FreeNovel"Don't call out to me!" Hertha snapped back furiously, not even bothering to look back as she stormed off to her front door. She swung it open, stepped inside, and slammed it shut with such force that Alaric was momentarily stunned.
The already aching heart of Alaric tightened even more at Hertha's cold demeanor towards him.
Dragging his feet, Alaric made his way back home, feeling as if he had lost all his pillars of support, his body weak and limp.
That night, he lay in bed shivering uncontrollably, wrapping himself tightly in his blanket, but still couldn't shake off the cold.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIt was a torturous night, and by the next day, he found himself unable to get out of bed.
Throughout the day, his phone by the bedside rang multiple times, but Alaric, wrapped up in his blanket like a burrito, had no energy to answer, shivering from the cold.
In the late afternoon, around five, the door to Alaric's place swung open, and Ethan stepped inside, calling out tentatively, "Alaric, Alaric..." No response.
Thinking the house was empty, Ethan took out his phone to call again.
The call connected, and the ringing echoed through the room. Following the sound, Ethan walked into the bedroom and saw the phone buzzing on the nightstand, with Alaric wrapped in his blanket, cocooned like a caterpillar.
Who else could it be but Alaric? Ethan ended the call and quickly walked over, bending down with concern. "Alaric, what's going on?" he asked. Alaric didn't open his eyes or respond.
Suddenly it dawned on Ethan. He had been calling all morning, the phone was working, the ringtone loud. Alaric had no reason not to hear it.
Yet, he wasn't answering! "Oh no!" Ethan gasped, reaching out to check if Alaric was still breathing. "Don't tellhe's..." Just as Ethan was about to feel for Alaric's breath, Alaric suddenly opened his eyes and said emotionlessly, "Get lost, you elthe one that's gone!" Ethan quickly withdrew his hand, laughing. "Good, you're still with us. But seriously, what's up? You're not at work, hot calling in sick. Your boss here personally calls you, and you don't pick up. What, are you staging a rebellion?" Ethan was joking around.
Alaric responded, "Does the Crawley Group always exploit its workers like this? Can't a guy call in sick without skipping work?" "What, you're sick?" Ethan immediately dropped the humorous act, reaching out to touch Alaric's forehead. "Whoa, you're burning up! You've really got a fever?" Ethan exclaimed in shock.
"No kidding, do people fake being sick?" Alaric shot back, visibly annoyed.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Have you been in bed since yesterday? Haven't eaten all day?" Ethan was astonished.
"How could I? I haven't left this spot," Alaric replied weakly, managing a listless roll of his eyes.
"Oh, we can't have that. If you starved, someone w ne would be om wound heartbroken, "Ethan couldn't help but crack another joke. He had always been like this, irreverent from the start.
That remark hit a nerve with Alaric. Just as his mood was beginning to improve it plummeted back down to a gloomy state, and he fell silent. Seeing Alarie's eyelashes flutter down, his eyes a storm of sadness, Ethan uncharacteristically asked, "What's wrong? You and Hertha had a fight?"
"It's not that. She doesn't wantanymore. It's over between us, Alaric said, sounding utterly forlorn. X
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