I sighed even as a throbbing headache assailed me. “It’s okay. Just sit with me for a while.”
Initially, I thought everything would take a turn for the better after returning to K City from R Province, but I’d forgotten about Marcus and Jared.
After raising Summer for four years, I’d naturally regarded her as my own child from the bottom of my heart, and her existence almost had me forgetting about how my own child died. However, after returning to K City, it was as though everyone was reminding me of my bitter and agonizing past with Ashton.
He seemed to be able to understand my feelings, hugging me tightly in his embrace as he echoed my silence and stillness.
In the passing of time, we were often drained of courage by memories as we embarked on the road that led to doom, step by step.
Jared often came to visit Summer, and every time he did so, the distance between them reduced.
I was too afraid of Summer, so I tacitly acquiesced to Jared’s visits in the beginning. But as the frequency grew, I then made to leave with her.
As November came, the weather in K City grew increasingly chilly. In the evening of a particular weekend, Summer played with the dog in the yard after Jared had left.
At that moment, I gazed at Summer, my emotions indescribable as I sat beside her and watched the interaction between her and the dog.
When she noticed that I’d been sitting there for a while, she glanced over her shoulder at me, her eyes bright. “Mommy, come and play with Snowfluff together, okay?”
I shook my head while looking at her, my gaze radiating a faint sense of tiredness. “I’ll just look on as you play with it.”
Upon seeing my dispirited demeanor, she was no longer all that eager to play with the dog. Rather, she got up and stared at me while leaning her tiny body against me, her entire person soft and pliable. Resting her head against me, she queried, “Are you sick, Mommy?”
I shook my head as I hugged her, with relief slithering into my veins. “No. I’m just exhausted,” I replied.
At this, she nodded before exhaling on a soft sigh and remarked, “You seem to be quite tired recently, Mommy. Are you exhausted because exams are coming soon?”
Flashing her a faint smile, I murmured, “I suppose so.”
When the little girl heard this, she seemed to be racking her brains for a solution. After some time, she fixed her gaze on me and ordered, “Wait a moment, Mommy!”
Then, she ran into the villa. I remained sitting there, watching Snowfluff roll about on the grass. All of a sudden, a wave of pain assailed me. If my child had lived back then and Macy hadn’t died either, would we now be sitting here together, chatting as we watched over our children?
At the thought of this, my mood soured.
Clang! A loud crash rang out in the villa. I was stunned for a moment before I promptly rushed in, only to be greeted by the sight of shattered glass all over the kitchen floor. Meanwhile, Ashton, who sprinted over from the main house, had yanked Summer away, his swift movement appearing a touch rough.
Summer was still in a trance, and it was only about two seconds later did she abruptly burst into tears from fright.
Racing over, I scooped her into my arms. At the same time, Ashton turned off the stove in the kitchen.
When he’d ascertained that everything was secure, he walked over. Staring at me, he couldn’t help asking, “Why did Summer come into the kitchen?”
I shook my head as I hugged her. It was only after I’d mollified her for a long time did I manage to calm her down, and I breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she wasn’t hurt.
When she’d quietened down, I inquired, “What happened? Why did you suddenly come into the kitchen?”
Judging from the situation in the kitchen, she probably placed the glass bowl over the stove, triggering an explosion.
While Summer was no longer crying, her tiny body was still trembling, making it glaringly obvious that she had suffered quite a fright. “I wanted to cook some eggs for you, Mommy. My classmate claimed that eating eggs keeps the doctor away.”
When I took a closer look, I finally noticed two eggs beside the stove. All at once, my emotions turned turbulently indescribable, complicating the only word left in my mind.
As I cuddled Summer, my heart clenched tightly. She only thought that I’m sick because I’ve often been distracted from Jared’s visits these few days.
“I’m sorry, Summer. I…” I trailed off without finishing my utterance. Right at that moment, anguish had engulfed me, making my eyes sting.
Ashton looked at us as flashes of complex emotions manifesting on his alluring face. Walking over, he reached out and embraced us both, his voice low and steady. “Alright, everything’s fine now. Next time, make sure to prioritize safety over all else in everything.”
I pursed my lips as my stomach roiled at this precise moment. I suppressed the nausea several times, but in the end, I still had to make a mad dash to the washroom.
All the contents in my stomach were emptied in just a blink of an eye. When I’d finally stopped hurling, Summer and Ashton were both staring at me at the door, their gazes brimming with worry.
“Mr. Fuller, is Mommy sick?” Summer asked as her big eyes turned red.
Ashton merely pursed his lips, the expression on his striking face making it known that he was stifling his emotions. After a long time, he shifted his gaze to her and told her to go and play with Snowfluff in the yard.
After wiping my hands dry, I exited the washroom. When I noticed that he was still standing by the door, I instinctively hesitated and parted my lips to explain, but he spoke before I could do so.
“Let’s head to the hospital!” After saying that, he strode out while dragging me along.
Frowning, I pushed him away since I was in a bad mood. “I’m fine. Perhaps my stomach isn’t so great lately, so I get nauseous easily.”
