Chapter 16 I Didnt Want to Interrupt Your Affair
It was still raining late that night.
By the time Lucas brought Alexander home, the doctor had just left.
Alexander went straight to the bed and stared at Elsa's unnaturally pale face.
Even in sleep, her brows were drawn tight. Her lashes were damp, and she looked as though she were trapped in a nightmare.
He took her hand.
Her skin was burning.
When he'd left, she'd been perfectly fine—fine enough to scream at him and fight with him.
How had she suddenly become this sick?
If he hadn't seen it himself, he might not have believed it.
In his memory, Elsa had always been healthy. She could hold a plank for ten minutes without trouble.
Alexander looked at his sister. "When did the fever start?"
Violet answered quickly. "I kept calling Elsa and she wouldn't pick up. Then I called you, and you wouldn't answer either. Mom was worried you two had fought again, so she sent me over to check."
Her expression tightened. "When I got here, Elsa was lying outside in the rain. I don't even know how long she'd been there."
Lucas elbowed Alexander. "Did you two fight before you left?"
Alexander's face turned frighteningly dark.
"Both of you go home."
Violet still looked worried. "She already took fever medicine. The doctor said we need to keep cooling her physically and check her temperature once every hour. If it keeps rising, take her to the hospital."
Alexander nodded.
Lucas grabbed Violet and pulled her out of the bedroom. "Come on, Violet. You and I need to settle something. What exactly did my poor old self ever do to offend you?"
Violet caught him by the collar. "Lucas, you definitely know where Serena lives. Take me to her!"
Lucas immediately decided his dignity was not worth defending and slipped away down the stairs like an eel.
Back in the bedroom, Alexander stood beside the bed in a white shirt and black trousers, his sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms.
He checked Elsa's temperature on schedule, gave her water, wiped her skin, and helped cool her down.
His calm focus made it look almost as though he were completing a difficult piece of work.
"Alexander..."
Elsa murmured his name in her sleep, both hands moving blindly through the air.
Alexander caught them.
Without realizing it, his movements became gentler as he wiped her palms.
She called his name even in her dreams.
How could someone like that ever truly leave him?
He had been careless tonight.
With Elsa so emotionally unstable, he should have waited until she calmed down before leaving.
The fever left Elsa drifting in and out of consciousness for two or three days.
Even after she woke, her head still felt heavy and foggy.
She had been supposed to meet Julian—the senior colleague Professor Morris had introduced to her—but her illness made her miss the appointment without warning.
She needed to contact him as soon as possible and apologize.
When Elsa stepped out of the bedroom, she noticed the study door standing open.
Alexander was inside on the phone.
It was a workday, already after ten in the morning.
He hadn't gone to the office.
Alexander came out and saw Elsa standing in the hallway.
He walked over and raised a hand to touch her forehead.
Elsa turned her head away.
His expression darkened. "Elsa, is that how a wife should treat her husband?"
She acted as though she hadn't heard him and walked toward the stairs.
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to pour out every bit of resentment inside her.
But she had no strength.
And apparently no right.
When she later returned to the bedroom, neither of them mentioned the word affair again.
Elsa discovered something worse.
Without that subject, she and Alexander had almost nothing left to say.
She was about to go into the dressing room when Alexander caught her wrist.
He pulled her back in front of him.
"Why didn't you call me when you were sick? Do you know you were unconscious for three days?"
Elsa lifted her eyes to him.
Her voice was so calm it sounded unnatural.
"I didn't want to interrupt your affair."
He didn't care about her when she was healthy.
Why would illness suddenly matter?
There was a quiet lifelessness around Elsa now that Alexander deeply disliked.
After a pause, he changed the subject.
"I'm leaving for Taren this afternoon on business. The wedding photography studio will send staff over later to replace the portraits you threw out. You—"
"I'm busy."
Elsa cut him off without expression and pulled her hand away.
Displeasure entered Alexander's voice. "Elsa, you've screamed, fought, smashed things, and made your point. I expect you to know when to stop."
Elsa looked at him once, then went into the dressing room without answering.
Not long after she left, Gavin arrived.
"Mr. Horton, we're ready to go."
"Delay departure by two hours."
Gavin glanced at the wedding studio employees moving in and out of the house and quietly backed away.
That evening, Elsa returned carrying an armful of medical books and materials.
She saw the wedding photographs hanging on the walls again and felt almost nothing.
Alexander had always cared about appearances.
He would never allow her to damage the image of a successful businessman with a perfect family and impeccable character.
Violet came by with porridge and looked surprised when she saw the medical materials spread across Elsa's desk.
"Elsa, are you really planning to divorce my brother?"
Elsa closed the book in front of her. "I'm going to start training at the hospital."
Violet looked reluctant. "You don't have to work this hard. My brother might be a jerk, but he's never stingy with you. He even called me at lunch and told me to come keep you company."
Elsa lowered her gaze.
It was true.
Alexander had never been stingy with money, whether it came to her or the Winters family.
But behind every generous act was calculation.
Investment.
Elsa couldn't tell Violet that the only reason she hadn't divorced her brother was because Alexander had trapped her with money.
He was still Violet's brother.
She changed the subject.
"I have nothing to do sitting at home anyway. Work will help distract me. In a couple of days I'll do the physical exam and get the health clearance. I can start Monday."
Violet immediately said, "I'll go with you for the physical."
On the day of the exam, Elsa skipped breakfast because of the required tests.
Violet worried about her blood sugar and carried a thermos of food Eleanor had prepared that morning, following Elsa everywhere.
After more than an hour, they finally finished all the examinations.
Violet held a stack of forms as they stepped out of the elevator.
"Elsa, find somewhere to sit and eat right now."
At that moment, a little boy ran past and bumped into Violet.
The papers and thermos fell from her hands.
The thermos rolled several times before hitting a trash bin and stopping.
Violet pointed after the child. "Hey! You little brat, get back here!"
Elsa caught her arm. "Violet, forget it."
Not far away, Serena had been about to enter an elevator when she heard the name Violet.
She stopped.
Her gaze moved between Elsa and Violet before settling on Elsa.
Since returning to the country, Serena had secretly seen Elsa once without Alexander knowing.
She recognized her.
No wonder every hint Serena gave Alexander had failed and he kept such strict boundaries between them.
Elsa was innocent-looking and sensual at the same time.
The kind of woman who easily caught a man's attention.
Without revealing anything, Serena walked toward them.
She deliberately ignored Elsa, bent down, picked up the medical forms from the floor, and handed them to Violet.
Then she tested the waters.
"Excuse me... are you Miss Horton?"