Chapter 539

Images of Luke standing by the door, his eyes hazy from the fever, drifted through my mind. He seemed less aloof, more vulnerable, and his lack of common sense in situations like this made me uneasy about leaving him alone. I stroked Doggo’s soft fur, the sensation easing some of my anxiety.

After setting Doggo down, I went to the guest room, washed up, and lay in bed. Luke’s fever hadn’t fully broken, so I set an alarm to check his temperature in an hour.

When the alarm rang, I hesitated briefly outside his door, hand raised to knock. Instead, I quietly twisted the handle—the door wasn’t locked.

The soft click of the door made Luke jolt awake. His eyes were sharp at first, but relaxed when he saw me. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“I’m here to check your temperature.”

I had been as quiet as possible, yet even while feverish, he was so alert. Later, I would learn this hyper-awareness stemmed from his childhood trauma.

“Thanks,” he said, his voice low.

I held the thermometer to his for