When Jackson opened his eyes, dawn was only just beginning to break beyond the horizon.
Pale gray light filtered into the room.
But Jackson hadn’t awakened of his own accord.
It wasn’t because he had gotten enough rest, nor because he had wanted to wake up.
Something felt off.
Even in his sleep, he had sensed the woman beside him stirring, her body radiating an unusual amount of heat.
It was far too warm.
A frown creased his brow as he reached out, brushing his hand against the exposed skin of her neck before pressing it to her forehead.
The moment his fingers made contact, his expression was filled with concern.
Mariam was burning up.
Without wasting another second, he grabbed the phone from the nightstand and called Dr.
Varun.
The call was answered after several rings.
“What?” came Dr.
Varun’s irritated voice.
“Get here.”
“Jackson, do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Now.”
The line went dead.
Nearly thirty minutes later, Dr.
Varun arrived looking like a man whose greatest enemy was sleep deprivation.
His hair was disheveled, his tie was crooked, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
The moment he entered the room, he glared at Jackson.
“Jackson, if this turns out to be one of your headaches again, I swear I’m resigning as your doctor,” Dr.
Varun said as he dropped his medical bag on a nearby chair.
“It’s five in the morning. Five. Do you know what normal people do at five in the morning?”
Jackson ignored him.
“Sleep. The answer is sleep,” Dr.
Varun sighed dramatically.
Then his gaze landed on the woman lying in the bed.
“Oh…It’s about her again.”
Jackson was rapidly losing patience.
“Doctor…She is burning up. Check her.”
Dr.
Varun finally became serious and walked over. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
The doctor examined Mariam carefully.
Five days ago, when he had come to check her last time she had been suffering from severe cold exposure after running through a snowstorm.
Now she felt as though she had a furnace burning inside her body.
His gaze landed on the dark bruises around her throat and he froze.
Then he slowly lifted his gaze to Jackson, before drifting back to the bruises.
A flicker of realization crossed his face as he studied the marks, only to look at Jackson again, his expression growing increasingly suspicious with each glance.
“What exactly happened last night?”
Jackson closed his eyes briefly.
Here we go.
“Oh my God! Look at this bruise. Did you have to be that rough?” Dr.
Varun pointed dramatically at the marks.
Jackson’s jaw ticked.
At the mention of the assassin, he found himself vividly imagining the man still alive.
Instantly, his mind began devising countless ways to end him, killing him over and over again in ten-thousand different ways.
“I didn’t do it,” he said, grimly.
However, Dr.
Varun didn’t seem to be buying his words.
If Jackson hadn’t done it, then who else would have dared to inflict such injuries within his own premises?
The idea seemed far too implausible for him to believe.
“Sure,” Dr.
Varun asserted flatly.
“I didn’t.”
“Of course.”
“…” Jackson felt like it was just better to keep his mouth shut.
“Look, I understand she’s very beautiful, but you need to control your primal impulses.” The doctor folded his arms.
“Also did you use protection?”
Jackson was really speechless at the doctor’s wild train of thoughts.
“That’s fine if you don’t want to use protection,” Dr.
Varun said, continuing without pause.
“You might end up with a few little demons running around…but I have to say the idea is certainly terrifying.”
Jackson’s stare could have frozen lava.
Little demons?
Seriously?
He rubbed his aching forehead. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Doctor…”
“Though considering your personality, I pity the children already—”
“Doctor.”
“And imagine having to explain to them that their father—”
“Doctor.”
“What?”
“Can you stop talking and examine the patient?” The words came out through gritted teeth.
“Fine…” Dr.
Varun finally decided that preserving his life was the wiser choice.
After several minutes of examination, he concluded, “High fever…Likely brought on by the previous cold exposure, physical stress and exhaustion. And…”
“And?” Jackson prompted, sensing that the doctor hadn’t yet finished his diagnosis.
“And she must have been extremely frightened last night,” Dr.
Varun replied.
The words sounded less like a medical observation and more like a reprimand directed squarely at Jackson.
“That’s why her body is reacting this way. Whatever happened, you are not to let it happen again. Understood?”
For a brief moment, silence hung in the room.
“…” Jackson offered only a curt nod in response, accepting the scolding without argument.
“Her pulse is stable, though.” The doctor filled a syringe.
He administered an antipyretic injection to help lower the fever.
Once he was finished, he packed away his equipment.
“Keep her hydrated.
Make sure she rests.
And if her fever gets worse, call me.” He paused, before adding, “Preferably after sunrise next time.”
***
When Mariam woke up, the afternoon sun was already high up in the sky.
Her green eyes fluttered open.
A thin layer of sweat covered her forehead, and her body felt weak and drained, as though every ounce of strength had been wrung out of her.
She saw Lena, who had been sitting on the nearby chair.
At that point, she made a mental note to see Lena’s face every morning after waking up.
Relief immediately flashed across the maid’s face when she noticed Mariam was awake.
“Miss!”
Mariam winced as she pushed herself up.
Lena quickly leaned forward and placed the back of her hand against Mariam’s forehead, checking her temperature with visible concern.
“How are you feeling, Miss?” she asked gently.