I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 304

This wasn't like him at all.

Staring at him through the small gap in the door, the casual smile slowly faded from Sienna's lips. "Sorry, but I changed my mind. Next time you talk to me, make sure you record it—I have a habit of going back on my word."

"Go home. I'm going to sleep." Sienna slammed the peephole cover shut.

She never heard another knock.

But she also never heard the sound of retreating footsteps.

In the middle of the night, Sienna woke up to use the bathroom. Glancing at the front door, a nagging sense of curiosity forced her to walk over and slide the peephole cover open just a crack.

Jorrod was still there. He was slouched heavily against the wall. Hearing the metallic scrape of the cover, he slowly turned his head, his half-lidded eyes lazily drifting toward her.

Sienna hated when he looked at her like that, like she wasn't even worth fully opening his eyes for.

But she didn't have time to overthink it. She gasped, "You're still here?"

The clock on the wall read 3:30 AM. She had literally slept through an entire sleep cycle.

Perhaps her shocked exclamation was loud enough, because the long-dormant hallway light suddenly clicked on, casting a harsh glare down over his head.

Jorrod flinched, his eyes narrowing against the sudden brightness.

It was then, under the unforgiving fluorescent bulb, that Sienna finally got a clear look at his face.

He didn't look normal. His eyes were barely open, his lips cracked and entirely drained of color. A sheen of cold sweat beaded across his forehead, plastering dark strands of hair against his skin. A terrifyingly sickly, feverish flush had crept up his neck, turning the tips of his ears a startling, translucent red.

Before she could examine him any further, the motion sensor timed out, plunging them back into darkness.

Sienna clapped her hands loudly, forcing the light back on.

The piercing bulb made the man grimace in pain, his eyes shutting tightly against the glare.

"Are you running a fever?" Sienna demanded.

"Yeah."

It was the faintest breath of a word.

He swallowed hard. "I... I want some water."

Sienna stared at him for two long seconds before finally undoing the chain and pulling the door open. "I'm letting you in to get a drink. I am not agreeing to let you kiss me."

"I know," Jorrod rasped. "That was just an excuse."

"...Well, at least you're honest. Is the water an excuse too?"

"Partly. But I'm also really thirsty."

The moment he crossed the threshold, she realized just how catastrophic his fever actually was. His entire body was radiating a terrifying, suffocating heat, as if he were about to spontaneously combust. She genuinely felt like she was standing next to a blasting furnace.

A thermometer would have been a waste of plastic.

Once Jorrod collapsed onto the sofa, Sienna turned into the kitchen to grab a glass and some medication.

He really hadn't lied about being thirsty. She handed him a brimming glass of warm water and a fever reducer, and he tipped his head back, draining it in one desperate gulp. Stray drops spilled from the rim, tracing the line of his throat and disappearing into the collar of his shirt.