Poisoned Indeed

"But…" Sean hesitated, looking at me. I pressed him, "What is it?"

"If they say they want to come to North Sea City, try to stall them."

"Why?" I asked, feigning displeasure, trying to gauge his intentions.

"You're still sick. If they see you, they'll just worry more."

Sean's consideration was indeed thorough. "Just tell them you're resting here for a while and will go back to Red River City to visit them. Don't let them stress too much; they're in their seventies, after all."

"Okay!" I agreed cheerfully, though a sense of unease stirred within me.

When I called my parents, I relayed Sean's suggestions. They were thrilled to hear my voice and asked numerous detailed questions about my time abroad.

With Sean's reminders in mind, I answered flawlessly. He stayed beside me, giving me thumbs-up and looking at me with admiration.

The call lasted a long time, and by the end, I felt almost breathless.

I didn't hide my state, jokingly teasing Sean, "If we talked any longer, I might have fainted!"

"Then go upstairs and rest for a while," he said softly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

Before I could head upstairs, Anna hurried down, rushing straight to the medicine cabinet.

Sean gave her a stern look, asking coldly, "What's wrong?"

"Um… Kyle seems to have a fever," Anna stammered.

"What?" I stood up abruptly, feeling a pang of remorse. I knew exactly why this was happening and felt a deep regret, but I still asked sharply, "How did he get a fever?"

Watching Anna closely, I noticed her guilty expression. "He might have caught a chill last night. I checked on him in the middle of the night… he had kicked off his blanket."

Hearing Anna's explanation, I inwardly cursed: Vile woman, what a smooth liar. She seemed completely oblivious to what had really happened.

I didn't ask further and went straight upstairs, Sean following closely behind.

In the children's room, I touched Kyle's forehead. It was burning hot, almost scorching to the touch.

"How did this happen?" I murmured, tears welling up in my eyes.

I truly regretted not covering him better last night. If I had, he wouldn't be sick now. I was so frustrated I wanted to bang my head against the wall.

Sean tried to comfort me. "Honey, don't worry. Kids get sick sometimes."

I saw Anna looking equally concerned. She placed a thermometer under Kyle's armpit, watching his little face intently, genuinely appearing anxious.

When she took out the thermometer, it showed a temperature of 39 degrees. Seeing the number, my tears fell. I kept blaming myself for being selfish, for not taking better care of him, and for letting him get caught up in this mess. He was so young, and I felt like a failure as a mother.

"We need to go to the hospital!" I told Sean urgently. "Hurry, let's go!"

Anna and I both bent down to pick up the child but ended up bumping into each other. The room spun for a moment as I nearly lost my balance.

Sean caught me, his voice cold. "Let Anna and me take him. Your health is poor; don't make it worse. It's not worth it!"

Anna's lips twitched into a slight smile as she wrapped Kyle in a light blanket, holding him in her arms triumphantly.

I stared at her, feeling a bit resentful.

Sean reassured me, "Go back to your room and rest. With me there, it'll be fine. We'll be back soon."

"But I…" I took a step towards Sean, still worried and wanting to say more, but he had already walked out swiftly.

Reluctantly, I followed them to the staircase, constantly giving instructions until I saw them hurry out. My heart was filled with mixed emotions.

This illness was because of me, and now, as a mother, I didn't even have the strength to care for him.

As the door closed, I retreated to my room. Watching Sean's car speed away from the window, I gave a bitter smile. It seemed that to them, the only place for me was in this room.

Before I could shake off my self-reproach, my phone, hidden close to me, vibrated. I took it out and saw a file from Inara. Absent-mindedly, I opened it.

But with just one glance, I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning.

Multiple organ weaknesses, high levels of heavy metals in the body, moderate poisoning. If it worsened, it could lead to organ failure, potentially fatal.

These words were terrifying.

As someone in the medical field, these terms hit me like a bolt from the blue. No wonder I felt so weak.

It turned out I was on the brink of death.

Just then, Inara's message came through again. I immediately video-called her. She looked grave as she appeared on screen, "Chloe, you saw the results? Honestly, I wasn't surprised by them."

"I was!" I replied, my teeth clenched, my heart aching.

We were silent for a long time before Inara spoke gently. She didn't scold me as she used to, "Don't worry! Director Han has already prepared a detailed treatment plan and has sourced antidotes from abroad, which should arrive in a few days. If they don't work, we'll resort to dialysis. You'll recover soon! None of us will give up on you! Chloe, don't worry!"

Her words brought tears to my eyes. "I don't ask to live forever; I just want to live long enough to exact my revenge! That's my reason for living!"

"I had Director Han conduct further analysis on those elements. The ingredients in this medication aren't traditional medicine at all; it's a rare chemical compound. Director Han said it can only be obtained on the black market!"