His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 207: Burning Fever

By the time Iris reached the bed, she was already short of breath, her pulse racing as her eyes fell on Julian. He looked nothing like himself. His face had lost all color, his lips dry, and a thin layer of sweat clung to his forehead, his whole body caught somewhere between heat and exhaustion.

"Julian?" she said, her voice tight with worry as she reached out, her fingers trembling when they touched his forehead.

The heat was shocking.

It wasn't just a mild fever, it was intense, the kind that made her chest tighten instantly. Her brows pulled together as panic crept in. "Julian, you're burning up. Hey... wake up, okay? You need to wake up."

His eyelids lifted just barely, like it took effort just to manage that much, then dropped again. A faint, almost dazed smile touched his lips as he murmured, barely audible, "Why do you keep showing up... in my dreams?"

Her heart gave a sudden, uneven thud.

Iris pulled her hand back quickly, forcing herself to stay focused as she turned toward the nightstand and pulled open the drawer, looking for anything that could help. What she found instead made her freeze.

A bottle of sleeping pills.

Her fingers tightened slightly as she picked it up and unscrewed the cap, her movements slower now, more careful.

It was half empty.

For a moment, everything inside her seemed to pause, then tighten all at once. A sharp ache spread through her chest, quiet but overwhelming, and before she could stop it, her vision blurred, tears slipping down her cheeks.

She set the bottle back where it was, closed the drawer, and stood there for half a second before forcing herself to move again.

In the living room, she found the first aid kit, grabbed fever reducers and cold medicine, poured a glass of warm water, and hurried back to the bedroom.

"Julian, you need to take this first," she said as she set the glass down and climbed onto the edge of the bed, slipping one arm behind his neck and lifting him with more effort than she expected.

He was barely conscious, his body heavy and unresponsive, his head falling against her shoulder like he didn't have the strength to hold himself up.

She placed the pills against his lips, then brought the glass to him. "Take a sip. You need to swallow it."

Somewhere in that haze, her voice seemed to reach him. His lips moved slightly, and he managed a small swallow, taking in just enough water to get the pills down.

She set the glass aside and carefully lowered him back.

But the moment he fell onto the mattress, his arm came up, wrapping around her waist and pulling her down with him before she could react.

Her body tipped forward, pressed against him, his heat seeping through instantly.

"Iris..." he murmured, his voice low and unfocused, his face burying instinctively against her chest as if seeking something familiar.

Her entire body went still.

Her heartbeat picked up, fast and uneven, her breathing thrown off as his temperature seemed to transfer straight into her skin.

At that moment, the phone on the nightstand lit up silently.

Iris turned her head, noticing it had been muted, and reached over to answer it.

"Mr. Everhart, are you okay?" Owen's voice came through, tense and urgent.

Iris tried to ease Julian's grip, her voice steady but low. "He's out of it. High fever. His phone's been on silent."

"Should I call an ambulance?"

She paused, glancing at Julian.

Someone like him being carried into a hospital over a fever would never stay private. It wouldn't just be medical attention, it would turn into headlines, speculation, unnecessary noise.

"He's still responsive," she said after a moment. "I gave him fever meds. Let's wait."

"...Understood. Thank you for staying with him, Miss Whitlow."

"Of course."

She hung up and immediately went to the bathroom, soaking a towel in warm water before bringing it back and gently wiping the sweat from his forehead.

When she pulled back the blanket, she realized his shirt was damp, clinging to his skin, his body trembling slightly as his voice came out faint and hoarse. "Cold..."

That single word hit harder than anything else.

Iris set the towel aside and climbed onto the bed, wrapping her arms around him, pressing herself close to share what warmth she could, her cheek resting lightly against his chest.

His body was burning.

His breathing was hot.

Julian shifted instinctively, tightening his hold around her, pulling her fully into the bed as the blanket came with them, covering them both.

He felt like a furnace.

"Julian, let me get up for a second," she said softly, trying to push against him. "I need to clean you up properly and make something light for you to eat. You should eat before taking more medicine."

He didn't respond.

If anything, his arms tightened, slow but firm, like letting go wasn't an option.

"Julian..." she tried again.

Nothing.

She couldn't break free, so she stayed, letting him hold onto her as his body slowly shifted under the medication.

About fifteen minutes later, the fever began to ease.

His breathing steadied, the heat less intense now, and as his body cooled, he shifted again, kicking the blanket away with one long leg before finally loosening his hold and rolling onto his back.

Iris carefully slipped out from his arms.

She replaced the heavy blanket with a lighter one, making sure he was covered before quietly stepping out.

In the kitchen, she made a simple bowl of warm oatmeal, something easy on the stomach and gentle enough for someone recovering.

When she returned, she set the bowl on the nightstand and reached out again, her palm pressing lightly to his forehead.

The fever had gone down.

The tight knot in her chest finally loosened.

Julian's eyes opened slowly, his gaze settling on her, steady but unfocused at first.

For a moment, he just looked at her, his breathing quiet, his expression uncertain, like he wasn't sure what was real.

The second she moved her hand away, his fingers closed around her wrist.

She paused. "You're awake?"

His gaze sharpened slightly, still tired but intense, his voice low and hoarse. "Iris... is it really you?"