“Drink this herbal tea.”
Isabella watched as his handsome face turned even darker with annoyance, and honestly, it lifted her mood. She slid the cup across the table toward him. “It helps bring down a fever.”
“Herbal tea? What even is that?”
“It’s literally just herbal tea. Seriously, you’ve never had it before?” Whenever Isabella felt under the weather, her mom would make a pot for her. In her mom’s world, nothing couldn’t be solved by a cup of bitter tea.
Ethan shook his head. “Never tried it.” He eyed the cup suspiciously. “Is it that bad?”
“It’s not that bad. My mom used to make it all the time when I was sick. Come on, you’re a grown man. Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little bitterness.”
“If you’re really that scared, I’ll just take it away and toss it. I went all the way across town to get this for you because I heard you’re still not better. I was worried you’d end up with brain damage or something.”
“If you die, well, that’s one thing. But if you end up all messed up and I have to take care of you forever, forget it. I’m not signing up for that.”
Ethan clenched his jaw. “Honestly, I’d probably recover faster if you weren’t here. Every word out of your mouth is enough to kill me. Can’t you just be nice for once?”
“So you wish I was dead?”
“Yeah, I wish you were, so I could inherit all your money.”
Ethan glared at her. “If I was on my deathbed, I’d donate every last cent to charity just out of spite. I wouldn’t leave you a penny.”
“Not even to your beloved Natalie?” Isabella fired back.
Ethan huffed, “Who said I want to die? I want to live to a hundred, thank you very much.”
“If you don’t want to die, why aren’t you taking your medicine? Is having a fever supposed to be fun? The doctor gave you meds, but you won’t take them. What, are you trying to see how bad it gets? Fevers aren’t a joke. If you let it drag on, it can get serious, even deadly. You’ve never heard of people dying from a stupid cold?”
Ethan just stared at her. Was she actually worried about him? Why couldn’t she just say it like a normal person, instead of making it sound so mean? He felt like she was going to nag him to death.
“Right now. Drink the tea. If you won’t drink it, then take your medicine. The pills the doctor gave you yesterday, keep taking them.” Isabella gave the table a hard smack to make her point.
And wow, that actually felt good. Yelling at him was kind of satisfying, and slamming the table was even better. Her palm stung a little, but it was totally worth it.
Ethan watched her for a long moment before finally giving in. He slowly opened the little bag, took out the disposable cup, and stared down at the herbal tea she’d brought him.

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