True Fated Marriage (Grace and Heinz)
Chapter 1557

Leah smiled dryly when she came back to her senses. She thought it had been all just a dream as opposed to reality.

After those words, she regained her composure once more and gave it some serious thought. Only then did she snap back to the real world.

"I blanked out." Leah smiled in embarrassment. Then, she asked, "When did I finish the drip? I have no idea."

"Colds make you drowsy," said Ernest. "You only just finished it. You didn't even wake up when they removed it. It seems like you're really ill."

"Thanks for taking care of me." Leah smiled again.

"Don't mention it. Come, we should go home. You can't sleep here, or your cold might worsen," instructed Ernest.

Leah nodded and stood up. As she had been sitting down for a long time, and she was ill, she lost her balance. When she got up, all she could see was a blur. She nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Ernest was agile and quickly reached out to catch Leah. "Be careful."

Leah was still in shock. "Thank you."

While propping her up, Ernest gazed at Leah's face, which was flushed in embarrassment. He said, "I'll support you as you walk. Don't fall again."

"No, I'm not that weak." Leah felt a little self-conscious.

"Stop putting up an act. Look at you. You don't have any stamina at all; you're wobbling when you walk. How did you even get here?" Ernest frowned as he asked, concerned.

Although Ernest was nagging at Leah, she felt a warmth in her heart.

Leah knew that Ernest was worried about her.

So she said, "Okay, you can prop me up. I probably really can't walk because I have no strength at all."

"How did you get here?" Ernest questioned Leah once more.

"It took a long time for me to walk here. I thought about calling the ambulance, but I persisted and kept walking, though it felt like ages. I feel better compared to before, but my body is still weak. I'm drowsy, so my head feels heavy. My legs, on the other hand, feel like jelly."

"Okay, let's go. Stop talking, conserve your energy."

Ernest helped Leah down the stairs.

Soon, they arrived at the parking lot. Ernest assisted her in getting into the car.

He drove Leah to her dorm on campus.

As they walked up the stairs, Leah became lightheaded. Her legs couldn't support her stably. After each step, she would take a deep breath.

At that sight, Ernest's brows crinkled in a frown. "How long have you been ill for?"

Leah was completely drained and had no strength left to answer him. She glanced at him while gasping for air, seeming exhausted.

Ernest was taken aback for a moment. After that brief moment of hesitation, he bent down immediately and picked her up.

"Ernest!" Leah was about to say something, but her center of gravity was displaced as she was completely off the ground. She could only let Ernest carry her upstairs as she did not have much fight left in her. Ernest was sturdy and tall, with lengthy, strong arms. He carried Leah effortlessly. His strength could not go unnoticed by Leah.

After the voice-controlled lights were switched on, Leah took a peek at Ernest's handsome face.

It was the first time he carried her this way.

They were so close together.

However, Leah was feeling down about it. Her cold made her look sick. Her hair was a mess, and she was sweaty. Did she smell? Leah was thinking all that to herself. She feared that he would be repelled from her due to her sweaty body odor, if any.

She focused her gaze on him.

Ernest noticed her piercing look. Surprised, he lowered his head to look at Leah in his arms.

When their eyes met at that close distance, they both reeled. Leah quickly smiled and asked, "Carrying me upstairs must be tiring, right?"

"No." Ernest shook his head. "You're light. Have you lost weight recently?"

"Yeah, I did." Leah said quietly, "I've lost about eight pounds."

"Were you on a diet?" Ernest quirked his brows and continued trudging upstairs.

"No." Leah shook her head.

Actually, Leah had lost her appetite because she was thinking about Ernest constantly. She had tortured herself with thoughts of him in recent days. Without any appetite and in so much mental anguish, it was no wonder she lost weight.

But Leah couldn't come clean about that to him.

"How did you lose so much weight if you weren't on a diet?" asked Ernest in surprise.

"I couldn't eat." Leah pouted. Suddenly, she added half-jokingly with a smile, "If I said that it was because I missed you too much, would you believe me?"

Ernest's entire body went stiff, and he put on a wan smile. In a similar joking manner, he replied, "Is that so? I should believe you."

Leah's pout grew. "I can tell from your expression that you don't believe me."

"Then tell me if you were being serious. You weren't joking in the slightest?" Ernest kept a smile on his face, as if he wasn't taking it seriously. "I don't think I'm that charming."

Deep down, Ernest was really shocked to the core.

But he also knew that Leah was probably messing with him.

Hence, he did not give much weight to her words.

Leah could tell that he obviously didn't believe her. He was treating it as a joke. She stopped talking and leaned against his neck, secretly taking advantage of the situation. While pursing her lips, she murmured, "Oh, I'm dizzy."

Ernest raised his eyebrows. The lights turned off all of a sudden.

In that moment, his eyes were filled with disappointment that was concealed by the darkness.

Leah coughed, and the lights flicked back on again.

As soon as the lights were on, Ernest banished the disappointment in his gaze.

Leah would've never thought that Ernest would carry her in his arms one day, not even in her wildest dreams.

However, she was completely sapped of her energy. She didn't want to struggle or lie to herself.

At that moment, Leah's mind was filled with thoughts of using the situation to get closer to Ernest.

Leah wrapped her arms around Ernest's neck and leaned against him. Her forehead was pressed against his chin, while she breathed into the crook of his neck.

Her breath tickled Ernest, causing his body to tense up a little.

He looked down at Leah in his arms. Right then, she was nestled in his arms snugly like a pet rabbit.

After opening the door, Ernest carried Leah to the couch.

Leah muttered, "Take me to my bed."

She didn't loosen her arms. They remained around Ernest's neck.

At that, Ernest became a little stiff. "We just got back from the hospital. There are lots of bacteria and viruses there which you were in contact with, as you sat there for so long. At least take off your coat before you get onto your bed."

"Alright." Leah bit her tongue.

Leah acknowledged that Ernest was right.

Leah immediately peeled her arms away from Ernest's neck.

"You're right. I'll go take a shower," Leah muttered.

"Forget about showering," said Ernest hurriedly. "You don't have any stamina now. What if you faint in the shower? How about I get you a bucket of warm water? Wipe your face, wash your hands and take off your coat, that'll be fine. Can't be too careful at a time like this."

There was no way Leah could refute that. Ernest's thoughtfulness and attention to detail left her pleasantly surprised.

"Alright, thank you," Leah said.

Ernest went to the washroom. He first washed his hands before taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack outside. He went back inside the washroom, rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands again. After filling a bucket with water and grabbing a towel, he headed for the living room.

At that point, Leah had already taken off her coat. She was only wearing a sweater, which highlighted her slim, fragile figure.

Ernest placed the bucket of water on the table, soaked the towel in the bucket and handed it to her. "Wipe your face."

Leah looked at him and said languidly, "Help me. I really can't muster up any energy."

Ernest halted, then nodded and wiped her face.

Leah's youthful, taut face would have been even more spirited if she wasn't sick. Ernest wiped her face gently, focusing deeply on her face for the first time.

Her small face was angelic. Her large eyes were complemented by long lashes. Her eyebrows were trimmed neatly, giving her a clean look.

As Ernest examined her face seriously for the first time, his heart uncontrollably thudded faster in his chest.

Ernest felt somewhat embarrassed and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. However, Leah looked straight at him, her gaze raw and true. He felt his cheeks warming up. At that moment, Leah had to add, "Ernest, why are

you blushing?"