I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able to Leave

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Let Her Go

Leah Sinclair took the phone, and with a single glance, she knew it was Asher Keating.

The article had photos and a video. The photos didn’t show the two of them in the same frame, but the video captured Asher Keating and Madeline Sterling coming out one after the other.

He wore his bathrobe loosely. The dim lighting obscured his face, but a moment later, Madeline Sterling appeared, and the footage of her was much clearer.

In the video, she looked exhausted but satisfied. Her hair was wet, and her bathrobe was tied carelessly, revealing a glimpse of her ample bust.

The comment section was flooded with remarks like, ”Madeline Sterling really knows how to have fun! A hot spring battle, huh?” Others commented on how seductive and alluring she looked. There were also people begging for gossip on the male lead, saying he had an amazing body and must be handsome, even if his face was blurry.

Leah’s mind went blank. Just yesterday, Asher Keating had told her he wanted to take her to a place like this, to... try things out. ’How could this news break today?’ A sharp pain suddenly shot through her head.

”Leah, what’s wrong? You look awful.”

Zion Sawyer reached out and touched Leah’s forehead. ”Holy shit! You’re burning up! You have a fever!”

Leah handed the phone back, touching her own forehead. It was definitely hot. ”I think I have a fever.”

”What do you mean, you ’think’? You definitely do! You need to go home, now!” Zion Sawyer said, immediately going to find Mr. Langdon.

”But I still have some files to finish.”

Leah stared blankly at her computer screen, but her mind was stuck on a loop, replaying the video.

Mr. Langdon came over and felt Leah’s forehead. It was alarmingly hot. ”Leah, you should go home. These files can wait.”

Leah was silent for a moment. ”All right. I’ll go see a doctor.”

”Can you get home by yourself? Do you need someone to take you?” Mr. Langdon asked, still worried.

”I’m fine. I’ll just grab a cab to the hospital when I get downstairs.”

”All right. Don’t put it off. Go now.”

Leah quickly packed her things, threw her bag over her shoulder, and left the office. The sky was gloomy, threatening rain. Feeling dizzy, she boarded the subway. She’d intended to go to the hospital, but out of habit, she got off at the Europa Gardens stop.

Her mind was a complete mess. It started to rain shortly after she left the subway station. Leah stood frozen on the spot for a moment before she even registered the downpour, and then, she just laughed.

’Just like in the TV shows. It always rains when you’re sad. What a wonderful cliché.’

But she still wanted to go home. ’Asher had said he wouldn’t touch Madeline Sterling. I want to ask him. If he says it didn’t happen, I’ll believe him.’

By the time she reached her apartment building, she was soaked to the bone. Her head, already spinning, felt even worse. Inside the elevator, she had to press the button for her floor twice before it lit up.

At her front door, her hands trembled so much that she failed to enter the passcode correctly twice. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision, but her body gave out and started to slide to the floor.

As her head hit the floor, Leah was still thinking, ’Am I going to get a concussion?’

While Asher Keating was waiting for his luggage after deplaning, Sean Yates approached him. ”Sir, Madeline Sterling hired paparazzi to stake out the place yesterday. They got footage of you, and it’s blowing up online right now.”

Asher Keating took his phone, glanced at it, and scoffed, tossing it back to him. ”Is that the best she can do?”

Immediately after, the three-person group chat with Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling blew up. ”Third Bro!!! No way, is this for real? You... with Madeline??? The hot springs??? You guys got that wild???”

Asher Keating, annoyed by their gossiping, ignored the chat. Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling, however, were going wild, even starting to analyze what positions could have possibly gotten Madeline’s hair completely soaked. They theorized that it couldn’t have been from her going underwater to use her mouth, could it?

When Sean Yates pulled the car around, he asked, ”Should we suppress the trending story? People are already starting to figure out who you are.”

Asher Keating lit a cigarette and said languidly, ”What’s the point? She’s probably hoping I’ll issue a denial. That would just give her a chance to continue her act. Ignore it.”

”What about Leah...?” Sean Yates began, hesitating.

Asher Keating pulled out his phone. No messages from Leah. ’I wonder if she’s seen the news. With Zion Sawyer around, she was bound to find out. Oh well, I’m heading back soon. I’ll just explain it to her then.’

He sent Leah a text: ”Off work yet? It’s raining, want me to come get you?”

Leah didn’t reply. ’She’s probably just busy,’ he thought, and had Sean Yates drive directly to her office. By the time they arrived, she still hadn’t responded. Sean Yates went upstairs to check. It was past closing time, and Leah was gone.

Asher Keating called her, but there was no answer. He frowned. This had never happened before. ’Did she see the news and get angry? Is she hiding at home crying?’

In the past, whenever she got jealous, she would just hide away by herself if she didn’t want to confront him. Thinking that might be the case, he had Sean Yates drive him straight home.

On the way, Asher Keating called Leah again. Still no answer. A flicker of irritation sparked within him. Leah wasn’t unreasonable. Even when she was angry, she would never just ignore his calls.

She was always keenly aware of her position—that she was being kept by him—so she always answered his texts and calls instantly. There had been other times when she’d been jealous. Even if she didn’t say anything, she had never completely ignored him like this.

He hurried home and opened the door to a dark, empty apartment. Leah wasn’t there. His annoyance grew, and he tried calling her again.

Asher paced around, getting ready to go out and find her. ’It’s pouring out there, where could she have gone?’ If she didn’t pick up this time, he’d have to call Zion Sawyer.

Leah didn’t have many friends, and her best friend wasn’t in Riverfall. Zion Sawyer was probably the only person he could ask.

Just as he was about to close his door, the door to the apartment opposite his opened. It was Chester Hale. Asher’s gaze fell on the phone in Chester’s hand—it was Leah’s. Asher slowly lowered his own phone, his expression turning icy.

”She has a fever. My housekeeper was here to clean today and found her collapsed by her door. She called me,” Chester Hale said calmly, letting Asher Keating into his apartment.

Asher Keating glanced around the living room. Seeing no one, he turned to him. ”Where is she?”

”In my room. I gave her some medicine for the fever. She’s still asleep.” Chester Hale led him to the bedroom.

Asher saw Leah lying in the bed, her face flushed and her brow furrowed in discomfort. He walked over and pulled back the covers. Leah was wearing a bathrobe. Asher turned to face Chester Hale, his gaze as cold as ice.

”The housekeeper changed her. She must have been caught in the rain; her clothes were soaked,” Chester Hale said, his face expressionless.

Asher Keating lifted her into his arms and started toward his own apartment. As he passed Chester Hale, he gestured curtly. ”The phone.”

Chester Hale handed him Leah’s phone. ”If you can’t take care of her, Third Young Master Keating, then let her go. Someone else will. You have a high-profile celebrity like Madeline Sterling by your side, so why are you stringing this one along?”