Everything was a deal until divorce novel Chapter 271

Chapter 271 She Stayed All Night

Finished

“Celine, it’s late. Go get some rest. He’s not letting go of me anytime soon. Come take over in the morning.”

“Okay. Thanks for staying, Arden.”

“No worries. I owe him.”

Celine headed off to bed. Arden stayed behind.

He was burning up, murmuring nonsense in his sleep. Arden stayed by his side, wiping his face with a damp towel and checking on him every so often, hoping the meds would finally kick in.

Luckily, by the second half of the night, maybe the meds had kicked in–his fever finally came down a bit. No more muttering, his breathing evened out. Looked like he was finally in deep sleep.

Arden looked out the window at the flurries drifting down. She yawned, pulled the blanket up to his neck, then sat back, watching his face for a while.

He still had her hand in his. She tried to pull away.

He gripped tighter. She gave up with a quiet sigh.

The sting on her lip flared up again. She rubbed it gently and shot Dorian a glare, then helped him sip

some water.

She was so tired, she dozed off at the bedside.

By 7 a.m., soft winter light began to spill into the room.

Dorian’s lashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. His head was still spinning. But the air smelled faintly like something cool and familiar–her.

He turned slightly and saw Arden’s profile resting on her arms at the edge of the bed. She was curled up, face pale and small, long lashes casting shadows under her eyes, the tip of her nose pink from the cold, fast asleep.

His gaze shifted to his hand–still clutching hers. He had no idea how long he’d been holding on.

The image of her watching over him was so unreal, for a second he thought he was still dreaming.

He rubbed his eyes hard, shut them, then opened again. She was still there. Her hair was spread across his sheets, brushing his arm.

Dorian’s eyes darkened. His throat bobbed as he whispered, “Arden.”

She’d only fallen asleep around 3 a.m., too exhausted to stir. Dorian shifted to look at her, voice softer, “You stayed with me all night, didn’t you?”

He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her skin was warm beneath his fingertips.

“Sleep,” he murmured.

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Chapter 271 She Stayed All Night

Finished

He remembered barely making it back before passing out. She looked peaceful. He didn’t want to wake

her.

He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. Even the pain in his body faded away.

Outside, the snow had stopped. For once, the sun was out, pouring gold through the window.

Lying on his side, Dorian stared at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. “So you still care about me, huh, Arden?”

Kade came in sometime later.

He opened the door and saw Dorian awake. His face lit up.

He opened his mouth to speak–only for Dorian to lift a finger to his lips, silencing him.

Kade froze in the doorway.

He looked at Arden, slumped at the bedside, and understood–Dorian didn’t want her disturbed.

He quietly backed out.

In the living room, Lucien and Colton were there. Seeing Kade return so quickly, Colton asked, “Kade, how’s he doing? Is the fever down?”

He started heading toward the room.

“Stay right there,” Kade said, holding him back. “He’s awake. Looks good. Miss Wynn’s sleeping next to him. He doesn’t want us going in and waking her.”

“What? He’s up?” Colton grinned. “That’s great news! Right, we better not interrupt. I’m not about to be a third wheel.”

He scratched his head. “Alright, I’ll go grab breakfast. You guys want anything?”

Martha had arrived too–Dorian had asked her to come make oatmeal for Arden.

She was surprised by the number of people at the villa. Lucien explained everything, and she quickly got to work in the kitchen.

Seeing that Dorian was awake, Lucien told Kade, Colton, and Boey, “You guys were up all night. Go get some sleep. I’ll take over.”

Felix, hearing the fever had broken, finally relaxed too. Arden didn’t wake until 9.

When she opened her eyes, Dorian was staring right at her.

She yawned, tears at the corners of her eyes, and mumbled, “You’re awake?”

“Yeah.”

She stretched instinctively–only to realize her hand was still in his. She looked at him. “You’re awake. Let

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