Feeling confused, Nicole turned towards Nina instead.
Nina glanced at Evan and answered exactly the way he told her to. “What Maya said was right, Mommy. Daddy was never poisoned, nor did he leave us with a note or anything. You fainted after coughing up some blood, so we sent you to the hospital, that’s all.”
Nicole recalled that she coughed up blood after reading Evan’s letter.
“That only happened because I read your daddy’s letter.”
Maya kept quiet.
Daddy lied about being poisoned to teach Mommy a lesson and bring us closer as a family, but he’s afraid that she would get mad about it. That’s why he told us to act like it was all a dream!
Nina smiled at Nicole and said, “You coughed up blood because your body was still weak from therapy, Mommy! It had nothing to do with Daddy!”
Is that so?
Nicole couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about it and took a good long look at them.
I still remember the contents of that letter as well as the pain I felt when I read it… It feels too real to be a dream… Ugh, I can’t even tell what’s real and what isn’t anymore… Regardless, this has taught me a valuable lesson…
She looked at Evan and asked in a very serious tone, “Evan… Assuming you were to fall ill one day or maybe even get poisoned… Would you leave me?”
“No, I won’t!” Evan replied without any hesitation.
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and vowed, “That’s good to hear… Well, I won’t leave you either, so you’d better take good care of me!”
“Don’t worry, I will!” Evan said with a smile.
I’m going to stay by your side, Nicole… We’ll be together in sickness and in health, till death do us part…
Nicole didn’t doubt his promise in the slightest. From that moment on, she told him everything, down to the most minute detail. If she had a craving for something, he’d know. If she felt remotely ill, he’d be the first to find out.
As for Evan, he enjoyed how honest and dependent she was on him from the bottom of his heart.
Whatever barriers they had between them were now gone, and they could finally go through challenges in life together.
Soon, Nicole was discharged and returned to Imperial Garden with them.
A smile spread across Kyle’s face when he saw his mommy looking bright and happy again.
“How are you feeling, Mommy?”
“Mommy’s fine, Kai. I heard you’re going to further your studies too. As much as I’m gonna miss you, it’s important that you pick up new skills which will benefit you in life later on.”
“Don’t worry, Mommy. I won’t let you down!”
After sending Kyle off, Nina and Maya were the only children left in Imperial Garden.
The two of them continued to look after Nicole while keeping up with schoolwork and their own personal affairs.
Nina was working especially hard as her cosmetics press conference was only a few days away. She didn’t want to make any careless mistakes that would affect the release of her new product.
Maya couldn’t help but admire how focused she was on her work. Should I have Daddy prepare a culinary press conference for me as well? Hmm… No, I should first aim to have my own cookbook before going for a press conference. That way, I can show people a lot more than just a couple of dishes! Nina has always been better than me in everything except when it comes to food, so I’ve got to put in more effort if I am to outshine her in something!
