Chapter 121 We're Even Now
After work, Michael threw on his coat and left the office. Instead of heading home, he drove over to Starglow Valley Estates. He had no clue why he was even there. He parked outside Rachel's place but didn't get out right away.
He lit a cigarette, watching the smoke swirl out the window. Suddenly, lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and the rain came pouring down. Michael frowned, tossed the cigarette, rolled up the window, and made his way to the apartment.
Rachel had just finished her shower and was cozying up with a book by the heater when the doorbell rang. She looked up, puzzled. Who could it be this late?
She put down her book, got up, and opened the door, surprised to see Michael standing there. His hair was wet, his shoulders damp, and he looked pale. She'd never seen him like this before.
"It's me," Michael said hoarsely, brushing rain off his shoulders.
Rachel noticed something was off with his voice. "What do you want? If it's about Mandy, forget it."
"It's not about that," Michael replied flatly.
Rachel eyed him suspiciously. "Then what is it?"
Michael didn't answer, his gaze drifting to her abdomen. It was flat, making it hard to believe it might be nurturing a life, possibly even his. A strange joy flickered in his heart, and his gaze deepened.
Rachel noticed his odd look and took a step back. "What are you staring at?"
Michael's lips moved, but before he could speak, he suddenly felt dizzy and grabbed the door frame to steady himself.
Rachel saw his face go from pale to red, his eyes unfocused. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
Michael lowered his head, not answering. Rachel noticed his rapid breathing and realized he had a fever. She touched his forehead. "You have a fever!" she exclaimed.
Michael blinked and made a sound. He'd felt dizzy getting out of the elevator, probably because of the fever, but he just had to see her.
Rachel extended her hand. "Give me your phone," she said firmly. "I'll call your family.''
"No need," Michael muttered, refusing.
Rachel snorted. "Are you really planning to drive yourself back?"
Michael's lips moved slightly, but he said nothing. Rachel felt a headache coming on. She crossed her arms and glared at him. "If you don't let someone come get you and you can't drive, what do you... hey!"
Before she could finish, Michael let go of the door frame and collapsed onto her. His weight nearly knocked her over. "Hey, you're so shameless, falling on me! Get up!" Rachel pushed at him, frustrated. But he didn't respond. She turned and saw Michael had passed out.
"Seriously? So fragile?" Rachel muttered. It was hard to believe such a tall guy could faint from a fever. She sighed, resisting the urge to toss him out, and dragged him inside. In the living room, she dumped him onto the couch. He groaned, furrowed his brow, but didn't wake up.
Rachel was stunned. Did she hurt him? She didn't think much about it, bent down to find his phone in his pocket, intending to call David to come get him. But his phone needed a password, and neither his birthday nor Mandy's worked.
Frustrated, Rachel gave up, grabbed her own phone, and called property management to get a doctor. Michael had fainted at her place; she couldn't just let him burn with fever.
After the call, Rachel put her phone away and looked at Michael's wet hair and shoulders. If he stayed in wet clothes, it might get worse. She sighed and helped him out of his coat.
Sometimes, Rachel really hated herself for being too soft-hearted. But once she saw him, she couldn't just ignore it. As she unbuttoned Michael's shirt, she casually glanced at his right shoulder and noticed a faint purplish-red mark. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly turned Michael over. The sight made her cover her mouth in shock. His entire back was almost purplish-red, looking both shocking and terrifying.
This was clearly caused by a severe impact, leading to subcutaneous capillary rupture. No wonder he groaned in pain when she put him on the sofa. It must have been the injury, combined with getting soaked in the rain, that made him collapse.
Rachel's trembling hand touched his back. It turned out that these injuries were from when he saved her before. When Mandy pushed her down the stairs, he saved her at the critical moment and got injured but never mentioned it.
Rachel bit her lip, feeling a mix of emotions—anger, helplessness, and more. At this moment, the doorbell rang. She knew it must be the doctor, took a deep breath, and got up to open the door.
"Doctor, please take a look at him," Rachel said, bringing the doctor in and pointing to the man on the sofa.
The doctor was also shocked to see Michael's injuries and quickly took out medical supplies to examine him. After some busy work, Michael's back was treated with medicine, and he was given a fever-reducing injection. Rachel clasped her hands tightly together and asked nervously, "Doctor, is he going to be okay?"
"Don't worry, the fever will go down tonight, and the back injury isn't a big problem, just apply some medicine," the doctor replied while packing up the medical kit.
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I've left the medicine here," the doctor replied.
"Okay." Rachel nodded and saw the doctor out. When she returned, she looked at Michael and couldn't help but mutter, "You saved my life, I got you a doctor. We're even now. But starting tomorrow, we're back to being rivals."
With that, she went to her room, got a blanket, covered him with it, and then went back to her own room. But lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, with the image of his purplish-red back stuck in her mind. It wasn't until the middle of the night that she finally felt sleepy and dozed off.
The next morning, Michael was woken up by a phone call. "Mr. Smith, where are you?" David called out.
Michael rubbed his temples, opened his eyes, and found himself lying half-naked on the sofa, bewildered.
"Mr. Smith? Mr. Smith?" David urged again.
Michael's eyes flickered as he came back to his senses. "I'm here," he replied.
David breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Smith, Mr. Brown just called asking when you'll handle Miss Brown's matter."
Michael sat up, and the blanket slipped to the floor. He reached out to pick it up, and a familiar scent wafted over—it was Rachel's scent. Was this Rachel's blanket?
Michael's eyes darkened as he glanced at the closed bedroom door and replied, "I'll go to the police station to handle it. Bring a set of clothes to Starglow Valley Estates."
"Mr. Smith, are you at Ms. Williams' place? Did you two..." David's voice trailed off, curiosity evident.
"No, I had a fever, and she helped me," Michael cut him off, his gaze softening as he looked at the fever-reducing medicine and bruise ointment on the coffee table. His clothes were missing, likely removed when she applied the medicine.
"Oh, I see," David chuckled dryly, clearly skeptical. Why would Michael have a fever and end up at Rachel's place? It was all very odd.
"By the way, bring breakfast," Michael added.
"Understood," David replied.
After hanging up, Michael walked into the bathroom. Inside, he unexpectedly saw Rachel's intimate clothing hanging to dry, raising an eyebrow slightly. He didn't expect to see something so private.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he looked away, walking to the sink to wash his face. During this time, he noticed that whether in the living room or the bathroom, there were only Rachel's things, no men's items. This meant John hadn't lived here. Realizing this, Michael's lips curled up slightly, and he felt inexplicably happy.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
