Millicent spoke in an unhappy tone and snapped at Beatrice. “I was completely fine at school. Why is it that the moment I see you, I am in the hospital?

“You had a high fever. The teacher called me. I was the one who just took you to the hospital.” Beatrice lowered her head and spoke wearily.

Millicent pouted. “Isn’t it still your fault. In such cold weather, you didn't let me wear more. You made me get sick. I don't like you, you bad mom.”

Millicent was wearing a thick down coat. Beatrice, afraid she would feel cold, had even bought the extreme-cold series; from inside to outside everything was good quality and good fabric, but she was only worried that Millicent would feel uncomfortable, would not feel warm.

And she herself was only wearing a poor, thin down coat, and when cold, she only depended on shaking.

Hurt feelings spread through her heart, but she knew Millicent was still a child; how could she argue with her own child?

She softly sighed, lowered her voice, and tucked in Millicent’s blanket corner. “You take your injection properly. The doctor has already treated you well. We can leave the hospital very soon.”

“Stop pretending here. It’s all your fault! All your fault! Why are you not the one who is ill! Why does my sickness not spread to you? Better if you fall sick and die, and don't come bother me anymore!”

These words felt like magic, making Beatrice freeze in place. Millicent still didn't know, right, she was already ill, so ill that she was almost dying.

Even now, Beatrice could feel her lower body still slowly leaking thin lines of blood, wave after wave taking away her energy and strength.

At that moment, the doctor pushed the ward door open and looked at Millicent with blame as he said, “How do you speak to your mother like this?! You didn't become ill from wearing too few clothes. You clearly ate something unclean, and your stomach and intestines caught a cold.”

Millicent seemed to remember something. Her face suddenly became red. She pressed her mouth shut and didn't look at Beatrice, awkwardly allowing the doctor to check her.

“Your mom got herself wet just to take you to the hospital. Look at you, do you have even one drop of rain on your body? Kid, you need to be a little more understanding.”

After the examination was finished, the doctor spoke to Beatrice, “Your daughter is much better. After several more days of IV drip, she will be fully okay. You should also quickly go change your clothes.”

Beatrice gratefully bent toward the doctor in thanks and walked him out of the ward door. When she turned around, Millicent was staring at her with an angry look.

“You’re satisfied now, letting other people lecture me, you think you stand on the right side? Hmm, you think I will thank you? Keep dreaming!” Millicent said through clenched teeth.

So this was how she saw her. In her eyes, everything Beatrice gave had a reason, not love from the heart. But she didn't know what mother didn't truly love her own child?

“Millicent, I don't need your thanks. As long as you are okay, however, I am fine.” Beatrice paused and showed a bitter smile. “Even if I get sick instead of you, that is fine.”

“In the days ahead, you must look after yourself well. When the weather is cold, don't eat chilled food, and also eat outside less. Your intestines are weak; don't damage your body.” Beatrice spoke with concern, wishing she could empty every word in one breath to Millicent. “When it is cold, put on clothes; when it is hot, remove clothes. During weather changes, it is easiest to become sick, and also…”

“Alright, alright, are you irritating or not? You are talking so much just to go around and blame Aunt Sienna, blaming her for taking me out for ice cream. I am the one who wanted to eat it. Is that any of your concern! How can your thinking be so nasty?” Millicent covered her ears, her eyes looking at Beatrice with dislike.

The words Beatrice still meant to speak stopped all at once. Her lips were still parted, yet her throat felt tightly held, unable to make a single sound.

“Millicent?” a woman’s voice called from the back.

Millicent’s eyes immediately shone. “Godmother!”

Millicent jumped off the bed, roughly shoved away Beatrice, who tried to catch her, and hurried toward the door.

Beatrice slowly turned her stiff body and saw Millicent, dressed in only one thin layer, holding Sienna tightly, as though Sienna was her whole world.

They embraced for a very long time, so long that Beatrice felt the rain on her clothes was almost turning her body cold.

Beatrice spoke. She knew the moment was not right and might make others upset, yet she still insisted. “Millicent, quickly get back onto the bed. You are not fully well yet. Dressing so thinly will make it bad again.”

Millicent’s body became tense, yet she didn't move at all.

Sienna rested her face in the hollow of Millicent’s neck and also seemed not to notice, staying completely still.

“Sienna, you are a grown person. Millicent is only a child. You understand how serious this is, right?” Beatrice said directly.

Sienna acted like she had only just noticed Beatrice and carried Millicent back to the hospital bed.

“Sister Beatrice, you are here as well? I was so glad to see Millicent just now that I didn't even see you.” Sienna smiled while gently touching Millicent’s cheek. “Millicent, are you happy to see me?”

“Hmm, very happy!” Millicent showed a wide smile.

“Sienna, when you bring Millicent out to play in the future, don’t casually let her eat cold food again.” Beatrice cut in.

Sienna’s expression turned dark. “Sister Beatrice, even though I am usually boyish and careless and not like certain people who have many hidden plans, I absolutely will not do anything that hurts Millicent. You cannot slander me for taking Millicent to eat cold food.”

“But just earlier, Millicent said…” Beatrice continued.

“Mom, are you irritating or not? If you stay quiet, no one will think you cannot talk!” Millicent yelled at Beatrice.

While shouting at Beatrice, Millicent grabbed the thermos cup from the coffee table and threw it hard toward Beatrice.

Inside the thermos was the hot water Beatrice had just poured. She had not screwed the lid tightly because she wanted the water to cool so that after Millicent woke up, she could drink warm water to warm her stomach.

This cup of water didn't warm Millicent; instead, it all splashed onto Beatrice’s hand. Her hand immediately became red, and several big blisters appeared.

Beatrice cried out in pain. Alarm flashed across Millicent’s eyes. She quickly sat up in bed and wanted to climb down to check.

Sienna’s eyes shifted, and she pressed Millicent back down. “Millicent, tuck the blanket properly. don't catch a cold.”

With worry in her eyes, she pulled up Beatrice’s hand. “Sister Beatrice, are you okay?”

Beatrice didn't want her touching her and tried hard to pull her hand away, but Sienna’s strength was surprisingly strong, making Beatrice’s hand unable to move.

Between them, the hidden tension rose, but Beatrice’s hand suffered. The rubbing pressed several big blisters until they broke.

The sharp pain in her hand went straight to Beatrice’s heart, hurting her until she kept gasping.

“Let go!” Beatrice looked at Sienna in anger.

Sienna held Beatrice’s hand even more tightly, her back facing Millicent, using her fingernails to quietly press into Beatrice’s wound. “Sister Beatrice, kids throw tantrums. Why are you acting childish with a child? Don't hit her. I will help you check it. Calm down. Don't blame Millicent.”

The strong pain made Beatrice unable to think about anything else. She could only shake her arm hard and shout, “I told you to let go!”

Behind Sienna, Millicent could not see what was happening, only hearing Beatrice’s angry voice and upset tone.

She suddenly pulled back the blanket, moved around in front of Sienna, and roughly shoved Beatrice aside, pulling the two apart.

Millicent glanced angrily at Beatrice, spreading her small arms wide to shield Sienna, her eyes looking like they were about to shoot flames. “You are not allowed to bully Aunt Sienna. If you want to hit someone, then hit me. Better beat me until I die, so I will not be your daughter. In the next life, I want Aunt Sienna to be my real mom. I don't want you! I hate that you were the one who gave birth to me!”

Those tiny hands, the hands Beatrice had held since Millicent was little, the hands she had always gripped tightly, were now blocking in front of her.

She had held those hands and walked with her through her shaky first steps; she had held those hands and taught her soft baby words; she had held those hands and together gone through the warm and cold and the four seasons.

It had also been those same hands that stayed with her through many long, lonely nights, gently touching Beatrice’s cheek and saying, “Mommy, mommy, I will always love you.”

And now those little hands said they didn't want her, didn't want her as her mother?

Beatrice’s heart felt as if it were stabbed through by a sharp knife. She stumbled back several steps.

The air around her seemed to suddenly be pulled away. She quickly grabbed her chest and took deep breaths.

The pain in her lower body felt like it was about to tear her apart. She could feel large amounts of fresh blood pouring out from below.

Her head grew more and more light, the world spinning in her sight.

The breath she had been tightly holding finally slipped away. Under Millicent’s helpless look and Sienna’s satisfied smile, Beatrice fell straight back.

Beatrice came back to her senses. The first thing she saw was Jaxon’s worried look. How long had it been since he had looked at her this way?

That uneasy expression, that pain-filled look, made Beatrice feel like she was still dreaming, as if she had gone back to earlier days.

Back then, Beatrice had just become pregnant. Her morning sickness had been very serious. She threw up until everything the world turned around; as long as she ate even a little, she quickly threw it all up, even bringing up stomach acid.

At that time, Jaxon hurried around in worry, changing ways every day to cook tasty meals.

No matter how tired he was from work during the day, he always came home at noon. Even if he had to ride the subway for an hour, covered in dust and tiredness, the moment he saw Beatrice, he showed his brightest smile.

He, who had never cooked before, so that Beatrice could manage to eat something, awkwardly followed cooking videos to learn every day, not minding even when he turned the kitchen into a “war zone.”

Holding his own achievement, he carried it with full hope to Beatrice on the bed. Beatrice fought the nausea and barely swallowed one bite, but quickly threw it back up into the bowl, even turning the whole bowl of food into a mess.

Beatrice looked at him with apology, but he not only showed no unhappiness at all, but instead he looked at her with pain. “Wife, do you feel better after throwing up?”

And now he also used those gentle eyes to look at Beatrice with worry. “Wife, do you feel better?”

Jaxon’s face overlapped with the one in her memories. Beatrice’s eyes slowly grew wet. How she wished her sickness was also only a dream; between them, there had been no betrayal, only honesty and real love.

Seeing Beatrice crying without stopping, Jaxon nervously touched the back of her head. “Does it still hurt? The doctor said it was nothing serious, so I carried you back home. If it still hurts, we will go to the hospital to check again. I helped you change and wash your dirty clothes. Why did your period suddenly come? You lost so much blood.”

“Why are you suddenly treating me so well?” Beatrice avoided replying and only asked.

Jaxon laughed. “You are my wife. If I am not kind to you, who else would I treat well?”

As he spoke, he picked up the bowl beside the table, full of warm soup. “This is the soup I cooked after coming back. I have been waiting for you to wake. It is still warm now. Come drink it, don't catch a cold.”

Beatrice drank the whole bowl of soup with Jaxon’s hand helping her. This bowl of soup was completely different from Jaxon’s earlier cooking. He had not stayed in the kitchen for such a long time; his skills had already become rusty.

But now, for her, Jaxon had once again picked up the soup spoon. Thinking about this, her tears would not stop, no matter how hard she tried.

Jaxon gently wiped her tears. “Crying after only one fall? Alright, alright, I’m going to wash the bowl. You rest properly again.”

Beatrice quickly followed after Jaxon, grabbed the bowl, and walked toward the kitchen. While walking, she asked, “You’re here, then, Millicent, who is with…”

Before she finished speaking, her words caught in her throat and wouldn’t move.

She saw Sienna in the kitchen.

Sienna was dressed like the lady of the house, already changed into Beatrice’s home clothes, wearing a couple of slippers that belonged to her and Jaxon, looking at Beatrice in a provoking way.

“Why are you in my home?” Beatrice demanded.

Jaxon, behind her, quickly stepped forward, grabbed the bowl from Beatrice’s hand, and walked toward the sink. “Wife, I brought Sienna home.”

Sienna smoothly took the bowl from Jaxon’s hand. The two crowded together in front of the small sink, competing over that small bowl, their hands rubbing again and again under the running water.

They could act this close in front of her, behind her, would their touching be even more excessive? Beatrice felt her head splitting in pain. She wanted to shout; she wanted to scream.

“What are you doing?!” Beatrice shouted loudly as if calling back her own spirit.

Jaxon looked confused, set down the bowl in his hand, and frowned at Beatrice. “Why are you yelling like that?”

Sienna shook the water from her hands and pretended to explain in a worried way. “Sister Beatrice, don’t misunderstand Jaxon. You didn’t see how worried he was at the hospital.”

“I was worried about you too, so I came together with Jaxon and have been busy until now. How was the soup earlier? Did it match your taste? You also know I am careless and usually don’t enter the kitchen. For your sake, I even cut my finger.” Sienna spoke to Beatrice, but her eyes looked wronged as they turned toward Jaxon.

So the soup just now had been cooked by Sienna? No wonder it tasted salty and oily. If she had known it was made by Sienna, even if she were beaten to death, she would not have drunk it.

Beatrice wished she could throw it up right away.

Jaxon didn’t notice Beatrice’s response. Instead, he nervously caught Sienna’s hand and quickly checked her injury.

It was only a small cut. Without thinking, Jaxon put Sienna’s finger into his mouth, using his saliva to help stop the bleeding.

“There are bandages at home. Do you need to do this in front of me? Can you not even bear this?!” Beatrice stepped forward and struck at Jaxon, her sight already clouded by tears.

Jaxon let go of Sienna’s hand. His face showed panic for a second, and his brows drew together even more. “Sienna cares about you so much, and this is how you treat her? How can you not understand what is good for you!”

“Looks like you’re almost well. Sienna and I are going to the hospital to visit Millicent.” Jaxon pulled Sienna and quickly left the door, their backs almost counted as running away in fear.

What was left for Beatrice was only a bowl of bad-smelling soup and a house full of mess.