smooth to the touch, so perfect that she couldn't even see pores.

She couldn't help but marvel at how good his skin was despite never seeing him use any skincare products. It was enough to make any woman jealous.

Seeing that Ethan showed no signs of waking up, Ines became bolder and touched the stubble on his chin. The prickly sensation made her withdraw her hand as if she had touched electricity.

Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Ethan caught her wrist. He slowly opened his eyes and smirked, "Satisfied with how I look?"

Caught red-handed, Ines felt a little awkward but still nodded her head and said seriously, "yes."

How could she not be? Be it his looks or his background, and even as a husband, he was performing excellently. She couldn't find any faults.

Ethan was taken aback and then burst out laughing. He knew this girl had a stubborn streak and it was rare to see her so serious.

Ines had slept for too long and was feeling a little groggy. Suddenly, she remembered that it was Tuesday and tried to get up, "Oh no, I have to go to work."

Ethan immediately pulled her back, "I called in sick for you this morning. Just rest at home today."

Ines looked at Ethan and then nodded. She knew she was in no condition to work and probably wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway.

Seeing that Ines' mood had improved, Ethan sat up against the headboard and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Ines relaxed and found a comfortable position to lean against him.

The two of them cozied up together in silence, the sunlight streaming in through the window warming the room.

"Izzy, what happened last night? You know I was worried about you, right?" Ethan looked at Ines, his expression serious.

Ines' expression changed slightly before she pressed her lips together, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I won't do this again."

"Izzy, do you know what it felt like when I came home last night? I knew you weren't home, and I couldn't reach you on your phone. I suddenly realized how little I knew about you. I didn't know how

to contact your friends, and I didn't know where you would go when you're upset. The only thing connecting us was our phones. Without it, I felt helpless. I drove to your workplace and circled the area. Then I drove the route you usually take home. I even turned on the radio, afraid I would hear some bad news. In the end, I had to gamble on my luck and hope that you would come home. It was lucky that the security guard on duty told me he saw you come back. Otherwise, I would have called the police."

He was so afraid of hearing news about a car accident. He couldn't bear the possibility of losing her. But what hurt him the most was her saying,

"Ethan, let's not fall in love, okay?"

Even if she was just mumbling in her sleep, he knew that it was what she truly felt. It was probably what she was thinking when she agreed to marry him in a hurry. She didn't want love, she just needed a husband.

At this moment, Ines was nestled in Ethan's embrace. She could clearly feel the tension in his body and his barely concealed emotions. She felt a lump in her throat and couldn't help but cover his clenched fist with her hand.

Ines swallowed hard, gave Ethan a puzzled look, then sighed and said softly, "Ethan, stop being so good to me. I'm afraid I'll fall for you."

She didn't know if it was because of the fever or something else, but when she said those words, they left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She's got feelings too, man. She couldn’t just not care, but she really didn’t want to get into the whole dating thing, didn’t want to end up like her mom one day. Love, that word, it hurts like hell, not everyone can handle it. She liked her life the way it is now, kinda low-key liking, a gentle reliance between two people.