Chapter 5 - A Fever in the Night
The fragile peace we had built was shattered not by bullets, but by a sudden, terrifying fever.
It started on a Tuesday evening when Lily refused to eat her dinner, her small cheeks flushed an unnatural shade of crimson.
By midnight, she was burning up, thrashing in the massive king-sized bed and crying out in her sleep.
I placed cool washcloths on her forehead, panic rising in my chest as her temperature continued to climb.
I couldn't take her to a hospital.
We were targets, and leaving the manor meant walking straight into a death trap.
Desperate and terrified, I ran down the hallway in my bare feet and hammered my fists against Silas's bedroom door.
He opened it instantly, holding a gun in his hand, his eyes wild and scanning for a threat.
"It's Lily," I sobbed, collapsing against the doorframe.
"She's burning up, and she won't wake up."
Silas didn't hesitate.
He dropped the gun, pushed past me, and sprinted down the hall into our suite.
He placed his large hand against Lily's burning forehead, his jaw clenching tightly.
"Victor!" Silas roared, his voice echoing violently through the silent house.
Within seconds, Victor appeared in the doorway, looking annoyed at being woken up.
"Call Doc Higgins," Silas ordered, his tone leaving zero room for argument.
"Tell him if he isn't here in ten minutes, I'll burn his clinic to the ground."
Victor’s eyes widened, and he immediately scrambled for his phone.
Silas turned his attention back to Lily, picking her small, limp body up and carrying her into the bathroom.
He turned on the shower, letting the cool water run over his expensive clothes and Lily's pajamas, trying to bring her temperature down manually.
I stood in the doorway, weeping silently as I watched the ruthless syndicate boss cradle my child like she was his own flesh and blood.
The underground doctor arrived exactly nine minutes later, carrying a worn leather bag.
He diagnosed it as a severe bacterial infection, administering a heavy dose of antibiotics through a tiny IV line in Lily's arm.
Silas didn't leave the room for the rest of the night.
He sat in the velvet chair beside the bed, watching Lily breathe, completely ignoring the fact that his clothes were soaked through.
As dawn broke, Lily's fever finally broke with it.
She opened her eyes, looked at the terrifying man sitting beside her, and smiled weakly.
"You stayed," she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Silas reached out, gently squeezing her small hand.
"I will always stay," he promised her.
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I realized then that Silas Vance hadn't just claimed me as his own.
He had claimed us both, and God help anyone who tried to take us away.
