Chapter 3
Nicole booked a cab from the roadside and began searching for flights. She was ready to head straight
for the airport.
Just then, Jeremiah called. “Mrs. Spencer, when exactly are you planning to go abroad for conservative
treatment?”
The dim streetlamp cast a long, lonely shadow of her slender figure onto the pavement. She lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on the darkness beneath her.
“I’m on my way to the airport now,” she answered.
Jeremiah’s voice sharpened. “You can’t! You have a brain tumor, which means your intracranial pressure isn’t like that of others! Flying like this could trigger serious complications. You must take a fit–to–fly
assessment first!”
Nicole froze. What?
She had everything ready, and tonight was supposed to be her clean break. Now, she couldn’t even leave!
Jeremiah exhaled, seemingly relieved he had caught her in time. “Come to the hospital tomorrow. I’ll run some tests and evaluate whether it’s safe for you to fly.”
The call ended as the cab arrived. The driver rolled down the window and inquired, “Ma’am, are you still
getting in?”
Nicole hesitated before replying, “Yeah. To the Bluemoon Hotel, please.”
She avoided Hayden’s properties and checked into a quiet, discreet hotel. After settling in, she immersed herself in a hot bath, her eyes closed as she went over her next moves in quiet contemplation.
If she couldn’t fly, she could take a ship. It would be slower, but she could at least enjoy the scenery along the way. A few days on the water–three to five at most–wasn’t a bad escape at all.
A sudden tickle on her nose interrupted her thoughts about the route. She tried to fight off the drowsiness, but when she looked down, she saw delicate red blooms swirling in the water–blood.
Panic seized her as she quickly wiped her nose and pinched it shut to stop the bleeding. A few minutes later, she climbed out and dried off, finally letting the crushing drowsiness claim her.
Her phone stayed silent the entire time. Maybe Hayden had already read the letter; maybe he was glad she finally stepped aside for Gloria.
Nicole curled up on the bed and, before she knew it, drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, she got up, got dressed, and was about to head to the hospital when her phone suddenly rang. She was startled to see “Ms. Clark” flashing as the caller ID.
Annie Clark was Matthew’s homeroom teacher.
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Nicole hesitated for a moment before answering the call. “Hello, Ms. Clark-”
“Mrs. Spencer, could you come over to the school for a while? Matthew got into a fight with another kid in
his class and scratched his forehead until it bled.”
“The kid’s father is at the school right now demanding an explanation,” Annie said, her voice tight with urgency as she quickly explained the situation.
Out of pure maternal instinct, Nicole was worried about Matthew. “How’s Matthew? Is he hurt badly?”
“He’s not,” Annie said with a sigh, “but he’s refusing to apologize. The other parent is furious.”
Nicole paused for a second. It was a weekday, and Hayden was probably buried in meetings. Normally, anything related to school had always fallen on her shoulders, and this time wouldn’t be an exception.
She saw this as one last kindness for her son, a final act of grace before she left for good.
The thought of Matthew sitting there alone, surrounded by angry adults and teachers, made her heart
ache. She tightened her coat and headed straight to the school.
When she got out of the car, she headed straight toward Annie’s office. She imagined Matthew sitting
there, looking small and helpless, maybe even scared. Her pace quickened instinctively.
A soft, sweet voice drifted into the hallway, reaching her before she even stepped into the office.
“It’s not like Matt started it for no reason. He didn’t do his homework and got scolded by the teacher.
When he was feeling down, your kid kept taunting him for not getting a gold star. That’s what led to the
fight. So, how is it fair to blame it all on Matt? What do you say, Mr. Holmes?”
Nicole froze, her heart shuddering. She quickened her footsteps toward the office, her breath hitched, and saw her–Gloria. Her figure, clad in a pale strapless dress with her hair half–pinned by a white ribbon, stood with an elegance that seemed almost ethereal.
Hayden, in a sleek black suit with his broad shoulders and trim waist, stood beside her. Matthew, the son Nicole had poured her heart and soul into raising, now clung sweetly to Gloria’s hand, all snuggled up by
her side.
The three of them looked nothing less than a happy and united family.
Across from them, Scottie Holmes‘ father went from angry to being soothed by Gloria’s soft and
reasonable words.
Gloria lowered her gaze with a smile and gently ruffled Matthew’s hair. “Matt, why don’t you apologize to
Scottie now?”
Matthew pouted but obediently walked over to apologize. The two boys shook hands, and the situation
was resolved without Nicole’s involvement.
A few teachers standing nearby let out a collective breath of relief. One of them turned to Gloria with an
admiring gaze.
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“Mrs. Spencer, you truly have a way with children. Matt wouldn’t listen to anyone earlier, and yet with just a few words from you, he was all ears.”
Hayden’s expression tightened into a frown. “She’s not-”
Scottie’s father, Gregory Holmes, laughed and cut in. “Oh, you’re lucky to have a wife like her, Mr. Spencer. Unlike me, my wife is always so angry and high–strung! You two look perfect together!”
Hayden’s jaw tensed. His eyes darkened into an unamused glint as he stated, “She’s not his mother.”
At that, Gloria’s smile faltered for just a second, but she quickly pulled Matthew close in a soft embrace. The latter screamed, “Ms. Ashford may not be my mother, but she’s still way better than Mommy!”
The air in the room instantly changed. Hayden’s gaze snapped to Matthew, a clear warning in his eyes.
From a distance, Nicole saw and heard it all. Her chest tightened, the sensations of blurred vision and nausea returning in waves. She gripped the doorframe for balance, watching helplessly as her world tilted
again.
In that fractured moment, Nicole resembled a flower left out in the cold, shriveled from sickness and neglect, while everyone she once thought was family leaned closer toward Gloria, a vibrant bloom she
could never be.
It was at that moment that Matthew turned and spotted Nicole.
“Mommy!” he shouted, breaking free from Gloria’s hands and running toward the door.
Hayden didn’t hesitate either. He stepped away and moved toward Nicole.
The image of her oncoming family stunned her a little, but the next moment, Matthew grabbed the hem of her dress with surprising strength for a child.
His face stormed with anger as he shrieked, “It’s all your fault! You didn’t make me do my homework last night! If you did, I wouldn’t have missed out on my gold star!
“Scottie wouldn’t have made fun of me, and we wouldn’t have gotten into a fight! It’s all because of you!”
He yanked her hand and then pushed her away. Even a child’s strength was enough to throw the frail
Nicole off balance.
Already dizzy and weak, she stumbled back, teetering on the edge of collapse before falling into a pair of
warm arms.
Holding her close, Hayden stared down at Matthew and chided, “Apologize to your mother, Matthew! Who taught you to be so disrespectful? Would you not have done your homework if no one was watching? You’re old enough to be responsible for your own homework!”
At home, Hayden had always been firm and strict with Matthew.
Trembling at the intensity of his father’s anger, Matthew fell silent. His eyes brimmed with tears as his lips. pursed into a thin line, refusing to speak a word of either protest or apology.
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Nicole found her footing and gently pushed Hayden away. He instantly noticed her unease and turned to her, full of concern. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head.
Unable to ignore the emotion in her eyes, Hayden squeezed her hand to steady her. He then looked back at Matthew and said firmly, “Apologize now, Matthew!”
Matthew flinched, visibly shaken by the scolding. Gloria, standing in the back, shifted her expression. Her eyes fixed on the intertwined hands of Nicole and Hayden, then quickly pulled away and stepped forward with a gentle laugh.
“Hayden, you don’t have to shout like that. Poor Matt just got reprimanded by his teacher and got into a fight. It’s only natural that he’s moody. I’m sure his mother understands, right?”
Nicole lifted her gaze and met Gloria’s eyes. Due to their proximity, she noticed Gloria carried the same faint scent of citrus she had smelled on Hayden the night before.
A cold shiver ran through her, and she reflexively pulled her hand away from his.
Gloria offered a warm smile, not missing a beat at Nicole’s silence. “Hayden, since this is my first time meeting Matt’s mother, shouldn’t you formally introduce us?”
Hayden’s expression stiffened at that.
Chapter 4
