Even though Seth had always known his place in Noreen's heart was lightyears behind Claire's, actually hearing her take her friend's side still stung with a frustrating sense of grievance. "I'm just worried about you. I can't think straight when it comes to your health."
Hearing the slight hurt in his voice, Noreen's resolve crumbled instantly. "I didn't mean it like that..."
Claire stood on the sidelines, taking in the entire display with absolute crystal clarity. She ground her teeth together, hating Seth with a fiery passion.
This despicable bastard! Where the hell did he learn to act so pitifully manipulative?!
He was playing the victim flawlessly!
Still, prioritizing Noreen's health over her own pride, Claire resigned herself to washing her hands and aggressively spraying herself with disinfectant.
The moment she was finished, she marched right back into the living room to reclaim her territory. "Alright, I'm clean. You can get the hell out now!"
Seth calmly cleaned up the remaining Durian from the table, his tone perfectly flat, yet laced with biting sarcasm. "Did you take a spaceship here? You made excellent time."
"That's because I was in Creston City!"
Creston City was barely an hour's drive from Rivercrest City.
No wonder she had arrived so quickly.
Seth had fully anticipated that Claire's arrival would result in his immediate eviction.
He just hadn't expected her to show up so soon.
He was deeply frustrated, but he had no choice but to accept his fate.
"Let me check your temperature one last time. If the fever is gone, I'll leave."
He grabbed the ear thermometer and carefully checked Noreen's temperature.
As the pad of his finger brushed against the shell of her ear, the heat that had just faded from her cheeks violently flared up all over again.
Ninety-nine point one.
She was perfectly fine.
The heavy anxiety gripping Seth's chest finally dissipated. He asked her softly, "What about your head? Does it still hurt?"
Noreen shook her head. "Much better."
"Your stomach?"
"Doesn't hurt either."
Part of him selfishly wished she would recover just a little slower, just so he could have an excuse to stay and dote on her.
But the rational part of him desperately wanted her to heal as fast as humanly possible.
He couldn't stand the thought of her suffering for a single second longer.
He packed up the medical kit, grabbed his coat draped over the dining chair, and looked back at Noreen. "I'm leaving."
Noreen gave a soft "Mhm" without meeting his eyes.



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