“Why won’t you be here?” Summer asked curiously, her wide eyes blinking up at me.
“Um…” I grew silent, pretending to contemplate her words for a long while. “Because your current school is very far from home, and Uncle John and I will have to travel very far to take you there and back. And right now, there are some bad people who want to hurt me and Uncle John. If you continue to go to that school, then we might get hurt, or worse, never be able to see you again. That’s why we might not be here anymore.”
Summer’s cheeks immediately puffed up in indignation, eyes filling with tears as she threw her blanket off and clung onto my arm tightly. “I don’t want you and Uncle John to go away, Mommy! I don’t want the bad guys to hurt you! I’ll change schools, so please don’t leave me behind…”
I felt upset watching her cry her heart out, but there was nothing else I could do. This white lie would serve to shield her from Jared’s attempts to hurt her.
“Shh, it’s okay,” I cooed quietly, patting Summer’s back reassuringly. “You’re a big girl now, Summer. You need to stay strong and take care of your little siblings, not cry all the time, right?”
She swiftly lifted her head at the mention of her siblings, clumsily wiping away her snot and tears and sitting up straight in her best impression of a grown-up. “I won’t cry anymore! I’ll do my best to protect Mommy and the babies! So please ask Uncle John to help me change schools; I can make new friends, I promise!”
It felt like Summer had instantly matured within the span of a few seconds.
It had been hard for her to get used to her family members after returning from the chemical plant, let alone fit in and make new friends at school.
I wondered if the change in her had anything to do with Jared in the back of my mind, but I quickly got rid of that thought.
How could the same man who plotted for years and almost killed Summer just switch her personality on command?
The next morning, I brought Summer to the hospital for another health check-up.
Thankfully, the doctors found nothing wrong with her, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Remembering how much Jackson doted on Summer, I thought of bringing her to visit him while at the hospital. It was only after we reached his ward that I realized Nick had already arranged for Jackson to move into another private, more expensive hospital.
With nothing else left to do, I brought Summer home.
The elevator doors slid open with a quiet ding, revealing a familiar stoic face.
Ashton was in the elevator, his expression completely unreadable as Thora stood beside him. She had gone for a lighter, more natural makeup today, but she had on a displeased frown. Even so, the sight of them together was, objectively speaking, somewhat aesthetically pleasing.
The air around us instantly dropped several degrees in temperature.
Completely oblivious to the tension, Summer lit up and ran forward to hug Ashton’s legs, beaming up at him. “Daddy!”
Ashton couldn’t react much because of Thora’s presence, but he reached down and gently patted the top of Summer’s head. “Hi there,” he greeted casually.
“Mommy!” Summer looked back at me over her shoulder, her eyes shining with anticipation. “Let’s eat lunch with Daddy!”
Oh, sweet child. Your daddy is busy being a spy right now. He has no time for a family lunch.
Sighing wryly, I stepped into the elevator and squeezed myself in between the two adults. “Daddy’s busy with work today, Summer,” I told her gently, pulling her to stand with me. “Let’s not cause any more trouble for him, okay? We’ll eat lunch with Uncle John, and then I’ll cook your favorite grilled eel. How does that sound?”
“Amazing!” she replied without even thinking twice before realizing that something wasn’t right here. She kept glancing between me and then Ashton, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion.
Turning her attention to Thora, Summer tilted her head in surprise.
Thora had likely been waiting for this exact moment, meeting Summer’s gaze as she put on a pretty, gentle smile. “You must be Summer, right? You’re adorable! Your daddy has told me a lot about you,” she praised in a soft voice.
