Elina spent the entire day forcing herself through patient consultations, barely making it to the end of her shift. After grabbing a quick bite, she returned to her dorm and collapsed into bed, falling into a deep sleep that even the buzzing of her phone couldn’t disturb.
At the villa, Jack stared at the unanswered call on his phone, his expression darkening to an almost frightening degree.
“Daddy, weren’t you supposed to pick up Aunt Elowyn today?” Jaslyn blinked her big, bright eyes at him, her voice filled with pleading. “Aunt Elowyn just called me! She said she’ll sleep with me tonight.”
Even Aunt Elowyn knew she was scared to sleep alone, but her mom insisted she sleep by herself under the excuse of teaching her independence!
Jack pressed a hand to his aching stomach, his brows furrowed as he brushed her off. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
He then turned to the housekeeper in the kitchen. “Bring me some antacid and warm water.”
The housekeeper quickly put down her work and rushed over with the medicine kit, but after rummaging through it, she only found some painkillers.
“Mr. Mansor, after we cleared out the expired medicine last time, there hasn’t been any antacid left in the house. Mrs. Mansor always took care of you and Jaslyn’s meals, and your stomach hasn’t acted up in a long time.”
Jack’s face froze, then quickly twisted into anger. “Why are you telling me all this? If there’s no medicine, why didn’t you go buy more?”
The housekeeper stood up, glancing worriedly at Jaslyn before leaving. “Jaslyn still needs a bath tonight. I might be a little late coming back.”
“She can skip a night. It’s fine.”
Jack’s fingers pressed harder against his stomach as the pain intensified.
After the housekeeper left, he was sweating heavily from the pain. He grabbed the painkillers and swallowed them down without thinking.
Without Elina around, he didn’t even realize that stomach pain was the one thing one absolutely shouldn’t treat with painkillers. As the cramps grew worse, he still had no idea he had taken the wrong medication.
Jaslyn, meanwhile, was thrilled she wouldn’t have to take a bath tonight. But seeing her father curled up in pain, she ran over, concerned. “Daddy, does your tummy hurt a lot?”
She jumped down from the couch and came back carrying a tub of ice cream.
“Aunt Elowyn says if something hurts, you can put something cold on it! Ice cream should help your tummy!”
Jack was curled up in agony, barely hearing her.
He never imagined that missing just one day of Elina’s cooking would mess up his body this badly.
Jaslyn, seeing her father trembling from the pain, knew the housekeeper had gone out to get medicine. She cheered him on, trying to be encouraging. “Hang in there, Daddy! When the housekeeper comes back, you can take your medicine!”
The ice cream was starting to melt in her hands. After hesitating a moment, she stuck out her tongue for a taste.
So sweet! Ice cream was like an irresistible temptation for a child. Before long, she had eaten the entire tub. By the time the housekeeper returned, she found one adult and one child curled up on the couch—one drenched in cold sweat from the pain, the other crying for her mother.
The housekeeper panicked and immediately called an ambulance. She had only been gone an hour. How had everything turned into such a mess?
No, it wasn’t just tonight. Ever since Elina had stopped living at home, the habits of this father and daughter had already started falling apart.
Soon, flashing lights announced the arrival of the ambulance, and they rushed the barely conscious pair to the hospital.
Back at the dorm, Elina woke up groggily to the sound of her phone vibrating.
Half-asleep, she answered it. On the other end, a colleague’s urgent voice said, “Dr. Ford, get to the ER right away!”
Hearing the panic in her coworker’s voice, Elina thought it must be a complicated case. As a doctor living closest to the hospital, she didn’t waste a second. She hung up, threw on her clothes, and rushed over.
In the ER, after being stabilized, the two patients were sent to separate wards.
Elina made it to the duty room. “What’s the situation?”
Jenny Smith, the on-call doctor, pointed to a room across the hall. “Two cases of acute gastroenteritis.”
Elina frowned. “That’s not exactly serious.”
“It’s your husband and daughter,” Jenny said, puzzled. “You’re staying at the dorm? You haven’t been in touch with your family? You didn’t know they came in?”
Elina thought she had misheard. “They have gastroenteritis?”
“The housekeeper said one had stomach pains and took painkillers, and the kid ate a whole tub of ice cream…”
Before Jenny even finished, Elina turned and hurried to the pediatric ward.
She didn’t care much about Jack, but Jaslyn, no matter how much disappointment her daughter had caused her, was still the child she had carried for nine months. That bond was something she couldn’t turn off, no matter how hurt she was.
On the hospital bed, little Jaslyn’s face was pale, her tiny brow tightly furrowed.
The housekeeper sat beside her. When she saw Elina walk in, she looked relieved. “Mrs. Mansor, you’re here.”
Elina took the damp cloth from her hand. “I’ll do it.”
Jaslyn was drenched in sweat. Elina gently wiped down her trembling little body, her brows knitted together in worry.
“Mrs. Mansor, you really should come home,” the housekeeper said, her voice soft. “Since you left, Mr. Mansor and Jaslyn have been eating out. That’s why this happened…”
Elina’s heart softened a little, but when she leaned closer, she heard Jaslyn murmuring in her sleep.
“Mommy’s here. Jaslyn, don’t be scared.”
“Aunt Elowyn… my tummy hurts…”
Elina’s body stiffened. She let out a bitter laugh. She hurt for her daughter. She had thought Jaslyn would need her most in her most vulnerable moment, but in reality, even her own child had already replaced her with someone else.
Elina quietly finished wiping Jaslyn down, then personally took her temperature before turning to the housekeeper.
“I’ll give you a meal plan. Until Jaslyn recovers, make sure she sticks to it.”
The housekeeper nodded and asked cautiously, “Mrs. Mansor, when will you come home?”
“I’m not coming back,” Elina said. She dried her hands, walked to the door, and glanced back at her daughter, who looked a little more comfortable in bed. “If anything happens, call me directly.”
The housekeeper let out a quiet sigh. “Okay.”
Just as Elina closed the door and was about to leave, a cold, familiar voice called out behind her.
“How long are you planning to keep this up? Jaslyn’s sick, and you’re still not coming home?”
She turned, her gaze sweeping over Jack with indifference. “Taking care of a child isn’t just my responsibility. You can’t even manage her on your own. What right do you have to blame me?”
Jack stood there, stunned. She had never spoken to him like this before, especially about anything concerning their child.
“This is all because you’re throwing a tantrum,” he said, his face pale, his voice grim. “If you can live with yourself, then don’t ever come home again!”
Elina chuckled coldly. “Sign the divorce papers, and you’ll get exactly what you want.”
“You…” Jack clenched his jaw, but before he could say anything more, a sweet, delicate voice interrupted.
“Elina, Jack’s already sick like this, and you’re still talking to him like that? Don’t you care about him at all? It’s not like he wanted Jaslyn to get sick,” Elowyn said, hurrying to Jack’s side and supporting him, looking at him with nothing but concern.