Chapter 285

My cheeks burned crimson. Words failed me completely.

Liam's eyelids drooped heavily. Within moments, he'd drifted back to sleep, though he instinctively lifted his hips to allow me to remove his trousers down to his thighs.

Taking a steadying breath, I whispered, "Liam? Are you awake?"

Only his even breathing answered me. After hesitating briefly, I carefully slid his pants off completely. Grabbing a damp towel, I began wiping down his feverish body with quick, efficient strokes. I repeated the process several times until his skin finally cooled to a normal temperature.

Nearly an hour later, I managed to get some fever medication between his lips. Exhaustion weighed on me after the sleepless night of nursing him. As dawn broke, I collapsed onto the bed beside him, instantly succumbing to sleep.

A deafening clap of thunder jolted Liam awake. He blinked groggily toward the balcony windows, only now noticing the violent storm raging outside.

The wall clock read 10:37 AM. Scanning the unfamiliar room, fragmented memories of collapsing at Wright Manor surfaced. When he attempted to sit up, an unexpected weight pinned him down.

A petite figure lay sprawled across his torso, her face obscured by cascading chestnut hair.

He couldn't determine if it was Cassandra. Every muscle ached with weakness. His throat burned with thirst, each swallow agonizing.

The storm outside created an eerie, shadowed atmosphere. Suddenly, Liam became acutely aware of something unusual about his own state.

His hand slipped beneath the blanket. His eyebrows shot up when he discovered he wore only his boxers. Closing his eyes in resignation, he felt heat creeping up his neck.

"Evelyn? Are you awake?" Rosalind's voice accompanied a sharp knock at the door.

I stirred slowly, rubbing sleep from my eyes. Studying Liam's peaceful expression, I pressed my palm to his forehead, then my own. Satisfied his fever hadn't returned, I exhaled in relief.

"Evelyn!" Rosalind called again, more insistently.

I scrambled to the door, yanking Rosalind inside before securing the lock behind her. She frowned at my frantic movements. "What's going on?"

Leading her to the bed, I whispered urgently, "Look."

Rosalind's gaze darted between the sleeping man and me. "How did he get here? And why is he in your bed?"

"He broke in around 3 AM to take me from Wright Manor but collapsed before he could."

Rosalind's lips twitched with suppressed laughter. "Did you roofie him?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" I swatted her arm. "He arrived sick and passed out unexpectedly."

"It's pouring outside. Now what?" Rosalind gestured toward the storm.

I bit my lip, shaking my head helplessly.

"Eve, you said we couldn't consume anything from Wright Manor - not even water. With this storm and a half-naked man in your room, what's our play?"

"We'll wait out the rain and order delivery," I said, glancing at Liam's sleeping form. "And we'll need some men's clothing."

Rosalind noticed the discarded garments at the foot of the bed. Her eyes widened as she reached for the blanket.

I caught her wrist just in time. "D-don't! He's... not decent."

Rosalind gasped dramatically. "Evelyn Carter! Did you strip him completely bare?"