Adrian rubbed his temples and waved me away. "Go make dinner. By the time Leo wakes up, we can all eat together."
Vivian's eyes lit up at once, and she stepped forward eagerly. "No, let me cook. Vanessa can help me. I've missed five years of Leo's life. It's time I made up for it."
Adrian did not object. That was approval enough.
The moment we entered the kitchen, Vivian leaned against the counter scrolling through her phone while barking orders at me. "Don't think that staying by Adrian's side for five years means you can replace me. You were never more than a substitute."
I said nothing and kept my attention on the food sizzling in the pan.
For more than twenty years, I had lived as a pampered heiress who had never set foot in a kitchen. Yet after five years of marriage to Adrian, I had become more skilled at housework than anyone.
Vivian frowned at the pale-looking dishes in the pan. "You're not seasoning that at all?"
I plated the food calmly. "Leo is picky. If the flavor is too strong, he won't eat it."
Vivian scoffed. "I don't believe that for a second. Just watch."
A knock came at the door, and Vivian's takeout arrived. My gaze dropped to the bags in her hands. Fried chicken, barbecue, all the junk food Adrian had strictly forbidden Leo from eating.
Yet when Vivian strutted past him with the food, Adrian only smiled at her indulgently. "You may be used to living freely, but raising a child isn't that simple." Even then, he was quick to excuse her. "Still, one meal won't hurt."
I checked the time and figured Leo would be awake by now, so I carried the dishes to the table and called everyone to eat. When I turned around, I froze.
Leo sat beside the couch with his mouth crammed full of fried chicken while Vivian held another drumstick to his lips. His cheeks were so puffed out he looked moments away from choking.
I rushed over and reached into his mouth to pull the excess food out, but Vivian slapped my hand away. Her sharp nails scraped across the back of my hand, leaving angry red welts.
"You just can't stand seeing Leo and me get along, can you?" she snapped. "I'm feeding my own son, and you still have to interfere?"
I opened my mouth to explain, but before I could speak, Leo suddenly went limp in my arms. He lost consciousness without warning and collapsed against me.
Vivian immediately screamed, "Look what you did! You hurt him!"
Panicked, I caught Leo's head and shouted for Adrian, "Get the car! We need to take him to the hospital right now!"
Vivian grabbed Adrian's arm. "It's nothing serious. Why rush to the hospital over this?"
I cut her off with a scream. "Drive!"
Adrian stared at me for a long moment. Then, seeing the terror on my face, he finally turned and went for the car.
We rushed Leo to the hospital and sent him straight into the ER. Only after the doors swung shut behind him did I dare breathe again.
When the doctor emerged, his expression was grim.
"How could anyone give a child this young sleeping pills?" he demanded. "He took sedatives and then ate greasy, salty food. The combination caused this."
Before I could even process his words, Vivian struck first.
"Vanessa, no matter how difficult Leo is, you can't drug him just to make your life easier. Even if it makes things easier for you, what about his health?"
Adrian's voice turned icy. "So this is how you've been putting him to sleep all these years? How could you be so cruel? He's your sister's child!"
They closed in on me together, accusation after accusation raining down until I could barely breathe.
For five years, I had spent countless sleepless nights coaxing Leo to sleep. Adrian had seen every one of them. And yet now he stood there, letting Vivian pin all the blame on me.
Everyone in the hallway turned to stare.
My voice trembled. "It wasn't me…"
Then it hit me, Leo sleeping unnaturally sound in Vivian's arms.
I pointed at her. "It was her. She gave Leo the sleeping pills!"
Forcing myself to stay calm, I said, "Leo has always been hard to put down. Vivian has no experience with children, yet she got him to sleep within minutes…"
"Enough!"
Adrian grabbed my arm and hurled me aside.
I crashed to the floor, and agony shot through my ankle as it twisted beneath me. It swelled almost at once, leaving me unable to stand.
Adrian stepped protectively in front of Vivian, his gaze hard with accusation. "Stop lying. You're only bitter because Vivian came back. You're afraid she'll take back the life you stole, so now you're framing her."
Struggling to lift my head, I turned to Leo, who had only just regained consciousness. "Leo… tell them the truth. In all the years I put you to bed, did I ever give you medicine?"
After five years under Adrian's influence, I knew Leo had never truly respected me. Still, I had raised him with care. I had taught him right from wrong. At the very least, I believed he would tell the truth.
Instead, his answer shattered me.
"Every night… you gave me milk before bed. And I always got sleepy after… I don't know…"
Then I saw it, the candy clutched in his little fist.
Vivian had slipped it to him moments earlier.
She crouched beside him, her voice syrupy with false gentleness. "Leo, are you sure you're telling the truth? If Aunt Vanessa gets blamed unfairly, she'll be kicked out of the Foster family."
Another piece of candy appeared in Leo's hand.
He nodded without hesitation. "I'm telling the truth!"
Those four words extinguished something inside me.
I had stayed in the Foster family for Leo. I had raised him with everything I had, yet all it took to buy his betrayal was two pieces of candy.
In that moment, the five years I had devoted to him felt like the cruelest joke of my life.
Aksara