Chapter 14
After her meal, Cheryl glanced at the overcast sky. Their butler, Charles Kirsch, Informed Dylan that Leon, Zane, and Steve were standing by the door, refusing to
leave.
“Ignore them,” said Cheryl. She turned to Dylan and continued, “You don’t need to go out of your way to make me aware of this. I reckon you should know about what happened between me and those three. Since I’ve married you, it means I’ve truly left all that in my past.”
Although Cheryl had seen through his true motivations, he didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Now, let’s talk about why you behave like you’ve known me for ages.”
Dylan’s smile froze on his face briefly. Was he really going to tell Cheryl that he first fell for her just by seeing her picture after picking up her student card back in school? However, what truly sealed the deal for him was when she stood up for the kids who were getting bullied.
After a moment of contemplation, Dylan decided to come clean.
“We went to the same high school.”
“Why don’t I remember you, then?”
“At the time, I hadn’t returned to the Sterlings. After they brought me home, I transferred away.”
“That explains it.”
Continued talking, driven by the desire to get to
Thunder clapped, causing Dylan and Cheryl to jump at the noise. It began storming outside. Paying it no mi they know each other better. The three men standing outside–Leon, Zane, and Steve–seemed to have been forgotten.
Refusing to give up, they stood in the storm, allowing the rain to soak them to the bone. Yet, it did nothing to alleviate their agony.
Leon mumbled, “Aren’t I in love with Giselle? Why is Cheryl’s marriage causing me so much pain?”
Steve and Zane had nothing to say. In the face of their silence, Leon continued, “Do you guys think Cheryl won’t forgive us this time?”
“No way. She has always had a soft spot for us. When she finds out that we’ve been standing in the rain, she’ll definitely come out.”
“Yeah, she does cherish us wholeheartedly.”
They stood there, drenched to the bone, lying to themselves until Leon finally couldn’t take it anymore and crumpled to the ground. Zane and Steve bent down to help him up, but they too collapsed one after another.
When Giselle pulled up at the Sterling mansion, she was greeted by the sight of three of them lying in the rain.
She immediately called emergency services and sent them to the hospital.
“One of the patients donated his kidney a while ago and hasn’t recovered fully. After getting rained on, his fever isn’t letting up. As for the other two, their fever is the result of previous excessive blood loss.”
Giselle was exhausted looking after all three men in the hospital. She dabbed at their foreheads continuously to cool them down and kept watch over their IV drips. Steve and Zane were the first ones to wake up. When they saw that they were in a hospital room, they thought Cheryl was the one who’d brought them. Even their weak bodies and the sight of a still unconscious Leon couldn’t put a damper on their mood.
Footsteps echoed outside the door. They both thought it was Cheryl and stared at the door with stars in their eyes.
“Cheryl-”
Before they could finish, Giselle strode in. Disappointment washed over them.
“Steve, Zane, you’re awake!” Giselle was overjoyed. She didn’t hear them call Cheryl’s name. “I was so worried about you guys…”
As she spoke, she approached their bed. Giselle reached out to touch Zane’s forehead, only for him to flinch away.
“You…” Tears welled up in Giselle’s eyes.
“I’m fine. Go take care of Steve instead.” Zane didn’t know why he didn’t want her to touch him.
“I’m fine as well. You should take care of Leon.” Even though Giselle was looking at him pitifully, feeling jilted by their reactions, Steve also wasn’t in the mood to placate her for some reason.
“You guys have crossed a line,” she huffed. Then, she turned away, waiting for them to apologise.
A few moments passed, but no one made a move. Giselle noticed that there was something off. Turning back around, she saw that both men were staring at the ceiling in silence, lost in thought. They hadn’t picked up on her feelings.
As she was about to speak, Leon woke up.
Leon gained consciousness amidst Giselle’s chattering. It was giving him a migraine, so he couldn’t help but snap at her, “Shut it!”
Giselle was stunned. What had happened? Why were all three of them treating her like that? Leon felt nothing but annoyance at her tears. Where he used to feel for her whenever she cried, that feeling was all but gone now,
