The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet (Thalassa and Elowen) novel Chapter 1881

Watching Alaric in this state, Ethan's heart skipped a beat. He had never seen Alaric so lifeless before. The Alaric who used to be the life of the party, always with a quick joke and a faster smile, never letting emotions get the better of him, had now succumbed to love's cruel blow. How quickly fortunes change, Ethan thought to himself with a sigh, as he left Alaric's place.

He glanced towards Hertha's house on his way out, noting the firmly shut door, wondering if anyone was inside. On one hand, Alaric was barely hanging on, while on the other, Hertha was probably having the time of her life with the kids, Ethan mused. He had thought about reaching out to Hertha, but remembering the sorrowful look in Alaric's eyes when he asked him not to, Ethan decided against it. He didn't want to be the reason Alaric ended up losing even the chance to see his kids.

Alaric had been over the moon when he found out about his kids with Hertha, sharing the news with Ethan at the first opportunity and making him swear to keep it a secret from the Falconer family. Despite his love for teasing Alaric, Ethan knew the gravity of the situation well enough to keep his word. Seeing Alaric's condition was enough to understand how important those kids were to him.

After one last look at Hertha's house, Ethan turned to leave, but he wasn't ready to give up on helping Alaric just yet. After all, what kind of best friend would he be if he just stood by and watched Alaric suffer without doing anything?

He decided to call Thalassa, Hertha's best friend. If he shared how sick Alaric was with Thalassa, the news would surely reach Hertha, right? Soon Thalassa picked up, and Ethan didn't hold back on describing Alaric's dire state.

"Thalassa, you wouldn't believe how bad it is. I just left Alaric's, and he's really sick. Running a fever of 104, hasn't eaten or drunk anything for days. He's all skin and bones; looks like he's about to kick the bucket."