Phoebe had already caught a bad cold at her old place. Then she got into a car accident, got moved to another hospital, and things got worse, leading to acute pneumonia. They brought her back to Kedora, but her fever wouldn’t break that night.

“Why hasn’t her fever gone down? It’s been two days. Horizon Wellness Hospital is the best in Kedora, and you can’t even handle a bad cold?” Theodore snapped.

The doctor, sweating bullets, explained, “Mrs. Reynolds is really stressed. She’s stuck in a dream and won’t wake up. The fever keeps coming back because she doesn’t want to face reality.” “What kind of nonsense is that?” Theodore was livid. “You can’t treat her, so you make up excuses?”

Seeing Theodore’s angry face, the doctor felt wronged but didn’t dare argue. He said, “We’ll give her more medication.”

“I don’t care how you do it. I want to know when her fever will break and when she’ll wake up,” Theodore demanded.

“If you can’t do it, get me another doctor. Don’t delay her treatment.” Seeing Phoebe’s feverish cheeks, Theodore was both angry and heartbroken.

He rarely saw Phoebe so weak. Over the past three years, even when sick, she’d push herself to work.

Phoebe always stayed on the job. Even with a fever, she’d work late into the night. To Theodore, she was a tireless workaholic.

He never thought he’d see her so weak and helpless in bed.

The doctor blushed and quickly went to find another doctor.

Theodore sat by the bed, gently brushed Phoebe’s hair back, and said, “Phoebe, you’ve slept too long. You should get up and move around, or you’ll get stiff.”

He held her hand, kissed it, and looked at her with gentle affection.

There was a knock on the door. Theodore frowned. “I said not to disturb us unless necessary. Mom, why are you here?”

He saw Taylor in a wheelchair at the door. He let go of Phoebe’s hand and stood up.

Christopher pushed Taylor in. He glanced at Phoebe, who had gauze on her forehead and a feverish flush.

Taylor asked, “Has Phoebe’s fever not gone down?”

Theodore nodded and looked at Taylor. “Why did you come up? Christopher, didn’t I tell you not to tell Mom about Phoebe?”

“Even if he didn’t tell me, I know. You made such a fuss last night, and you still want to hide it from me?” Taylor glared at Theodore and approached the bed to check on Phoebe. “Theodore, look at what you’ve done to her. If I were Evelyn, I’d be heartbroken.” Taylor touched Phoebe’s cheek.

The heat made Taylor pull her hand back. She said, “Horizon Wellness Hospital has so many doctors, and they can’t even bring down a fever?”

“The doctor said she’s overly worried and has a negative mindset, causing the recurring fever,” Theodore repeated, thinking it was just an excuse.

‘If they couldn’t treat her, it was their lack of skill. What did worry have to do with a sleeping person?’

Taylor sighed, looked at Theodore, and noticed his unshaven face and bloodshot eyes. He had lost his usual calm and elegance.

Taylor said, “Go shave and change. You smell bad. If Phoebe wakes up, she’ll see you looking a mess.”

“I’m not leaving. I want to stay with her,” Theodore insisted.

“I’ll watch over her. Don’t worry, she won’t run away. Christopher, take Theodore home. He probably can’t even find his way back,” Taylor instructed.

Theodore resisted at first but worried he might actually smell bad and bother Phoebe if she woke up. So, he reluctantly followed Christopher.

Christopher drove Theodore back to the Imperial Apartment. On the way, he glanced at the rearview mirror and said, “Theodore, take a nap. I’ll wake you when we get there.” Theodore shook his head. “I’m not sleepy.”

The car was quiet for a bit. Then Christopher said, “While you were away, Mom ran into that woman.”

“Which woman?” Theodore asked, squinting.

Christopher nervously licked his lips. “Dad’s mistress and her kid. Mom really put them in their place. The mistress couldn’t even look up.”

“It’s too flattering to call a woman in her fifties a mistress,” Theodore said coldly.

Christopher was at a loss for words.

Theodore’s words were sharp.

But seeing Taylor regain her strength, Christopher felt relieved.

Still, the future of their family was uncertain. Would they unite or fall apart? No one knew.

Theodore glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Christopher, who seemed to have matured overnight. He couldn’t decide whether to feel proud or sad.

Back then, he took on the responsibilities of the eldest son, hoping Christopher and Madison could enjoy their youth and grow up slowly.

But plans never keep up with changes.

He hoped Christopher would grow up slowly, but he had become a resilient man overnight. The Phoebe he wanted to protect now lay wounded and unconscious in bed.

He closed his eyes, feeling a bit tired.

Theodore said, “Christopher, do me a favor.”

Phoebe didn’t know how many days she’d been out of it. Sometimes, someone would talk near her, which annoyed her. She wanted to bury her face in the blanket.

But when she moved, her whole body ached, and the pain consumed her. She didn’t want to wake up or make a sound.

Phoebe wanted to lock herself in a closed world, where she wouldn’t hear or see anything, shutting off all her senses to avoid the pain.

But as she tried to immerse herself in her world of self-pity, someone wouldn’t let her, persistently talking near her.

Someone said, “Phoebe, you’ve been sleeping for days. Look, the snow has stopped, and the sun is out. Wake up, and let’s bask in the sun, okay?”

Phoebe tightly closed her eyes, grumbling in her heart, ‘It’s so noisy!’

In a daze, she realized someone was lifting her along with the blanket. The sensation of weightlessness made her eyelashes flutter, and she felt anxious. She thought, ‘Where is he taking me?’

Soon, she felt a bright light on her eyelids. The light was hot, making her eyelids tremble.

Phoebe resisted opening her eyes, but her eyelids kept twitching. Finally, she slowly opened her eyes and heard Theodore’s excited, trembling voice. Theodore muttered, “Phoebe, you’re awake.”

The strong light made Phoebe squint. After a while, she opened her eyes again and smelled a faint mint scent.

Phoebe knew who was holding her. Her voice was light but firm, “Let go of me.”

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