Two Villains

Ch. 45- Serendipity (Part 1)

I wanted to wear red for the date night, but I had no idea what shade of red to choose.

My butlers had already unpacked my clothes when I arrived at the Volkner manor, but I had no intention of wearing the half-million-dollar dress Rhys had gifted me. I didn't have any red sarees either. However, my wardrobe revealed a chiffon silk saree adorned with red roses on a pink background. I had bought it during medical school and only worn it twice.

So, I took out that saree from my new, lavish closet and put it on. I knew Rhys had never seen me in one, and the thought of him being flabbergasted at my sight made me giggle with joy.

But Rhys was running late. He was supposed to be back by 8 o'clock.

As time ticked away, I eagerly waited for him in my bedroom suite. When he didn't show up, I called his phone, but it was switched off.

All the alarms in my brain turned on immediately. I hurriedly called Marco, and thank God he answered.

"Kay?"

"Marco, where is Rhys?"

"We're coming, why are you panicking?"

"His phone was switched off."

"Oh... no, it wasn't. We just landed in London." As Marco replied, I could hear someone coughing sharply in the background.

"Who's coughing?" I asked.

"Rhys," Marco said, but before he could finish his sentence, I heard the sound of someone retching.

"Shit, Kay! Rhys is throwing up again. Let me call you later. John?" Marco cut off the line without further explanation.

I sat on my bed, confused and angry. I couldn't remember when Rhys and I had a proper dinner date without mishaps or misunderstandings. It seemed like nature had different plans for us.

I had no idea how long I had been sitting there when the screech of tires outside my bedroom snapped me back to reality. I saw Rhys stepping out of his Mercedes G-Class with Marco, looking irritated.

Worried, I rushed to the ground floor to see what had happened. Rhys took erratic steps inside the house, his beautiful hair messy and his eyes bloodshot red. He didn't see me coming downstairs as he walked straight to one of the sofas and lay down in a fetal position. Marco followed him to the sofa.

My medical instincts kicked in. I rushed to Rhys and put my palm on his forehead. His skin was burning hot.

"When did this happen?" I asked Marco, but before he could answer, Rhys sat up and vomited all over me.

"I-I am so sorry..." he mumbled, shivering with fever.

"It's okay," I tried to console him, but Marco gently pulled me away. The in-house medical staff had already arrived and started measuring his vitals and fever.

"Kay, go get changed. They can handle it," Marco suggested, and I obliged. But when I saw myself in the mirror again, I changed my mind and decided not to change my dress at all. 

When I came back, Rhys was no longer in the living room. They had taken him to his bedroom on the third floor. He was lying down on the bed, groaning in fever and shivering under a very thick duvet. The medical staff was waiting for me. Rhys's vitals were stable, but his pulse was very high, and he had a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

I removed the duvet. Rhys sat up and begged me to return it.

Then I ordered the nurses to almost strip him down and sponge him with cold water.