Forbidden Passion
Chapter 656 Kept Her Fingerprint

Phoebe finally caved to Grace's nagging. She locked up the car, stashed the keys and phone, and strolled through the 'hood, ending up downstairs. The path was so burned into her brain she could probably walk it blindfolded.

Phoebe let out a big sigh.

What had done was done, so why kept stressing over it?

She stepped into the building and rode the elevator up. As soon as the doors slid open on the top floor, there was Grace, pacing like a maniac. Grace practically yanked her out of the elevator. "Phoebe, you finally made it. Another minute and I was gonna call you."

"Yeah, sorry." Phoebe hustled after Grace to the apartment door.

Same old dark gray carpet, colorful oil paintings in the hall, and that familiar sofa set by the entrance. It was like stepping back in time two years. Nothing had changed.

"It's cool, I was hoping you'd help me with this anyway." Grace didn't seem to notice Phoebe's weird vibe. She opened the fingerprint lock and stood there, all jittery. "Phoebe, go ahead, press it." Phoebe's fingers twitched at her side. Without waiting for Grace to push her again, she stuck her index finger on the scanner.

The door clicked open.

Phoebe was floored.

Grace beamed at her, practically bouncing. "Phoebe, it worked! I told you, Theodore kept your fingerprints, waiting for you to come back."

Phoebe stood there, staring at her finger, thinking the lock must be glitching. She'd used this scanner for four years; it had to be old data, not that Theodore hadn't wiped it.

"Come on, let's check it out." Grace tugged at Phoebe, but then felt a tug on her wrist. She turned, confused. "Phoebe?"

Phoebe gently pulled her hand back. "You go ahead, I'll wait here."

Grace's face fell. Just as she was about to argue, a black blur zipped past her feet, making her jump and smack into the door. "Ouch!" Grace yelped.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked softly, her eyes shifting from Ollie, who was circling her legs, to Grace's pained expression. Grace rubbed her sore spot and shook her head. "I'm fine, Phoebe. I'll go in first."

Phoebe nodded. "Alright."

Grace disappeared inside. Phoebe looked down at Ollie, who kept pawing at her pants and sniffing her like crazy.

It was like Ollie was trying to remember her scent.

After a bit, Ollie seemed to recognize her. It let out a few soft meows, its whiskers twitching.

Phoebe felt a warmth in her chest.

Back then, she'd forced Theodore into a divorce by going on a hunger strike. When she left, she was so heartbroken she didn't take anything, not even Ollie. Seeing Ollie now, she felt a pang of guilt.

Phoebe squatted down and hugged Ollie, realizing it was all solid under that fluffy fur. It wasn't her imagination; Ollie had definitely packed on some pounds.

"Do you still remember me?" Phoebe struggled to lift Ollie and moved to the sofa. She plopped Ollie on her lap and scratched its furry chin.

As Phoebe petted Ollie, she couldn't help but notice how chubby the cat had gotten. Ollie was starting to look like Garfield from the cartoons. "What's Theodore feeding you to make you so chunky?" Ollie, clearly not a fan of being called 'chunky,' had been all chill until now. Suddenly, it bristled and bared its teeth at her.

Phoebe chuckled softly. Seeing Ollie about to go full claws-out, she quickly apologized, "Sorry, you're not chunky at all."

Even cats had body image issues. What on earth was Theodore feeding it?

Grace wandered inside, looking lost. It was her first time at the Imperial Apartment, and she had no clue where the light switches were. Using the faint light from the window, she made her way to the bedroom. Luckily, the bedroom had a night light on. Grace pushed the door open and saw a lump in the middle of the bed. She cautiously called out, "Theodore? You in here?"

Grace's spot in the Reynolds family was awkward. She had the Reynolds blood, but they didn't treat her like they did Madison.

To them, Grace was just some stranger with Reynolds DNA.

Only Theodore was nice to her, sometimes checking if she was okay living with the Reynolds family. So even though Theodore was always distant, Grace felt closer to him than anyone else.

Lying in the middle of the bed, Theodore had a frown on his face. In the pale yellow light, his forehead was shiny with sweat.

Grace moved closer and saw it was sweat. She put her hand on Theodore's forehead, feeling a palmful of sweat and a high temperature that made her hand shake.

Grace said with concern, "Theodore, you've got a fever. Hang in there, I'll call an ambulance."

Just as Grace was about to grab her phone, a burning hot hand gripped her wrist like a vice. Theodore's hoarse voice said, "Don't call an ambulance. Get the family doctor. I'm not going to the hospital." "But..."

"Listen to me." Even sick, Theodore had that natural authority.

Grace didn't dare to argue and called the family doctor, who was fifteen minutes away from Imperial Apartment.

Theodore let go of her wrist and closed his eyes again. Even his breath was hot. He raised his hand to his forehead and hoarsely asked, "What time is it?"

"It's just after 1 AM," Grace said.

Theodore buried himself deeper into the blanket, frowning. "It's so late. It's the middle of the night; you shouldn't be out and about. It's not safe."

Seeing him worry about her safety even while sick, Grace's eyes welled up a bit.

"Don't worry. I drove here. It's fine."

Theodore fell silent, and the room got quiet. Grace's eyes adjusted to the dim light.

The luxurious and spacious bedroom was decked out. One side was the bathroom, the other a walk-in closet, and outside was a living room.

Grace glanced at Theodore, who lay pale in the bed, and turned to walk to the bathroom. After a bit, she came out with a basin of water and a wet towel, gently placing it on Theodore's forehead. Theodore suddenly grabbed her wrist. He silently opened his eyes and, seeing her face, hesitated before slowly letting go.

"Why are you still here?"

Grace pressed the towel down and said, "I'll wait until the family doctor arrives and your fever goes down before I leave."

The coolness on his forehead cleared Theodore's mind a bit. He swallowed, feeling a dryness in his throat.

Grace noticed and quickly said, "I'll get you a glass of water."

With that, Grace turned and walked out of the bedroom.