Theodore stood outside, knocking a few more times, but Phoebe didn’t answer.

He frowned. “Phoebe.”

Then he heard water running, and it felt like ice on his heart.

Theodore’s hand dropped.

Phoebe would rather take a cold shower than be with him. That was a painful realization.

Phoebe stood under the freezing water. It was November, and the cold was biting. Her teeth chattered, and the heat inside her body spread out. She bit her lip in discomfort.

After about half an hour, she was numb from the cold. She turned off the water and sneezed several times.

Drenched, she took a moment to gather her strength, grabbed a towel, and dried off.

Her pajamas were drenched, so she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out.

Phoebe coughed as she opened the door and smelled smoke. The room was filled with it, and she had no idea how many cigarettes Theodore had smoked. Covering her mouth and nose, she said, “You’re smoking too much. Don’t you care about your lungs?”

The next second, Theodore yanked her over, slamming her back against the wall. She groaned in pain. “What are you doing?”

With a cigarette still in his mouth, Theodore looked sinister. He stared at her. “Phoebe, I could strangle you!”

Dizzy from the cold shower, Phoebe smiled and lifted her head, exposing her neck. “Go ahead. At least then I’ll be free.”

“You!” Theodore looked at her slender neck, knowing how easy it would be to end it all.

He sneered. “You’d rather take a cold shower than let me touch you. Do you really think I can’t live without you?”

Phoebe closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling. She bit her lip and stayed silent.

Theodore glared at her, torn between wanting to strangle her and feeling sorrowful. He treated her like a treasure, but she was indifferent.

It must be karma.

Theodore stepped back, crushed the cigarette on the ground, grabbed his coat, and slammed the door on his way out.

A moment later, the sound of the security door slamming shut echoed.

Phoebe’s legs gave out, and she slid down the wall to the floor.

Evelyn rushed in, coughing from the smoke. She turned on the light.

The room lit up, and Evelyn quickly took in the scene.

Smoke permeated the room as Phoebe huddled near the bathroom door, drenched. Evelyn stood in shock.

She looked around and saw Theodore was gone.

Evelyn walked in and glanced into the bathroom, hoping to find him.

Seeing only cold steam, Evelyn angrily asked, “Phoebe, what’s going on? Where’s Theodore?”

Phoebe’s lips were pale from the cold. She struggled to get up, shivering as she wrapped herself in a blanket on the bed.

Evelyn pressed, “Where’s Theodore?”

Phoebe turned her head away, staying silent in protest.

Evelyn put one hand on her hip and gestured towards Phoebe’s forehead with the other. Seeing Phoebe’s stubborn look, Evelyn got even angrier. “What am I supposed to say to you?” Phoebe stayed silent.

Evelyn stepped closer to the bed, fuming. “Such a good opportunity. What are you thinking, Phoebe? Did you forget what I just told you?”

Annoyed by Evelyn’s ranting, Phoebe covered her ears.

This made Evelyn even madder. She yanked Phoebe’s hands away. “Why are you being so difficult? You’ve been married to Theodore for over three years. Why can’t you be intimate more than once? You’re acting all high and mighty, and now you’ve driven him away. What are you going to do now?”

Phoebe felt like Evelyn’s words were daggers. What did she mean by being intimate more than once?

If she and Theodore were a normal couple, would Evelyn need to put drugs in her medicine?

Phoebe said, “Please leave. I don’t want to hear you talk!”

Furious, Evelyn pounded her back. “Phoebe, are you trying to drive me crazy? Why are you so stubborn?”

Phoebe covered her ears again, refusing to talk.

Exasperated, Evelyn stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door.

Phoebe felt a sense of relief. She collapsed onto the pillow, staring blankly ahead. The room smelled of smoke, and the blanket still had a faint scent of Theodore’s minty cologne.

If not for today, she wouldn’t have seen Theodore buy Vanessa a diamond ring or heard Vanessa’s voice message to him. She might have followed Evelyn’s idea.

However, under these circumstances, Phoebe’s pride wouldn’t let her throw herself at him.

Phoebe caught a cold and developed a high fever that night. She lay in bed, feeling groggy and burning up.

The next morning, Evelyn realized something was wrong when Phoebe didn’t come out. Entering the room, she saw Phoebe’s flushed cheeks, a sign of fever.

She quickly changed Phoebe’s clothes and had Donovan carry her to the hospital.

In the car, Evelyn was both angry and worried. She couldn’t help but scold Phoebe, “What are you trying to prove? If you had just gone along with it, none of this would have happened. What are you doing this for?”

Driving in the front, Donovan frowned at Evelyn’s nagging. “Mom, Phoebe’s not feeling well. Stop nagging her.”

“If she had some sense, would I need to resort to such methods? Do I have no shame?” Evelyn’s voice grew louder in her anger.

Donovan glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Phoebe leaning weakly against the car door, her cheeks burning red. He felt a pang of sympathy. “If you care about your dignity, why did you put aphrodisiacs in Phoebe’s medicine? How do you think Theodore sees our family and Phoebe?”

“If she hadn’t caused this mess, would I have lost face?” Evelyn retorted, not feeling she was in the wrong at all.

Donovan bit his lip and responded.

They took Phoebe to the nearest hospital. She had been burning with fever all night and had developed acute pneumonia, requiring hospitalization.

Donovan completed the admission procedures and carried Phoebe to the ward. Her forehead was burning hot, and the nurse took her temperature, which had reached 107.6°F.

While treating her, the nurse advised the family, “Take her temperature every hour. A high fever that doesn’t go down can cause brain damage.” The nurse left after finishing the treatment.

Filled with regret, Evelyn told Donovan, “You go to work. I’ll stay here with Phoebe.”

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