Chapter 4

Three days ago, she'd called me.

"Teacher Cooley, I sent you a gift. It's on the second floor of the pickup station by the neighborhood gate."

"Are you heading downstairs? Then go ahead and open it. Yeah, right now."

Right up until the moment I got so scared I tumbled down the stairs, I never once suspected she had another motive.

I answered coldly.

"No need. Right now I don't want to see you, and I don't make friends with people who hurt me."

Nina's eyes went red in an instant. All at once she shouted, stubborn and shrill.

"Mommy was right. You don't actually like me at all. You were only nice to me to make Daddy happy!"

"Once you have a kid of your own, you'll like me even less!"

Then she turned and ran.

I frowned.

Some thought seemed to flash through my mind.

Before I could catch hold of it, Sara walked in, worry all over her face.

"Nina and her mom left. She looked really upset."

"She kept asking me just now whether you were in a lot of pain. Maybe she knows she did wrong and wants to apologize to you…"

I said nothing.

I didn't want anyone to think I was bullying a child, either.

But right now I truly couldn't bring myself to be gentle with her.

Because of that unpleasant conversation earlier, Sebastian chose to stay in the study to work.

And I hadn't yet recovered from the anemia and weakness after the surgery.

The wound on my abdomen, where they'd removed my womb, ached faintly too.

I drifted off into a groggy sleep.

But in the middle of the night, a high fever came on suddenly.

Somewhere in the haze, someone was softly calling my name.

When I opened my eyes, Sebastian was looking at me, his face full of concern.

"Shelagh, you're burning up. Did you catch a cold? Come on, I'll take you to the hospital."

The next second, his phone rang.

The screen showed Tania.

Sebastian's brow furrowed, but he still chose to answer.

Something must have crossed his mind, because he glanced at me and, for the first time, put it on speaker.

"Sebastian, that moon lamp you had made for Nina suddenly went out. It's probably broken. She has night blindness, and I sleep too deeply at night."

"Without a night-light, I'm afraid she'll bump into something when she gets up in the dark. Come over now and fix it."

Sebastian was silent for a few seconds.

"Got it."

I grabbed his arm.

"Sebastian, I'm the one who's always handled Nina's checkups. She's never had night blindness."

Tania heard that on the other end and let out a scornful little laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous. Nina's my own flesh and blood. I know her ten thousand times better than you do!"

"Sebastian, we agreed on this back then. Even if we're divorced, you can't shortchange your daughter on a father's love."

"Are you going to dump everything on me now just because you're scared your little bride will get jealous? Is this how you repay me for going through the pain of having your child?!"

She hung up in a fury.

Sebastian sighed and slowly pried my hand off his arm.

"Shelagh, be reasonable. Don't make things hard for me at a time like this."

"Tania had a point. She definitely understands our daughter better than you, the stepmother, do. Maybe you should think it over. Maybe you just haven't paid enough attention to Nina's health."

"I'll go wake Sara and have her take you to the hospital."

I stared at him, dazed.

All through Nina's childhood, every time she got sick, I was the one who stayed at her bedside without eating or drinking.

Even the snacks I bought her, I read every ingredient list carefully, making sure there wasn't a trace of anything harmful.

So this was what "not paying enough attention" meant?

I forced down the hurt swelling in my chest and said softly.

"Sebastian, let's get divorced."

He froze for a moment, then the smile at the corner of his mouth turned faint and cold.

"Shelagh, you're not the first person to threaten me with divorce, and I've never fallen for it."