Chapter 1364:

“Then Deandre can take the couch instead — it’s soft enough!” Evelina pressed on. “Please, Mommy? He really isn’t well. Look, his face is still so flushed.”

Melany glanced toward the living room. Through the doorway, she could see Deandre leaning back against the sofa, wrapped in Evelina’s blanket. His complexion was pale, a feverish flush still lingering across his face, damp hair clinging slightly to his forehead. His eyes were fixed on the television, where one of Evelina’s favorite children’s cartoons was playing — yet his expression was so intent he might have been watching a breaking news broadcast.

“Evelina,” Melany said, crouching down to meet her daughter’s gaze, “I will handle this. Go and have your bath first, alright?”

Evelina hesitated, her eyes moving between her mother and the living room. After a brief pause, she gave a reluctant nod. “But Mommy… you won’t make Deandre leave, will you?”

Melany gave no response. She stood, turned back to the dishes, and continued washing without a word.

By the time Evelina emerged from her bath, Deandre had already taken his second round of medicine. He lay back on the couch with his eyes closed, his breathing steadier than it had been when he first arrived. Evelina padded quietly over to him, carefully drew the blanket higher over his shoulders, then rose onto her toes and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.

“Get well soon, Deandre,” she murmured.

𝘊𝗵𝗶𝘯e𝘴𝖾 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗅𝘀 t𝘳𝘢𝗇𝘀𝘭𝘢𝘵е𝘥 𝘰n 𝘨𝘢𝘭n𝗼𝘃𝖾𝗹s.𝗰om

Then she hurried to her room, climbed into her small bed, hugged her stuffed rabbit, and was asleep within minutes.

When Melany came out of the bathroom, the living room lights had been dimmed. A single standing lamp beside the sofa cast a soft glow across Deandre’s face, sharpening the lines of his features. He lay still, breathing deeply, with a faint crease between his brows as though troubled by some dream.

Melany looked at him for a moment, then went back to her room to fetch a spare blanket to lay over him. She moved quietly, but as her fingers grazed his shoulder, he shifted suddenly.

“Melany,” he murmured, eyes still closed, his voice low and indistinct.

Her hand froze in midair.

He wasn’t awake — only restless, his brow still drawn tight. She stayed beside him for a brief moment, then switched off the standing lamp and returned to her room.

That night, Deandre slept reasonably well.

The next morning, Melany brought out breakfast and took his temperature, finding that the fever had come down. “Finish your meal and go after,” she said evenly. “I have to take Evelina to kindergarten.”

Deandre washed up quickly, looking noticeably better than the night before. He took a seat at the table and ate the simple breakfast — sandwiches and coffee — before saying, “I’ll drive you.”

“No need,” Melany replied.

Letting him stay the night had already stretched her tolerance to its limit. Deandre understood this, and he knew that pushing any further would only make things worse. He didn’t press the point.

After breakfast, Melany walked Evelina to school.

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