Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Fainting from Anemia
Julian Jennings could clearly sense Dominic Thorne had an ulterior motive. ’How should I position myself? What does he mean, "just say we’re friends"? Could he possibly be called something else?’
"Mr. Thorne, since we’re friends, let’s play together. The more the merrier!" Julian Jennings said, extending a sincere invitation. He wanted to figure out the exact nature of the relationship between Dominic Thorne and Melody Donovan.
Dominic Thorne raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sary, who nodded in agreement.
"All right. How about the two of you be one team, and Sary and I will be another? We can have a match."
Melody Donovan looked up, only then noticing Sary was there too. Sary had been scrutinizing the developing situation. Just as Melody looked at her, she found Sary looking back. Their eyes met awkwardly, and Melody quickly averted her gaze, staring into the distance.
Melody Donovan stayed as far away from Dominic Thorne as possible, clumsily swinging her club. Then, without caring whether the ball went in or not, she would rush to prepare for the next shot. She could feel a burning gaze from nearby fixed on her. She could feel that he was watching her the entire time.
’This anxiety feels even more terrifying than when I first left him. I’m terrified that if he gets angry, he’ll destroy Julian Jennings too. I don’t want to drag Julian into this. I wouldn’t say I’m in love with him, but I’ve been very happy with him these past few days. Julian is a thoughtful person; he’s always creating little surprises for me and planning our days so I never feel empty.’
Seeing Melody Donovan swinging absently, Julian Jennings stopped what he was doing. "Melody, are you all right?"
"Hm? Oh, I’m fine," Melody Donovan answered guiltily, avoiding his gaze.
"How about I take you home? You don’t look well at all." Julian Jennings’s worried gaze was fixed on Melody Donovan. ’If I’d known that having Dominic Thorne around would make her this anxious, I never would’ve invited him to play golf.’
"I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about me."
But her condition was anything but reassuring. She looked unsteady, as if she might collapse at any moment.
Julian Jennings uneasily resumed playing golf, but his eyes kept drifting toward Melody Donovan.
Melody Donovan looked at the pile of golf balls, feeling overwhelmed. ’All I want is to finish hitting these balls, go home, and crawl into my warm little bed.’
With only a few balls left, Melody Donovan was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness. She stood up, pressed a hand to her forehead, and swayed forward. Julian Jennings instantly dropped his club and rushed to catch her, but Dominic Thorne was a step faster.
Julian Jennings’s outstretched hands clenched awkwardly in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, Dominic Thorne had swept Melody Donovan into his arms and was rushing off.
Dominic Thorne pulled open the car door and drove away from the golf course without even changing his clothes. During the drive, he kept feeling Melody Donovan’s forehead. It was slightly cool to the touch, but she probably didn’t have a fever yet. He took off his own jacket and draped it over her, his large hand gently caressing her cheek.
Dominic Thorne had already contacted the director of the city hospital, so when they arrived, he was able to carry Melody Donovan straight into the emergency room unimpeded.
He didn’t pause for a second along the way. He was drenched in sweat but paid it no mind; the girl in his arms was too important. Dominic Thorne laid Melody Donovan on the snow-white hospital bed. Medical staff quickly swarmed in and began examining her. ’Who is this VIP who could get the director personally involved?’ they wondered. ’Whoever he is, he’s way out of our league.’ All they could do was focus on their work.
"Mr. Thorne, your girlfriend is suffering from hypoglycemia caused by anemia. She should be fine after a few IV drips. We also recommend she carry some chocolate with her at all times." After delivering the diagnosis, the medical staff respectfully exited the room, leaving just Melody Donovan and Dominic Thorne alone in the spacious VIP suite.
Dominic Thorne walked to the bedside and gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair from Melody Donovan’s forehead, his eyes full of heartache. "Why can’t you take better care of yourself?" he murmured. "How can I ever rest easy entrusting you to someone else when you’re like this?" A sharp pain suddenly shot through his temples. Dominic Thorne’s handsome brows knitted together as he pressed a hand to his own forehead. ’Looks like I’m not over yesterday’s cold after all. Giving Melody my jacket and then sweating so much on the run must have made it worse.’
’But it was nothing,’ he thought. He had endured far worse pain and injuries during his time in the special forces.
Dominic Thorne pulled a chair to the bedside, took Melody Donovan’s icy hand in his, and simply stared at her. Just being able to look at her felt like a dream come true. She was always hiding from him, closing herself off from the world. Being able to watch over her like this filled him with a sense of contentment.
Before he knew it, with his head resting on the edge of her bed, Dominic Thorne had fallen asleep... In his dreams, her smile brought him solace...
When Melody Donovan awoke, her hand felt hot—not just warm, but burning. She struggled to sit up and saw Dominic Thorne beside her bed, his hand gripping hers tightly. ’That’s right,’ she remembered. ’Just before I fainted, I think I saw him running toward me in a panic. Then I blacked out.’
’Did he bring me to the hospital?’
Melody Donovan gently placed her free hand over Dominic Thorne’s. She had only meant to touch him, but his temperature startled her. ’He’s burning up! He’s not asleep—he’s passed out from a fever.’
Melody Donovan called out for a doctor in a hoarse voice, and a nurse outside heard her and rushed in.
"I think he has a fever! Can you please get a doctor?" Melody Donovan pleaded anxiously, clutching Dominic Thorne’s hand. The nurse was taken aback. ’The woman was the patient, so why is the man who brought her in sick now too?’
A doctor arrived quickly, had Dominic Thorne moved to the empty bed next to Melody Donovan’s, and started him on an IV drip.
"Young people these days," the doctor lamented. "Just because you’re healthy, you act so recklessly. How could you not catch a cold dressed so lightly?" Melody Donovan lifted the covers and saw Dominic Thorne’s jacket resting on her body.
Sary wandered the streets, dejected. Dominic Thorne had seemingly forgotten she even existed, leaving her all alone again. ’He was supposed to be out with me today, but it turned into this. I can’t accept it! Why is his attention always on that plain, unremarkable woman? I’m obviously more accomplished, more beautiful, and more cultured than she is, but he never spares me a second glance.’
Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was a call from Dominic Thorne. Sary’s heart leaped as she answered. ’Has he finally remembered me?’
"Dominic, where are you...?"
"Is this Miss Sary? We’re at the city hospital. Can you come over? Your boyfriend has a fever, and I think it would be best for you to be here to take care of him."
Sary’s expression instantly darkened. "I see."
She hung up abruptly. ’Why does *she* have his phone? And why is *she* the one calling me?’ The thought alone made her furious.
When Sary arrived at the hospital, Melody Donovan was already gone. Dominic Thorne lay weakly in the hospital bed, his phone resting beside him. Sary picked it up, only to be stumped by the lock screen. She couldn’t get past the passcode.
’Then how did Melody Donovan know Dominic Thorne’s passcode?’ Sary repeated the question over and over in her mind. ’A person’s phone is so private. Are they really that intimate with each other?’
Dominic Thorne coughed and slowly opened his eyes, his gaze searching the room for any sign of Melody Donovan.
"She’s gone. You can stop looking," Sary said, glaring at Dominic Thorne with barely concealed anger.
Sorrow flickered in Dominic Thorne’s eyes. ’Is she avoiding me so much that she can’t even face me? She could have at least said thank you. I can’t believe things have gotten this strained between us. This isn’t what I want at all!’
Only then did he notice Sary sitting by his bed. Dominic Thorne forced an awkward smile. "What are you doing here?"
"That girl called me. From your phone," Sary said, testing the waters. "Is Young Master Thorne’s phone so easy to get into? Can just any girl unlock it? Or do you not even have a passcode?" Though she was smiling, her heart was pounding in her chest.
Dominic Thorne picked up his phone, unlocked it, and stared at the screen for a long moment before finally saying, "She knows my passcode because she is very important to me." The smile on Sary’s face froze, and her eyes slowly went vacant.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving," Sary said, rising from the bedside and walking toward the door. She was far too proud a woman to make a scene over her personal feelings, or to grovel for someone’s affection.
Dominic Thorne reached out a hand. "Sary, I’m sorry. I was supposed to be with you today. Next time. Next time, I promise I’ll spend the whole day with you properly. This time doesn’t count." He truly felt guilty. After all, she had helped him so much, but it seemed every attempt he made to repay her kindness ended up a mess. This time was no exception.
"Yes, I know," Sary replied, walking out of the hospital room without a backward glance...
Summer Lancaster skipped work today, having slept straight through until ten in the morning. Of course, Kenneth Yates hadn’t woken her. When she finally opened her eyes and saw the clock read 10:00 a.m., her jaw nearly hit the floor. She scrambled into her clothes, hastily washed up, and rushed downstairs.
Lawrence Yates and Lianne Vance were in the garden tending to the flowers. It seemed Lianne Vance adored flowers, which explained why the courtyard was so vibrant and colorful.
When Summer Lancaster got downstairs, she saw only Ethan Yates, sitting alone and engrossed in the same thick book from the day before. Summer Lancaster paused, the events of yesterday still weighing slightly on her mind.
"Ethan, where’s your brother?"
Ethan Yates paused for a good three seconds before answering. "He left for work a while ago. He probably didn’t wake you because he figured you were too tired."
Their relationship seemed unchanged on the surface, but the feeling behind their words was different now. Each of them thought carefully before they spoke, weighing whether their words were appropriate. Perhaps this was the best way for them to get along.
Summer Lancaster sat down next to Ethan Yates and flipped open the book.
