Chapter 4

As the days blurred together, I grew accustomed to the occasional awkward moment. Since I couldn't see anything anyway, the embarrassment usually faded quickly.

Until one night, when the invisible boundary between us suddenly shifted into something intensely intimate.

A violent thunderstorm swept through the city, dragging an unseasonable cold snap behind it. The drop in temperature was so sudden that neither of us was prepared.

Listening to the howling wind and the torrential rain lashing against the windowpanes, I shivered under my thick duvet. A pang of worry struck me as I remembered Clara out in the living room, sleeping on the couch with only a thin summer throw blanket.

Unable to shake the thought, I slid out of bed and felt my way down the hallway.

Reaching the living room, I called out softly, "Clara?"

No answer.

I raised my voice slightly. "Clara? Are you awake?"

A faint, trembling whisper finally drifted from the couch. "L-Leo? What's wrong? Are you thirsty? I'll... I'll get you some water..."

Her voice was frail and shaking violently. I heard her struggle to sit up, her unsteady footsteps nearing me. When her hand reached out with a cup, her fingers brushed against mine—and I froze.

Her skin was burning hot.

I dropped the cup onto the counter and grabbed her trembling arm.

"Clara! What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Instinctively, my hand reached up to touch her forehead and cheek. She was radiating heat like a furnace.

"You're burning up! You have a high fever. Come on, there's medication in the cabinet—"

"I... I already took some aspirin," she mumbled weakly, her breath hot against my collar. "I just... feel really dizzy..."

The moment the words left her mouth, her legs gave out completely.

Panic surged through me. I caught her just before she hit the floor, pulling her limp, shivering body tightly against my chest.

My heart pounded like a war drum. What was I supposed to do?

I was blind. I couldn't drive her to an urgent care clinic, and in my panic, I couldn't even navigate a smartphone screen to dial 911.

Desperate, I scooped her up into my arms as best I could and carefully navigated the hallway by memory, carrying her into the bedroom and laying her gently onto my bed.

Clara had slipped into a semi-conscious delirium. She curled into a tight ball, trembling violently from chills, her teeth chattering as she whimpered into the pillows.

"Cold... so cold..."

I stood by the bedside, completely helpless.

Desperation finally shattered my reservations. Leaning down toward her, not even knowing if she could hear me, I whispered, "Clara... I'm so sorry. I'm not trying to take advantage of you, I swear. Your body temperature is dropping too fast. The only thing I can do is use my body heat to warm you up... If that's okay, just... squeeze my hand or make a sound."

My mind was a complete blank. Beneath the overwhelming concern for her well-being, an unbidden, electrifying spark of anticipation flared deep inside me—a realization that terrified me with guilt.

The storm raged outside. After several agonizing seconds, a barely audible whimper slipped from her lips: "...Mmh."

Whether it was a hallucination or an actual response, I didn't care anymore. I quickly stripped off my outer layer, my own hands shaking uncontrollably, and slid under the heavy covers.

The moment I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her shivering frame against my chest, the air was knocked completely out of my lungs.

Even though she had lived a modest life in a small town, a natural, intoxicating floral scent bloomed from her skin, filling my senses entirely.

My thoughts went entirely blank.

Within minutes of pulling her close, her violent shivers began to subside.

She felt incredibly soft and delicate against me. It was the first time in my entire life I had ever held a woman this closely.

And the fact that she was my cousin's widow made forbidden, chaotic thoughts race uncontrollably through my head.

I silently cursed myself, berating my lack of control, yet my racing heart refused to obey.

Throughout the long, stormy night, with no way to tell day from night, I drifted in and out of a shallow sleep dozens of times. Each time I woke, I checked her forehead; thankfully, her fever had finally broken, leaving her skin cool and peaceful.

"Leo? Are you awake?"

A soft, drowsy voice broke through my half-asleep state.

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

The next second, my entire body turned to stone.

Above me was a crisp white ceiling and a familiar glass pendant light.

I could see.

My vision was back.

A surge of wild, ecstatic joy roared through my veins. I whipped my head to the side, desperate to share the miraculous news with Clara.

But the instant my eyes landed on her, the words died in my throat.