It'll Come Naturally
Chapter 1463 Michelle Got Sick (Part Two)

Meanwhile, Michelle lay in bed rather dazed. She enjoyed a hot bath and soothed herself with some ginger decoction for warmth, but she caught a cold anyway.

Her door was unlocked so she could hear when Luke arrived. Her heart went a mile a minute when she heard his footsteps stop in front of her door, and felt his presence close. To her great disappointment, though, the footsteps continued at a much faster pace as he walked away without giving her a visit.

Maybe it was the illness that made her feel so vulnerable. She had already told herself repeatedly that the man was cold and unfeeling, but somehow her body still couldn't accept it. She couldn't control the tears running down her face. She chose Luke as her husband, but all she could do was staying silent. If she married any other man, she could probably have him at her beck and call. But Luke--Luke didn't love her, she believed.

Michelle knew it was helpless, but she couldn't persuade her heart to understand and accept it. To her, he was home--a harbor where her drifting heart could dock securely.

Late in the night, Michelle's temperature went up into a high fever. Her whole body was burning, and she felt weak and hazy as the drowsiness took over. She didn't seem to be fully there, and the sensations smothered her.

She carelessly reached out to turn on the bedside lamp so she could get up and look for something to take that could help. Her stubbornness kept her from going to Luke for assistance, but she was too weak. When she tried to sit up, she fell back down, and she hit her head on the bedside a little too hard.

"It's really late. Why are you still up?" The voice surprised her, but in a comforting manner. Luke appeared quietly at the door and switched on the light. He was on his way downstairs for water when he heard her rustling about. He walked in on instinct, thinking that something might be wrong with her, only to replace her rubbing her head and grimacing in pain.

"Sorry. Did I disturb you?" Michelle looked unusually ruddy, her voice hoarse.

Her voice and pale skin concerned the man. "Are you alright? You sound strange." He frowned. He thought it would be best to leave her alone to rest, but before he knew it, he was walking towards her.

"Yeah, I'm good. Maybe it's because I went to bed a little too early tonight." Her eyes were trained down, and she couldn't bring herself to look up at him.

He almost smirked. "I'm not stupid. Do you really think you can use going to bed too early as an excuse?" Without hesitating, he put his hand to her head, and knitted his brows when he felt how hot her skin was. "You have a high fever." He frowned. 'Women truly are troublesome,' he thought.

"It's just a little cold. Some antipyretics will do." She coughed, and Luke's hand on her forehead was doing nothing to bring down her temperature.

"When did you get sick? Why didn't you tell me about it?" If he hadn't gone downstairs for water, she would've struggled with a fever all night without him knowing.

She sighed in defeat. "I didn't think it was a big deal earlier, so I didn't think I needed to say anything. I didn't expect I'd get a fever." It was not that she didn't want to tell him, really, but she was afraid that he would be indifferent if she did. She didn't want to face that icy rejection.

"Lie down. I'll replace you some antipyretics. You're a real pain in the ass," he stated as a matter of fact. He went out to look for some medicine. He was seldom ill, but there had to be some ready at home.

Michelle bit her lip and lay back on the bed obediently. Luke's impatience hurt her, and she didn't mean to bother him at first. She didn't mean to bump her head and make a sudden noise.

Before long, Luke came back with a cup of water and some antipyretics.

"Take the antipyretics. If it can't reduce your fever, I'll take you to the hospital." Luke put the antipyretics in Michelle's hand and passed the water over after she sat up.

His tone was commanding, and Michelle didn't dare to disobey. She smiled apologetically and muttered a soft "thank you."

He merely nodded in response. "Go to sleep. I'll stay here and take care of you." Michelle felt a different kind of warmth run through her. It was the first time Luke had ever stayed in the master bedroom of his own volition. She knew though, of course, that it was because she was ill.

"I can take care of myself." She wanted him to stay, but she couldn't quite let the words slip through her mouth.

"I don't want the others to say that I'm ruthless," he simply said. He was a man of few words. Apart from Edward, he barely talked to anyone else. Michelle was another exception, as it turned out, but he hadn't realized it just yet.

A thought suddenly struck Michelle. Luke didn't stay for her, not because he cared about her. He stayed only for what other people would think, and it made her heart ache.

She didn't know Luke, though, not really. If she did, she would know that he said it only for the sake of it, and not because he meant it as the truth. He was not one to care much about etiquette, or others' gossip. His ears were closed to such things. As a matter of fact, it was Luke who was more upset at the time, because he didn't even truly know why he was so driven to stay. After Michelle closed her eyes, he had finally made a conclusion for himself. It was because he was afraid he'd be implicated if the high fever didn't break and caused her brain damage, so he had to feel bad. That was all.

Luckily, after that whole episode, Michelle's immune system came through. The medicine worked well while she slept, and Luke didn't need to do much more about it.

He left before she woke up. When Michelle opened her eyes, she was a little disappointed to be greeted only by Maria.

"Mrs. Luo, you're finally awake. How do you feel? Any better?" The lady walked up to the bed hastily as soon as she saw Michelle opening her eyes.

"Yeah." She nodded at nothing in particular. "Much better." Her eyes scanned the room, and she couldn't help but laugh at herself. Going over the events of last night, it would seem she thought much too highly of herself. Luke had said he would take care of her, and she took those words and made them heavy in her heart. 'Foolish,' she thought.

"Would you like some congee?" Maria interrupted her thoughts. "Mr. Luo asked me to cook some before he left. He said you might want something hot after you wake up." Maria's tone was concerned, but Michelle looked at her, puzzled.

"What did you say? Luke was here last night?" Maria's words sparked some hope in Michelle. She looked at her with her eyes aflame.

"Yes, he looked tired, like he didn't get a wink of sleep." Maria was pleased to see the strain easing between the two. She wanted to see their relationship grow well. Maybe they would even have a baby soon, she thought. The night was promising.

"Did he say where he was going?" Michelle felt something skipping happily inside her. He was true to his word, it would seem. He stayed by her side last night, so that must have meant progress, right? He was beginning to accept her as his wife, she thought eagerly. "I'm afraid not. But at this hour, he's usually off to work with Mr. Mu." Maria found the question odd. How could she know about Luke's whereabouts?

"Okay." Michelle smiled. "I see. Thank you, Maria. You can go about your day. I'll go downstairs and eat the congee in a bit." She had no appetite, but it was Luke who had Maria cook congee for her. She put her hands on her cheeks when she felt herself smiling. To show she was grateful, she had to go try some.