Feeling confused, Nicole turned towards Nina instead.
Nina glanced at Evan and answered exactly the way he told her to. âWhat 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, thatâs all.â
Nicole recalled that she coughed up blood after reading Evanâs letter.
âThat only happened because I read your daddyâs letter.â
Maya kept quiet.
Daddy lied about being poisoned to teach Mommy a lesson and bring us closer as a family, but heâs afraid that she would get mad about it. Thatâs why he told us to act like it was all a dream!
Nina smiled at Nicole and said, âYou coughed up blood because your body was still weak from therapy, Mommy! It had nothing to do with Daddy!â
Is that so?
Nicole couldnât 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 canât even tell whatâs real and what isnât anymore⦠Regardless, this has taught me a valuable lessonâ¦
She looked at Evan and asked in a very serious tone, âEvan⦠Assuming you were to fall ill one day or maybe even get poisoned⦠Would you leave me?â
âNo, I wonât!â Evan replied without any hesitation.
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and vowed, âThatâs good to hear⦠Well, I wonât leave you either, so youâd better take good care of me!â
âDonât worry, I will!â Evan said with a smile.
Iâm going to stay by your side, Nicole⦠Weâll be together in sickness and in health, till death do us partâ¦
Nicole didnât 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, heâd know. If she felt remotely ill, heâd 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 Kyleâs face when he saw his mommy looking bright and happy again.
âHow are you feeling, Mommy?â
âMommyâs fine, Kai. I heard youâre going to further your studies too. As much as Iâm gonna miss you, itâs important that you pick up new skills which will benefit you in life later on.â
âDonât worry, Mommy. I wonât let you down!â
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 didnât want to make any careless mistakes that would affect the release of her new product.
Maya couldnât 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 Iâve got to put in more effort if I am to outshine her in something!