Substitute Wife, Genius CEO novel Chapter 24

Before going to bed, she went to Leo's room to check if he had kicked off his blankets.

Thank God she checked.

Leo was burning up with a fever. His cheeks were flushed red, his lips were cracked, and he was radiating an alarming amount of heat.

Even before her hand touched his skin, she could feel the unnatural warmth.

She grabbed the thermometer. It read 104 degrees.

"Leo, sweetheart," Summer called out softly, her voice laced with panic.

Leo fluttered his eyes open groggily. His usually serious, old-soul gaze was clouded with a pitiful glaze of unshed tears. "Mom... it hurts," he rasped.

"Where does it hurt?" Summer asked, her heart breaking as she placed a cooling patch on his forehead.

Being sick made anyone vulnerable, let alone a five-year-old child.

Leo's big, watery eyes looked at her with pure, unadulterated misery. He whimpered softly, "My body... everywhere hurts. Mom, it hurts so much."

"Here, drink some warm water. Then Mom will take you to the hospital. You won't hurt anymore once we see a doctor."

Summer coaxed him gently, helping him sip some water before scooping him into her arms to carry him downstairs.

But the moment she lifted him, Leo cried out in pain again. "Mom, please hold me gently. It hurts."

Summer assumed he was just suffering from severe body aches caused by a viral fever, so she didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the stairs that Mrs. Gable gasped, spotting the crimson bloodstains seeping through Leo's pajamas.

Only then did Summer realize why he was crying out in agony.

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