Chapter 173: ¹⁷³: it was me

Chapter 173: 1?3: it was me

I was scared. No, I was absolutely terrified, and the fear was evident in my trembling voice as I desperately tried to understand what was happening to him.

"Kael, how can I help you? Tell me! Please, just tell me something, Kael!"

"Leave me alone, Athena!" Kael muttered through gritted teeth.

He shifted his hand weakly, trying to push me away even as he struggled to endure whatever was happening to him. His words were barely more than a strained whisper, but they still reached my ears clearly.

"What?" I stared at him in disbelief. What was he even saying? How could he possibly expect me to leave him alone in this condition?

"Kael, you look like you’re about to die!" I cried, my voice rising with every word. "How am I supposed to just leave you here like this?"

I brought one hand to my head, trying desperately to think of something, anything that might help him. My thoughts were a complete mess, each one colliding with another as I watched his face grow paler with every passing second.

*What am I supposed to do?* "Wait! Should I call Beta Ryan?" I asked suddenly, grabbing at the first idea that came to mind. "Where’s your phone?"

Without waiting for an answer, I began searching his pockets, my movements frantic and clumsy. My heart was pounding like thunder in my chest, and my hands were shaking so badly that I could barely concentrate on what I was doing.

I needed to call someone. Anyone who might know what was happening to him. But where the hell was his phone?

"You don’t have your phone, Kael!" I exclaimed, my voice cracking as I finally realized I couldn’t find it.

I looked down at him again, and my stomach twisted painfully at the sight of his face. His lips were turning blue.

"Kael, talk to me!" I cried, barely able to keep the panic from overwhelming me. "What’s happening to you? How am I supposed to help you?!"

My gaze darted over his face, searching for some sign that he could hear me, that he could still respond. Just moments ago, he’d been strong enough to pin me down without seeming to struggle at all. His grip had been so powerful that I’d barely been able to move.

Then why was he lying here like this now? "You were just so powerful when you pinned me down!" I blurted out, my voice shaking with confusion and fear. "So why are you like this all of a sudden?!"

My words abruptly died in my throat. A possibility flashed through my mind, so sudden and startling that I could barely bring myself to consider it.

My trembling hand moved towards my mouth as I stared down at Kael. His eyes were now completely closed, and for one horrifying moment, I thought he might have stopped responding altogether.

Thankfully, I could still feel him breathing. But that small reassurance did little to calm the fear tightening around my heart.

*What if...* I swallowed, my gaze fixed on his face as I tried to make sense of the strange connection between his earlier behavior and his current condition. "Is this why you were trying to kiss me, Kael?" I whispered. The question slipped out before I could stop it.

Could that really be the reason? Had he been trying to tell me something in the only way he could manage at the time? Was there a connection between his desperate attempts to kiss me and the sudden collapse that had left him barely able to respond?

I didn’t know. Kael offered no answer. He didn’t even seem to have the strength to acknowledge my question, let alone explain what was happening to him.

And I couldn’t bear to keep sitting there, watching him grow weaker while I remained clueless. Without thinking any further, I leaned down towards him, his head still resting in my lap. I cupped his face between my trembling hands and pressed my lips against his.

For once, there were no thoughts of his hurtful words, no reminders of the promises I’d made to myself, no calculations about my plans, and no resentment over the stupid agreement that had brought us into this situation.

Everything else faded into the background. All I wanted was to find out whether the possibility that had entered my mind was true.

The moment my lips touched his, I felt a sudden movement from Kael’s body. My heart lurched. *Was I right?*

The thought flashed through my mind, and before I could make sense of what I’d felt, I pressed the kiss a little deeper, hoping for another sign that might tell me whether I was doing the right thing.

My lips moved against his awkwardly, my nervousness making it difficult to think clearly. My hands trembled where they rested against his face, and I struggled to focus on the sensation of kissing him.

But I couldn’t. Not when he was lying so helplessly in my lap. Not when his condition was becoming more frightening by the second. All I could think about was the fear creeping deeper into my heart.

I’d never seen Kael like this before. Hell, I’d never even heard of anything like this happening to anyone in my entire life.

Whatever was happening to him, whether it was something unique to Kael or some strange condition resembling the unusual injury I’d suffered myself, I had no idea.

All I knew was that it was strange. And, more than anything else, it was terrifying.

Tears escaped my eyes as I tried to deepen the kiss, my heart pounding when I felt Kael move beneath my touch.

My suspicions had been correct. Whatever the hell was happening to him, whatever strange condition had reduced him to this state, the remedy wasn’t the medicine I’d initially thought he needed.

It was me.

I was the one who had to help him through this, I was the thing he needed all along.