A Family of Three

In the spacious living room, Sean sat on the sofa, playing with Kyle in his arms. Beside him, Anna leaned naturally against Sean. This scene was reminiscent of when we first had our daughter years ago—a harmonious and warm family picture, with the husband and wife in sync and the child adding charm to the moment.

The bowl of medicine in my hand slipped and shattered on the floor with a loud crash. The three people on the sofa turned to look at me. Anna reacted swiftly, rushing over to me, "Ma'am, why did you come down? I was just about to bring the bowl to you. Don't move, be careful not to step on the shards!" Her response was completely unperturbed, as if the intimate scene I had just witnessed was a commonplace occurrence in a familiar family.

I was at a loss for words. Has this household reached such a level of harmony? Sean, holding Kyle, also rushed towards me, "Chloe, don't move! Anna, what are you waiting for? Clean this up quickly!" He commanded Anna with urgency, his eyes fixed on the broken bowl on the floor, worried it might hurt me.

Was what I saw just now a hallucination, or had their interactions always been so casual? Anna hurriedly brought a broom, swiftly cleaning up the shards at my feet, constantly apologizing and appearing very humble.

I stood there, petrified, trying to process the scene I had just witnessed. It wasn't until Anna had cleared the shards and Sean wrapped his arms around me that I snapped back to reality, staring blankly at him. The urgent desire to see him, my dependence, and the grievances in my heart dissolved into nothingness, leaving me with one question: Don't they owe me an explanation?

Sean, holding the stunned me, handed the child over to Anna. Kyle's soft, white hands immediately wrapped around her neck, nuzzling her face. I pushed Sean away and took the child directly from Anna's arms, secretly thinking: This is my child, and you treat him as your prop? Anna froze, her face full of embarrassment, "Ma'am, I..." She looked innocent, but I wanted to slap her. However, seeing the child in my arms, I restrained myself and told myself to stay calm.

"Go prepare the meal," I ordered coldly. She nodded and went to the kitchen. Then I turned to Sean and asked, "Honey, do you still need to go to the exhibition this afternoon? Weren't you supposed to come back in the evening?" Sean, seemingly indifferent to Anna, hugged me and sat me on the sofa without paying her any particular attention.

Did Sean not notice Anna's close behavior just now? Or had he subconsciously mistaken her for me? Ignoring my scrutiny, Sean calmly replied, "I do. I just came back to pick up some samples and thought I'd check on you and grab a bite to eat. As soon as I came in, this little guy clung to me!" His explanation was reasonable, not mentioning the previous scene at all, as if nothing had happened. Was it just me being sensitive, or had such "closeness" become normal during my unconscious days?

Kyle struggled in my arms, reaching out to Sean and calling, "Nanny." Sean took him and said, "Let me hold him. He's getting heavy now!" My heart sank. "Nanny" referred to Anna. This child wasn't close to me at all. Since giving birth to him, I had been sick, sleeping heavily and waking up in a daze, unable to take care of him. So, Anna had been looking after him. After I fell ill, our eldest was sent to a boarding school, only coming home on Saturdays. Our second child was taken care of by his grandmother, leaving only Kyle with us.

Watching Sean with the child, I suddenly had a chilling realization: had Anna tampered with my medicine from the beginning? What was her goal? Was it just my husband she was after, or did she want to take my children too? This woman was terrifying; the more I thought about it, the more scared I became. No, she couldn't stay. I couldn't give her any more chances to ruin my family.

I snapped back to reality and looked at Sean. He was lost in affection, kissing Kyle, his love evident. Seeing their father-son interaction, I felt a pang of guilt. How could a husband like this conspire with a nanny? But Anna's ambitions were clear, and this matter needed to be resolved quickly to prevent further damage.

Having made up my mind, I wanted to test Sean, but just as I was about to speak, Anna walked out with a bottle, "Sir, Ma'am, dinner is ready!" I swallowed my words. I couldn't act rashly without understanding Sean's thoughts. The earlier scene was telling enough. Besides, Kyle was still young and attached to Anna. I wasn't strong enough to take over his care myself. If Anna dared to harm me, a defenseless child would be an easy target.

I reached out to Anna, "Give me the bottle, I'll feed Kyle." But Kyle bounced happily towards Anna, not looking at me, his eyes only on his "Nanny." I stubbornly tried to take Kyle from Sean's arms, but he impatiently pushed my hand away, reaching for Anna instead.

Sean handed him over to Anna and then gently helped me up, "Come on, let's eat. Otherwise, you'll get tired again soon! Food works faster than medicine!" His casual remark made my heart skip a beat. It seemed Sean was unaware of the medicine's secret, or he wouldn't have said that. He meant to encourage me to eat more and take less medicine. This reminded me to not appear too energetic, as the lethargy after taking the medicine wasn't my current state.

I reluctantly gave in, watching Kyle, silently vowing that my son would be mine again once I got rid of Anna. Under Sean's care, I ate a lot. He watched me with joy, smiling continuously.

"Why are you smiling?" I asked.

"You silly girl, I'm happy to see you have an appetite!" Sean said lovingly, patting my hand on the table.