The Unveiled Rose
Chapter 9

"What?"

It took me forever to process that single sentence.

Stunned, I stared at Leander.

Didn't he say he dropped Nigel off at his grandma's?

His grandma knows about Nigel's health. She wouldn't let Nigel eat just anything. So why was Nigel in the hospital?

And how did Luna know about Nigel's condition?

"Which hospital?" Leander hastily picked up the clothes that had fallen on the floor and hurriedly dressed.

Through her tears, Luna told him the name of the hospital over the phone.

Worried sick about my child, I had no choice but to follow Leander.

It was then that he seemed to remember I was there.

I knew I looked furious, like I was on the verge of exploding, but I managed to hold it in.

He opened the car door and got in without a word.

I took the passenger seat.

The whole ride there, neither of us spoke.

My mind was a mess of information that slowly started to clear up during the twenty-minute drive.

So Leander had said he and Nigel had cut off contact with Luna. But he had taken Nigel to Luna's behind my back.

To keep me from suspecting anything, he even went as far as to distract me with the idea of having another child.

I turned to look out the window.

It turned out I was the only one in the family who wanted to go back to our old life and live peacefully.

Their loyalty had already shifted towards Luna...

...

Upon arriving at the hospital, I rushed to the infusion area.

In the vast space, Nigel was all alone. He was leaning against the wall, clearly asleep.

I walked over to him quickly, my heart aching and furious at the same time.

It pained me that he was so young and did not know right from wrong.

Yet adults who were fully aware of his delicate stomach indulged him, causing his frequent hospital visits.

What angered me was...

The main culprit had gotten him into this situation and didn't even stay to keep him company, leaving him all alone. She did not care whether he was scared or not.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

Then I sat down next to Nigel, careful not to disturb him, and gently supported his little head so that it rested on me.

"Amara, my son wanted you to be a stay-at-home mom and take good care of your kid. What happened?"

A sharp, accusatory voice came from the doorway.

I turned to see Leander's mother, Hattie.

She had just arrived, but in an attempt to cover her own neglect, she decided to attack first. "Under your so-called careful watch, Nigel's stomach problems flare up every other day..." Was she trying to shift the blame onto me?

I often held back when it came to conflicts with Leander's side of the family, not wanting to put him in a difficult position. But when it came to Nigel, I couldn't back down.

Careful not to wake the sleeping Nigel, I kept my voice low but couldn't hide my anger. "Mom, you know better than anyone who's been stressing his stomach."

"Of course, I do!" Hattie scoffed. "Amara, Nigel spends the most time with you. If you were willing to properly manage his diet, his stomach wouldn't be so weak. Even the smallest thing sends him to the hospital!"

I looked up, meeting her gaze.

All the frustration I'd been holding back came rushing out, and I finally raised my voice. "But when I was taking care of Nigel, he never had to be hospitalized for stomach issues."

Hattie was taken aback. "You..."

I didn't stop. "On the contrary, ever since you said you missed Nigel and demanded Leander drop him off at your place after work, his stomach issues began to flare up frequently. I even warned you not to feed him just anything. And what did you do?" I had grievances against my in-laws. But I always thought the issues were minor and, considering their love for Nigel, a simple talk would suffice.