After having breakfast, Nicole changed into a casual outfit and headed to the Seet Residence with Evan.
On the way there, Evan received two emergency calls from John. The content of their conversation confused Nicole.
Evan had told her that the company had finished all of its major projects, hence he was not busy. However, the phone call with John was all about such projects. It was obvious that the company needed Evan.
Why is he not in the office but here with me?
As soon as the question came to her mind, an answer emerged.
It’s because of my “madness”. There’s no other explanation besides this.
Instinctively, she clenched her fists to calm herself down.
When they arrived at the Seet Residence, all four children were present as it was a weekend. The moment Nicole showed herself, they all sprinted towards her.
Juan was the first to reach her. “Mommy, you look beautiful today; your face is brimming with energy.” He then flashed a bright smile and continued, “I’m going to catch a bad person with Uncle Davin, so I’ll be off now.”
“What bad person?” Nicole probed.
Juan stuck out his tongue playfully and answered, “The bad person who got Mommy into jail.”
Nicole kept quiet.
She figured that Juan was talking about Susan.
Juan’s going to catch Susan?
Nicole turned towards Evan. Knowing what was on her mind, Evan explained, “Juan’s tracking skill is top-notch so we should utilize his strength and train him further.”
Makes sense. And since he’s with Davin, Juan will be safe from harm.
She gave Juan a pat on the head and told him to be careful. “It’s alright if you don’t succeed, okay? Safety first.”
Huh? Does Mommy not think I can catch her? I’ll have to prove myself then!
After seeing Juan and Davin off, Maya approached Nicole and did a twirl. “Mommy, do you notice anything different?”
Nicole gave her daughter’s face a slight pinch and remarked, “You look thinner and your body looks fitter. Maya, you have lost quite some weight.”
“Wow, Mommy. If even you noticed, that means I really did lose weight! Yes! Hahaha!”
Maya had been trying to lose weight for years now. The fact that she was finally seeing results greatly excited her.
Kyle looked at Nicole and handed her the music box he made. “Mommy, you should listen to relaxing music like this more often. It’s good for you.”
“Thank you, Kai.”
Nicole felt bittersweet as she accepted his gift.
The sweetness came from seeing how mature and thoughtful Kyle had grown to be. The bitterness, however, stemmed from her realization that something was definitely wrong with herself. It was severe enough that even the young kids were showing signs of concern.
“Mommy,” Nina called out, “Mommy, look. I learned some new makeup techniques today. The teacher also said I’ll definitely grow up to be a superstar in the makeup world.” She showed her mother photos of her work after making her proud announcement.
Nicole looked at her skinny daughter. “I believe your teacher, and I believe you can definitely make it, too.”
Hearing her mother’s acknowledgment and encouragement, a dazzling smile lit up on Nina’s face.
All of a sudden, Nicole held up Nina’s slim hand. She could not stop herself from looking at the child’s shoulder.
I’ll need to help her change clothes if I want to check whether there are any bite marks. Thank goodness we were at the mall just now and I bought her some clothes.
“Nina, Maya. Mommy bought you some new clothes. Let’s go try them out and see if they fit.”
The girls gladly agreed since they loved getting new clothes.
While they were changing, Nicole noticed a deep bite mark on Nina’s shoulder. She had come mentally prepared but was nevertheless stupefied by what she saw. A sense of shock and heartache overcame her.
“Nina, what happened to your shoulder?”
Nina looked at her scar and realized she had made a huge mistake. Oh, no! Mommy’s not supposed to see this!
She immediately picked up a T-shirt and tried to slip it on. However, Nicole stopped her and gently touched the bite marks. “Does it hurt?”
