âUgh, this sucks!â Nicole glared at Evan coldly.
Evan was bewildered. âWhat happened?â
âYou have to cheek to ask me? What exactly do you want? Sir Musgrave is my life savior, and yet you just cruelly chased him away.â
Evan was irked at her outburst. In his mind, her fury was pure vindication that she had feelings for Stephen.
âSeems like someone really wants to meet Sir Musgrave.â
The emphasis on âreallyâ unnerved Nicole. Stammering, she frantically explained that she merely viewed Stephen as a parental figure.
But her explanation simply fell on deaf ears. Evan was already too upset by her current behavior to care about any attempted verbal defense.
With a menacing smirk plastered on his face, he enunciated each word slow, âWell, it doesnât matter what he is to you now. You will not have a chance to ever meet him ever again anyway.â
Nicole was struck dumb.
What did he just say? I can never meet Sir Musgrave again? This bas*ard must have threatened him or something.
Something else also bothered her, the fact that she would not be able to repay Stephen. She literally owed him her life.
She lashed out at Evan, âWhat right do you have to do this? Donât you remember that Sir Musgrave literally saved my life?â
âSimple, itâs because youâre my wife and the mother of my children! I have every right in the world to interfere in this budding relationship of yours and severe any ties before things develop further!â
Nicole was once again left wordless.
B-Budding relationship?
Absolute nonsense.
âEvan Seet, youâre an ungrateful jerk and hypocrite!â
Her heart thumped fiercely against her chest as fury boiled within her.
But once again, her words had no effect on Evan. He was unbothered by her rebuke.
Refusing to engage him any further, Nicole lay down on the hospital bed and buried herself underneath the blanket.
The heated exchange left Evan with one conclusion, Nicole really cared a lot for Stephen.
She cared for him so much that she was willing to throw such harsh words at me.
This made the man even firmer about never letting the two meet again, even if it meant that Nicole would hate him.
Five days following the argument, Nicole finally felt well enough to move about freely.
Joining her in the ward were four little pairs of waddling feet.
One asked, âMommy, are you still in pain?â
The other said, âMommy, do you want me to hold you?â
Meanwhile, Maya tottered before Nicole and stuck out her little tongue sheepishly. âMommy⦠â
âYes, Maya?â
Oh, it seems like Mommy hasnât realized.
Maya tried again. Stared at Nicole with puppy-like eyes, she hoped that her mother would notice something.
But her attempt was to no avail.
Since when did Maya become so hesitant? She wasnât like this before.
Nina, who was watching her act on the side, decided that Maya would never get anywhere at this rate. Pointing at the girlâs stomach, Nina said, âMommy, Maya wants you to notice that she has become skinnier.â
âSkinnier?â
The surprised mother took a closer look at her daughter. Indeed, it seemed like Mayaâs stomach was no longer as big as before.
Her little coat was also not as tight-fitting now.
Nicole felt a wave of guilt. She spoke in a gentle voice, âMommy promises that Iâll treat Maya to lots of good food after I get better, alright?â
Mayaâs gave an unexpected reply instead. âNo Mommy, I want to go on a diet.â
Nina decided it was time to reveal the context before the conversation became even more confusing. âMommy, Maya has been eating very little these days because she thinks that sheâs responsible for the car accident.â She could not help but add a jibe, âWell, given her evident weight loss, a diet plan certainly seems plausible now.â
Nicoleâs heart wrenched upon hearing that. âMaya, itâs not your fault. Please donât think that way, alright?â
Maya rubbed her hands together nervously and nodded animatedly. âDaddy said the same thing.â
Her statement prompted a protest from Nina. Interjecting vehemently, she claimed that while Evan was biased towards Maya. âDaddy didnât scold her, but he reprimanded me instead! It was so bad that I ended up crying afterwards. Daddyâs a meanie!â
Nicole had been simmering with anger for the past few days over the whole Sir Stephen affair.
Now, Ninaâs complaints provided the perfect avenue for her to rant about her husband.
âI agree with you, Nina. Your father is a terrible person. Frankly, I want to beat him up sometimes.â Then, a mischievous idea crossed her mind. âHmm⦠how about we gang up on him?â