Page 80 of Enemies, Lovers & A Valentine's Baby

“Are you okay?” I ask as soon as she comes back into the living room. Her hair is sticking to her now sweaty forehead, and her radiant skin from a few minutes ago now looks pale.

“Yeah, it’s just something I ate,” she waves it off dismissively.

“Are you sure?” I can’t help my concern.

“I’m sure, Cole. Don’t worry about it.”

She seems to be struggling to breathe, and my concern grows. “Maybe you should go get checked out by a doctor. You don’t look so—”

“I’ve already been checked out. Don’t worry about it,” she mutters. “Now, back to why you’re here…”

“You mean back to why you’ve been ignoring me.” I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

“I haven’t been ignoring you. I’ve just been a bit busy with—”

“Too busy to take or return a single phone call in over three weeks? Right after we had the most amazing sex? Come on, Lila, just tell me the truth.” She averts her gaze, not wanting to look me in the eye.

“I am. I just haven’t had the time to—”

“What about the ball? I have no idea what’s happened these past few weeks. We’re supposed to be working on this together as a team.”

“And we did. You’ve been a huge help, and I know our event is going to be a big success because of it. It’s just, we’ve already finalized all of the major things. I figured I could save you the hassle of dealing with the minor details. That way you’re free to focus on all the other important things you need to run in your businesses.” She shrugs, still unable to meet my gaze.

“It’s not your place to decide that. I never complained to you that—”

Suddenly, her hand flies to her mouth again. She rushes for the toilet again, the same retching sounds filling the room a moment later. Unease settles low in the pit of my stomach.

What if she is really sick and just doesn’t want me to know? Fear like I’ve never felt before grips my heart.

“That doesn’t sound like just a stomach flu, Lila. You’re even paler than before,” I say as soon as she comes back out, taking small steps until she’s standing in front of me again shivering.

“I promise, I’m okay.”

I walk closer. “Lila, I can see that you’re definitely not okay,” I say, placing a hand on her forehead. “God, you’re so clammy,” I whisper, panic instantly shooting through me. She feels hot and sweaty, yet she’s shivering as if freezing.

“No, we need to get you checked out by a doctor right now.”

“Cole—”

“This is not up for debate, Lila,” I say through gritted teeth, struggling not to let my frustration ring through my tone. Why is she arguing when she clearly needs this?

She opens her mouth, no doubt to argue, but instead rushes straight back to the toilet to throw up some more.

“Okay, that’s it, Lila. Go get dressed. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“I told you, Cole, I’ve already seen a doctor. Don’t worry, I’m fine. He already told me what’s causing this, so I’m—”

“If you say you’re okay one more time…”

“But I am.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong with you.”

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“I’m not leaving here until you tell me what’s wrong with you. No one who’s okay throws up three times in just a few minutes. You look so pale I’m worried you might pass out, and you expect me to just leave you like this? Not going to happen.” I stand firm. “You’re either going to tell me what’s going on, or I’m literally throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to the hospital.” My tone leaves no room for argument.

“It’s not something I can explain. Please,” she begs.

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