Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Patrick pressed his lips together, deliberating on how to break the news to Juliette. It wasn’t an earthquake–it was her fever.
“Oh!” Louis ran into the room, his chubby little hands flying to cover his eyes. “I didn’t see anything!” he declared, though his fingers parted slightly as he peeked through.
Seeing Patrick and Juliette so close first thing in the morning made him smile.
They looked so happy together.
Patrick cleared his throat awkwardly. “You have a fever,” he said to Juliette. “You need to take some medicine–or go to the hospital for an IV”
Her behavior last night made it inevitable she’d fall ill.
She hated being too warm, and there was no helping it.
“Maybe I should’ve woken her up last night, he thought. “Then she wouldn’t be sick now
Juliette pressed her palm to her forehead, noticing how hot it felt. No wonder she’d felt dizzy earlier like the whole house collapsing.
“Oh. I thought it was an earthquake,” she muttered.
Realization hit, and Juliette froze. She was still holding onto Patrick–while Louis watched with wide, curious eyes.
Embarrassment prickled, but she brushed it off and tried to stand.
However, her dizziness betrayed her.
Misjudging the distance between herself and Patrick, she stumbled and accidentally bumped her forehead against his with a solid thunk.
Both of them froze in surprise.
“Mommy, are you okay? I’ll blow on it for you!” Louis asked, his ny voice full of concern.
He crouched in front of Juliette and blew softly on her forehead. His earnest expression melted her heart completely.
Patrick rubbed his own forehead, where a small bump was forming.
“Great. I have work today,” he muttered under his breath.
After the commotion subsided, Patrick fetched cold medicine, fever reducers, and a glass of room–temperature water.
Handing them to Juliette, he said, “Breakfast is in the dining room. Louis had school this morning.”
Juliette glanced at the clock and realized how late it was.
“I didn’t realize it was so late. You take him, and I’ll lock up when leave,” she replied casually
Patrick blinked, caught off guard by her tone. She talks as if this is her house, he thought, the corners of his lips curving upward.
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Chapter 33
He raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing
Whatever resolve he’d made to keep his distance from her last night had already dissolved.
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“Mommy, here!” Louis whispered conspiratorially, slipping a lollipop into her hand. “Medicine tastes bad, but you can have this afterward. It’ll be sweet!”
Juliette chuckled, her affection for the boy softening her tired features. “Thanks, Louis.”
He leaned in to plant a sticky kiss on her cheek before scampering off. “Bye, Mommy!” he called, heading out the door with Patrick
On the way to school, Patrick made a quick call to Stuart
“Someone’s trying to mess with me and Louis,” he said, his voice sharp. “Take care of it. And don’t let it disrupt Louis‘ school life.”
Stuart swore furiously at the other end of the line. “If that bastam tries anything. I’ll make sure he regrets it.”
Back at the house, Juliette swallowed the medicine and nibbled breakfast, finally starting to feel human again. She assumed her fever came from sleeping without a blanket last night and had no memory of her sleepwalking. She shut the villa gates, a lollipop tucked in her mouth, helmet in hand as she walked toward her motorcycle. The sun slanted across the sky, making her squint. Another bright and sunny day, but she hadn’t driven her car. All she had was the helmet–no sign of the red parasol Patrick had given her.
With the helmet strapped on, Juliette revved the motorcycle’s engine. With a thunderous roar, she shot off down the road.
‘Might as well grab extra cold medicine while I’m at the hospital she decided.
When she arrived, it was still early.
She noticed several missed calls on her phone.
Among them were numbers tied to the Vaughn family–and one from Daphne.
She returned Daphne’s call first.
“Juliette” Daphne’s voice was breathless. “Evan called me this morning, asking if you stayed at my place last night. I told hi we had a sleepover. What’s going on?”
“Thanks for covering for me. I stayed at Patrick’s,” Juliette admitted.
She had resolved not to drag Patrick or Louis into this revenge.
“Patrick? Again?” Daphne’s voice dropped to a hushed whisper. Juliette, you’re about to get married. Are you out of your
mind?”
Juliette glanced at the hospital entrance. “It’s not what you think, ll explain later. If anyone asks, just stick to your story. “Oh, alright, you’re all mysterious now. But you owe me the full scoop over lunch,” Daphne replied.
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Chapter 33
Juliette agreed. “Deal. I’ll call you later.”
She ended the call just as Asher’s car pulled into the parking lot
At the door, Juliette waited until Asher arrived.
When their eyes met, they exchanged a brief nod before walking in together.
Asher unlocked his office drawer and slid a sealed envelope across the desk. “The results,” he said simply. “I oversaw everything myself”
Juliette’s fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the envelope. Her palms felt clammy, though from fever or nerves, she
couldn’t tell.
But she kept her expression neutral, offering a polite smile. “Since I’ve said I consider you a friend, I trust you completely.”
Thinking back to Juliette’s fierceness from yesterday, Asher still felt a bit uneasy. He nodded in agreement. “Same here. So everything you asked of me. I’ve put my full effort into.”
Juliette clutched the appraisal results tightly as she left Asher’s office, her knuckles whitening from the pressure. The weight of its contents settled in her chest, but she pressed forward, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
She didn’t take the elevator but opted for the stairs. When she reached the corner of the staircase, she paused and pulled out her phone to call Daphne.
“I need you to bring my car to the hospital. I’ll be waiting here,” she said, her tone clipped..
Daphne bombarded her with questions, but Juliette ignored them, only urging her to hurry.
Juliette leaned against the wall, her legs weak as if the floor might give out beneath her. Sweat trickled down her temple.
She waited until the feeling disappeared, then made her way to the hospital entrance. The sunlight was blinding, so she quickly sought refuge under the shade of a large tree.
It felt like an eternity before she finally saw Daphne driving up in her car. Juliette quickly slid into the passenger seat as soon as it stopped, pale and drained.
“You look awful,” Daphne said, handing her a bottle of water. “What did the doctor say?”
Juliette pressed her lips into a straight line as Daphne handed her a bottle of mineral water. She took a long sip, draining most of it in one go.
“I haven’t seen one. I came here for this. She held up the envelope and opened it. “A paternity test. The results are here.”
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