Chapter 39 High Fever
In the end, Brian had left.
Rachel stared at the crescent moon outside the window, a cold emptiness settling in
her heart.
She had tried to stop him, but his choice had always been Tracy.
If he was never going to stay, then it would have been better to walk away from the
start.
He gave her hope, only to shatter it with his own hands.
She couldn’t help but think how truly cruel he was. Did he even realize it?
When Brian arrived, Tracy was trembling in the heavy rain, completely exposed
without an umbrella.
Her frail figure looked even more delicate under the downpour.
“Tracy!” Brian hurried over, shielding her with an umbrella as he placed his coat over
her shoulders.
“Brian…” The moment she saw him, Tracy could no longer contain herself. She threw
herself into his embrace.
Her delicate frame trembled from the cold as she clung to him, looking utterly helpless.
Her voice was soft and touching. “Brian, you really came. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me anymore.”
Brian ran a soothing hand over her back and said, “No, don’t think too much. I’m here,
aren’t I?”
“I knew it… you still care about me. You could never truly leave me, right?” she murmured, her voice breaking as she coughed.
Brian instinctively pulled his coat tighter around her. “You’re freezing. Come on, let’s
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get you out of here.”
“Mm, okay.”
The relentless downpour blurred everything around them, turning the world into an
indistinct haze.
Yet under the black umbrella, one thing remained sharp and clear–Brian holding Tracy’s hand, carefully guiding her to the car.
In the rain, he was gentle, chivalrous, and composed.
In his embrace, Tracy appeared delicate and graceful, like a fragile flower swaying in
the storm.
It was a picture–perfect scene, almost breathtaking in its beauty.
On the other hand, Rachel lay wide awake. When her phone buzzed with a notification, she glanced at the screen and saw a message with a photo attached in the group chat.
“OMG! You won’t believe who I just ran into! Brian White and Tracy Haynes.
She looked absolutely stunning, and he was like a real–life prince, leading her like they were meant to be. They’re a perfect match!” The excited message came from a new employee in the company.
Almost instantly, the group chat exploded with chatter.
Messages flooded in one after another.
“My goodness, they look amazing together. I really hope they end up married.”
“He’s waited so many years for his first love, staying devoted and true. He’s absolutely swoon–worthy!”
The messages piled up so fast that Rachel couldn’t even keep track.
Devoted?
She couldn’t deny it.
Brian was indeed devoted.
After all, how else could he have carried his love for Tracy all these years?
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Tracy’s persistent coughing left Brian with no choice but to take her to the nearest hotel.
The moment they stepped inside, Brian steered her toward the bathroom. “Go shower now. You’ll get sick if you don’t.”
But Tracy, drenched and shivering, remained rooted to the spot.
“What’s wrong?” Brian asked, puzzled.
Before he could finish speaking, Tracy suddenly threw her arms around him.
Her soft sobs broke the silence. “Brian… I had given up, you know? I knew you were going to marry Rachel, so I kept telling myself to stop thinking about you. If Ronald had come instead, I would have let go–I really would have. But it was you, Brian, who came for me. The moment I saw you, my heart came back to life. Please… don’t leave
me alone.”
Tracy’s tears fell uncontrollably, making her look so delicate that it could stir anyone’s sympathy.
Brian remained silent, his lips pressed into a firm line.
She didn’t say another word and only gazed up at him with tear–filled eyes.
After a long pause, he finally relented. “Alright, go take a showe
first. I won’t leave.”
“Promise me that you’ll still be here when I come out,” Tracy whispered.
“I promise,” he said softly.
Satisfied with his answer, she finally turned and stepped into the bathroom.
Inside, she took her time and washed away every trace of cold and rain.
She meticulously scrubbed from head to toe, leaving no strand of hair untouched.
When she stepped out, she was wrapped in a towel, her damp hair cascading over her
shoulders.
Her delicate features carried a mix of shyness and quiet charm.
Every movement she made seemed effortlessly alluring, drawing attention without even trying.
“Brian, I’m done. You’re soaked too, go take a shower,” she said softly.
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But Brian refused without hesitation. “No need. I asked the hotel staff to send up some ginger tea, and it should be here soon. Drink it and get some rest. You don’t want to catch a cold.” As he spoke, he glanced at his watch.
It had been two hours since he arrived.
By now, Rachel should have been fast asleep.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t shake off the image of her letting go of his hand when he left. It played over and over in his mind, like a scene stuck on repeat.
Shaking the thought away, he grabbed his coat. “Look after yourself and make sure to lock the door.” Saying that, he turned to leave.
But before he could take another step, Tracy suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind. “Brian, don’t go. Please don’t leave me alone. Stay with me–just for a
while…”
Brian’s brows knitted together. He was just about to respond when her body suddenly went limp.
“Tracy!” He caught her just before she collapsed completely.
The moment he held her, he realized she was burning up.
Heat radiated off her skin like a fevered blaze.
“Ronald, bring the car right now!” Without wasting a second, Brian carried Tracy and hurried to the hospital.
It was a high fever, and he stayed by her side the entire night.
Around three in the morning, Tracy’s fever finally broke. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open. “Brian, where… where are we? This bed is so uncomfortable.”
Brian gently held her back from sitting up. “You had a high fever. We’re in the hospital.”
“A fever?” Tracy mumbled, still disoriented.
“Yes, it just went down. Just rest, I’ll stay here with you.”
Tracy flashed a soft smile. “Alright, with you here, I know I’ll sleep well.”
In the middle of the night, Rachel woke up feeling awful.
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She was burning up one second and freezing the next, drenched in sweat and completely miserable. She had been tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable.
Then, suddenly, a sharp pain hit her, making her eyes fly open.
She sucked in a breath, only to realize there was an IV in her hand. No wonder she felt
so uneasy.
“Doctor, I need help. It hurts,” she cried out, her voice urgent and strained.
Almost immediately, a nurse rushed over and checked the IV with a concerned expression. “The drip leaked. It’s okay, I’ll fix it. Good thing you woke up–we were really worried.”
Rachel blinked in confusion. “What’s going on?”
Seeing the worry in the nurse’s eyes and hearing it in her voice, Rachel felt like something serious had happened.
“I checked on you in the middle of the night and found you burning up. You suddenly spiked a high fever and passed out. No matter how much we called you, you wouldn’t
wake up. We had to give you an IV and medication, but your fever wouldn’t break. You
were talking in your sleep the whole time… honestly, we were scared.”
She paused, then casually added, “By the way, where’s your boyfriend? He was with you during the day, but we didn’t see him at night.”
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