Chapter 125

Evelyn's breath caught as Nathaniel approached, their foreheads touching unexpectedly in the sterile hospital air.

Her pulse quickened, struggling to comprehend Nathaniel's sudden closeness.

"Can you feel it?" Nathaniel murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "The temperature difference?"

Blinking rapidly, Evelyn realized his skin was icy against her burning forehead.

A sharp cough shattered the moment. "This is a hospital, not a honeymoon suite," came the crisp reprimand.

Nathaniel straightened instantly while Evelyn yanked the blanket over her flaming cheeks.

Isabelle Laurent, the attending nurse, cleared her throat. "Registered family members may stay. Others need to complete admission paperwork."

Peeking through the blanket's edge, Evelyn watched Nathaniel's retreating form until he disappeared around the corner. Only then did she exhale.

Finally alone.

Pulling the blanket down slightly, Evelyn whispered, "Isabelle, really, I'm fine. No treatment necessary."

The nurse aimed an infrared thermometer with practiced ease. "39 degrees Celsius," she announced. "That's not fine by any medical standard."

Evelyn's stomach dropped. She hadn't realized her fever was that severe.

As Dr. Julian Montgomery entered, Isabelle reported, "Patient presents with high fever but refuses treatment."

"At 39 degrees?" Julian's familiar voice turned sharp. "Planning to spontaneously combust instead?"

Evelyn's fingers clutched the blanket tighter. Panic surged through her veins.

Julian was here.

Nathaniel had brought her to Julian's hospital? This was disastrous.

How would she explain herself if Julian recognized her?

The room spun as regret flooded her. Leaving home today had been a terrible mistake.

"Patient seems intent on suffocating under that blanket," Julian observed dryly, approaching the bed. "Isabelle, remove it."

Evelyn curled into herself, fabric clenched in white-knuckled fists.

"No!" The protest escaped before she could stop it.

Isabelle had already pulled back the blanket, revealing Evelyn's flushed face.

"Evelyn?" Julian's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here? Are you ill?"

He snatched the thermometer before she could respond. The reading darkened his expression instantly.

"39 degrees and you didn't tell me? Refusing treatment?" His voice turned dangerously calm. "Trying to kill yourself to spite me?"

"I have my reasons," Evelyn muttered.

"Reasons don't matter at this temperature," Julian snapped. "You need medication and IV fluids immediately."

"I can't!" Desperation edged Evelyn's voice as she grabbed Julian's sleeve. "No medication. No IV."

"Allergic?" Julian's professional mask slipped slightly.

Evelyn shook her head, guilt flashing across her features. "No, Julian. I'm... I'm pregnant."

Julian's pen clattered to the floor.

He touched his temple as if checking his own temperature. "Say that again."

"You heard correctly," Evelyn confirmed quietly. "I can't risk any medication while pregnant."

Julian staggered back a step, his face hardening. "Who's responsible for this?"

White-hot rage surged through him at the thought of someone endangering his sister this way.

Years of professional detachment evaporated in an instant.

Who dared do this to her?

The door swung open abruptly. Nathaniel stood framed in the doorway, his gaze sweeping the room. "Why hasn't treatment started? Registration is complete."

Isabelle remained silent, her eyes darting toward Julian.

Recognition flashed across Julian's face as he took in Nathaniel's presence. The pieces clicked together with terrible clarity.