The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 331 Getting Sick

"What's the matter? Why do you look so weird and mysterious?" Autumn asked with a faint smile. Because of Isla's hesitant look, she could feel in her gut that something was wrong. She didn't show it though,

trying to cover her anxiety with a smile.

In fact, she was so nervous that she had clenched her fists.

"Autumn, I will only tell you what I know. But... it will be up to you to decide whether it is the truth or not." Isla replied with a stern look.

She actually believed Charles. But this matter was so fishy that she thought Autumn should know about it.

Autumn's heartbeat grew stronger. "Oh, Just say it. I'm fine," she said soberly, taking a deep breath.

Isla looked at Autumn with concern. 'Autumn is just acting tough. She must be very restless inside and this must be killing her but she has to know,' she decided.

"Do you remember when I mentioned to you that Aron was in Europe as well? He ran into Charles there," she said, taking Autumn's hand.

"Did he?" Autumn replied between gritted teeth. "And what was Charles doing when Aron saw him?"

"He..." Isla stammered, not knowing how to say it. "He was in a jewelry shop with Leila and kept asking for Leila's advice. If Aron didn't know that Charles was married to you, he would have mistaken them for a couple. He bought a necklace there and then they left," she said bluntly after some hesitation. Those were some of the most difficult words she ever had to say to someone.

Autumn's face turned deathly pale. "I... I see," she uttered, looking at Isla and forced a smile on her face.

"Autumn, are you all right?" Isla asked anxiously, noticing Autumn's face slide helplessly into hopeless sorrow. "I didn't want it to come from me, but I thought that you should know about it. Autumn, don't think too much. Perhaps he was picking up a gift for you. And cheer up. Maybe we can go out shopping. You shouldn't sulk here by yourself," she continued, holding onto Autumn's hand.

"I know," replied Autumn who was now feeling numb all over. Isla regretted telling Autumn the news seeing what it had done to her.

She knew Autumn well. 'If she comforts herself by crying or screaming out and losing her temper, I'm sure that she will feel better soon. She just needs to let off some of that steam. But now she... I'm really worried about her.

She looks so calm as if nothing had happened. A little too calm, ' Isla thought, frowning.

"Autumn, I..." Isla tried to reassure her. "Isla, I'm a little tired and want to have some sleep. Please close the door when you leave, will you?" Autumn didn't let Isla say more, signaling her to leave.

"But Autumn..." Isla continued with much hesitation and concern. She wanted to stay with Autumn. It wasn't good to leave Autumn alone right now. But, Autumn already closed her eyes and shut the world out, having no intention of listening to Isla or anyone. "Well, okay, then get some sleep. Just call me if you need me, " Isla conceded.

Autumn made no response, so Isla left the room and closed the door gently. On her way out, she ran into Chris who had just come home. Isla grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to a corner. "Chris, Autumn is in a really bad mood now. Please keep her company if you're free. I'm worried about her. She might do something weird, so check on her once in a while, okay?" she said to Chris in a low voice. "What's the matter with Autumn?" Chris asked, confused but curious. "What is it?"

Isla didn't want to tell anybody else yet. "Just check on her later and don't tell your grandfather about this. He might worry unnecessarily," she instructed.

Isla then left Dream Garden.

Chris planned to go upstairs to see Autumn, but stopped when she recalled that Isla told her to check on Autumn later. Dinner time came but Autumn didn't show up. So Chris went to her door to check on her. "Autumn, it's time for dinner," she called, knocking at Autumn's door.

She stood outside for a while and knocked a few more times, but no one answered. She felt uneasy. 'Is she alright?'

Chris slowly pushed the door open, not knowing what to expect. The room was so dark that she couldn't see anything. She found the light switch and turned it on. There curled up in a corner of the bed was Autumn, with eyes closed and tears dried on her cheeks. She had cried herself to asleep.

She huddled in a heap as if she was having a nightmare. Chris walked up to her and called her name, but Autumn didn't respond. Autumn did not hear anything. Not until now did she realize that something was wrong with Autumn.

"No, no..." Autumn murmured in her sleep. No matter how hard Chris tried, Autumn didn't wake up. "Stay with me.... Please... Don't leave me..." Suddenly, Autumn jumped into a sitting position and shrieked, eyes still closed. Then she fell back into bed as if nothing happened.

Chris, who witnessed the whole thing, froze where she was sitting and also let out a loud gasp. Autumn's scream scared her out of her wits. She thought Autumn was possessed. When she realized what happened, she touched Autumn's forehead. It was burning hot. She started freaking out as she called the servants to come quickly and take Autumn to the hospital.

At the emergency room, the doctor told Chris that rushing Autumn to the hospital was a wise decision. She would have been in grave danger had she been brought here one minute later.

'It has only been two days since Charles left, but Autumn already has a fever like this. I obviously didn't take good care of Autumn during his absence. I failed him.' Chris blamed herself, lowering her head. "Chris, stop punishing yourself." Gary appeared out of nowhere and comforted her. Composed as he looked, he was also worried inside.

'Autumn is our family. We don't want to see anything happen to her, ' he thought.

"Grandpa, do you think that Autumn will get through this?" Chris asked nervously.

"Don't worry. God will favor the better person. She will be fine. It's just a fever." Gary reassured her.

Gary said that to pacify not only Chris but also himself. Then he kept praying for Autumn.

Chris was so anxious that she could hardly control herself from welling up. She wanted to call some people but she didn't know who. The only one she thought of was Sam, so she gave him a call. Soon Sam arrived at the hospital.

"How is she?" Sam asked Chris.

Chris glanced at Autumn who was lying on the bed, trembling with pale skin. "It's my fault. If I should have known earlier, then she wouldn't have suffered so much," Chris said, looking inconsolable.

"You silly little fool, it's not your fault," Sam comforted her, stroking her shoulder. "Stay here and watch over her. The saline drip is running out. Don't forget to ask the nurse to replace it with a new one. I will talk to the doctor and ask about her condition."

"Okay, I will." Chris nodded. Chris didn't know what to do. 'Thank goodness Sam is here.' she thought, feeling relieved.

Sam found the doctor in the corridor. He reassured Sam that there was nothing to worry about. Autumn would be fine when the fever dissipated. Besides, the doctor added that her illness was caused by excessive fatigue, getting a cold and possibly, some mental and emotional stress. Sam was relieved. Nothing serious then.

The doctor cast Sam a reproachful glance, and said, "As her husband, you ought to pay more attention to her. You need to figure out what she has been thinking about recently and if there is anything bothering her. You must learn to resolve whatever issues you have with each other. Only in this way can she fully recover."

Although he was mistaken by the doctor as Autumn's husband, he didn't correct him. He just replied apologetically. "Well, I see. You are right doctor. It won't happen again."