Feverish Resolve

Cold. It was a chill that sank deep into her bones, bypassing skin and muscle to settle straight into her marrow.

Kendall gripped the slick porcelain edge of the bathtub, her knuckles turning white under the strain. Icy water sloshed over the rim and splashed onto the bathroom tiles. She had spent the long, agonizing night submerged in the freezing depths, fighting the burning aphrodisiac coursing through her veins. Every passing hour felt like a brutal tug-of-war between the drug’s searing heat and the punishing ice.

By the time pale morning light crept through the frosted bathroom windows, her body was a weakened shell. Her teeth chattered, and her vision swam with dark spots every time she blinked.

She dragged herself out of the tub. Her legs trembled under her own weight. She pulled on her clothes, the fabric feeling heavy and abrasive against her hyper-sensitive skin. Before she walked out of the imposing Vance Residence, she sought out the head maid.

Greta stood near the grand staircase, her posture stiff. Kendall met the older woman's gaze, refusing to show a single ounce of vulnerability. She made sure her voice carried the precise message she needed Agnes to hear.

"Declan went out early last night," Kendall declared, her tone razor-sharp despite the exhaustion weighing down her vocal cords. "He didn't come back all night."

She didn't care whose bed he was warming. By broadcasting this specific detail, she ensured the household staff knew their marriage remained unconsummated. It ruined Agnes's pregnancy scheme in one swift stroke. More importantly, it legally protected her. No one could claim she was the one who cowardly ran away from the marital bed.

She walked out the front doors and hailed a cab to the K.Moon studio. The city blurred past the window, a dizzying swirl of colors that made her stomach churn. By the time she stepped out onto the sidewalk, the world tilted precariously. She swayed on her feet, leaning heavily against the glass door as she pushed it open.

Tessa looked up from a stack of fabric samples. The moment she saw Kendall’s pale face, she dropped the fabrics.

"Kendall? Where did you go last night? How did you end up like this?" Tessa rushed over, grabbing her arm to steady her.

The moment Tessa’s warm hand pressed against her skin, she gasped. "You're burning up! Why are you here when you have a fever this high? I'm taking you to the emergency room right now."

At the mere mention of a hospital, Kendall's hand flew down. She instinctively pressed her palm against her lower belly. A sickening wave of traumatic memories crashed over her. The sterile smell of the ward. The bright surgical lights. Being strapped down to the bed, enduring excruciating ovulation injections cycle after cycle. She had silently swallowed that pain for years, treating her own body as a sacrificial lamb just to please Declan's family.

"No," Kendall insisted. She pushed Tessa’s hand away. "I just want to go home and sleep. Give me a ride."

Tessa recognized the raw, unmistakable panic swirling in her best friend's eyes. Knowing the trauma Kendall carried, Tessa softened her stance. "Okay. We don't have to go there. I'll take you home."

Tessa abandoned her pressing work and drove straight to the secret apartment. The moment they stepped inside the modest space, Tessa dragged Kendall to the bedroom. Then, she tore through every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen, hunting for heavy fever reducers or anything that could bring down the terrifying temperature.

"Did that bastard Declan bully you again?" Tessa demanded from the hallway, slamming a drawer shut. "You were fine when you left. Tell me what happened."

Kendall pulled the quilt up to her chin, her body shaking. She couldn't bring herself to worry her loyal friend with the dark truth. She wasn't about to admit she had been drugged, stripped, and then abandoned naked in bed mid-intimacy just because Chloe made a phone call.

"It's nothing," Kendall lied softly, keeping her gaze fixed on the ceiling. "The estate just had a drafty, thin blanket. I caught a cold."

She forced her heavy eyelids open, staring at Tessa. "You need to go back."

"Are you crazy?" Tessa walked in with a glass of water. "I'm not leaving you like this."

"I just secured that 2.8 million dollar studio debt clearance from Declan," Kendall urged, her voice strained but firm. She had suffered too much trauma in that freezing tub to lose the money now. "I need you at the studio to handle the clients. Keep the business afloat. Please."

Tessa looked heartbroken. She understood the desperation driving Kendall to prioritize the business over her own health. Finally, she gritted her teeth and pulled out her phone.

"Fine. But I already called my brother, Malachi. He's speeding on his way over here right now to look after you. Don't you dare move from this bed."

Silence settled over the apartment after Tessa left. Kendall drifted into a heavy, suffocating fever dream.

Hours later, a loud knock on the front door shattered the quiet.

Kendall groaned. Her body ached with every microscopic movement. Expecting Malachi to be standing on the other side, she forced her screaming muscles upright. She stumbled blindly toward the entryway, leaning her shoulder against the wall for support. Her fingers fumbled with the deadbolt before pulling the door open.

Instead of Tessa's brother, Gavin Brooks stood on the doormat.

His wide eyes swept over her frail frame. "Ms. Kendall?"

He stepped backward into the hallway, bewilderment written across his face. "What in the world? Why are you living here? No, wait... Why is it you opening this door?"

Kendall shivered, clutching her clothes tight against the draft sweeping in from the corridor. She weakly stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in.

Gavin squeezed his massive frame into the cozy living room. He glanced around the modest space, his posture stiff with suspicion.

"What's your exact relationship with Malachi?" Gavin asked tentatively, his eyes narrowing.

Kendall leaned her back against the wall to keep her legs from buckling. "Tessa is my boss. Malachi is just Tessa's brother."

Gavin let out a massive breath of relief. His broad shoulders dropped. However, his brows quickly furrowed in confusion as he studied her sickly appearance.

"Where exactly is Declan?" Gavin probed. "Why isn't your own husband here taking care of you when you're this sick?"

The mention of that name struck a raw nerve. Kendall's mind flashed back to the dark bedroom. The intense, forced intimacy. The heavy heat pressing down on her. And then, the shrill ring of the phone. The humiliating reality of how quickly he abandoned her the second Chloe cried out for help.

"How on earth would I know?" she snapped. Her voice cracked, betraying the repressed emotion bubbling in her throat.

Exhausted by the sudden interrogation, she pointed a trembling finger at the couch. "Just sit down. I'll get you a glass of water."

She intended to hand him a drink and kick him out. She turned her back on him and forced her uncooperative legs to walk into the small kitchen.

She reached for a heavy glass pitcher resting on the counter. Her weakened hands wrapped around the smooth surface. But as she lifted the pitcher, her grip betrayed her.

The glass slipped.

A crisp, deafening crash echoed across the kitchen tiles, ringing like a gunshot throughout the quiet apartment.

Hearing the noise, Gavin threw his phone onto the couch and rushed toward the kitchen.

He froze in the doorway. Kendall lay unconscious on the cold floor, her body motionless. Bright drops of crimson blood bloomed like red flowers across the white tiles. The blood steadily dripped from a deep, jagged cut on her slender arm, sliced open by the shattered glass.

Gavin cursed out loud. He dropped to his knees beside her. Without a second thought, he grabbed her shoulder. The moment his skin met hers, the scorching body temperature radiating off her frame sent a jolt of panic through him.

He scooped her limp body up securely into his strong arms. Her head lolled against his chest. He kicked the front door open and desperately rushed her straight down the hall.

He bolted for the elevator. Minutes later, he burst into the dimly lit parking garage. He sprinted toward his parked red Ferrari, the sound of his rapid footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. Opening the passenger door, he threw her into the seat, buckling her in. He slammed the door shut, dropped into the driver's seat, and sped away into the distance, tires screeching against the pavement.

Because of his panic, Gavin failed to notice the tall figure standing dead still in the deep shadows of the parking garage.

Dante, the personal bodyguard, stood frozen a few feet away. He stared blankly at the rapidly departing sports car, the red taillights quickly fading into the street.

He turned his head slowly. Beside him stood Declan.

Declan's face was emotionless. His sharp jaw was locked tight, his dark eyes fixed on the empty space where the Ferrari had just been parked.

"Mr. Vance..." Dante stammered nervously, shifting his weight. "I think that man carrying her was Mr. Brooks."

Declan didn't say a word.

"S-Should we still go up to the apartment?" Dante asked, his voice trembling under the oppressive weight of his boss's silence.

Declan slowly lifted his dark gaze. His body exuded a terrifying chill. It felt as though he had dropped the surrounding temperature of the garage by several degrees. The sheer jealousy masked beneath that freezing exterior was suffocating.

He stared down the empty exit ramp. He had come here looking for his wife, only to watch his best friend carry her unconscious body away.

After a long, suffocating pause, Declan turned his back on the exit. He retreated further into the shadows.

"Let's go back," he issued a cold command.