Chapter 5

Oscar walked through the door carrying a cake just as I finished putting down Nora's backpack.

Since that day, this was the first time he had come home. He did not look at me, only lifted the bag slightly in Nora's direction.

Little girls could never resist sweets.

"Yay! It is from Cloud Dessert! My favorite!"

As expected, Nora cheered in excitement and immediately followed Oscar into the dining room.

[This is hilarious. Oscar originally refused to come home to punish Kathy, but in the end, he could not hold out himself.]

[Oscar is not good with words, but this action is clearly his way of conceding to Kathy.]

I thought for a moment but did not stop Nora from spending time with Oscar. After all, he was her biological father. He would not harm her.

Turning around, I headed upstairs, planning to wash Nora's school uniform.

Just then, a voice message popped up. It was from the owner of Cloud Dessert.

Because Nora loved their cakes, I often bought from them, and over time, I added the owner on WhatsApp.

"Mrs. Astor, long time no see. I just wanted to check if you were satisfied with the two cakes Mr. Astor ordered today."

I froze.

Oscar ordered two cakes? But he only brought back one.

Cloud Dessert specialized in cartoon-themed cakes, and many parents usually ordered cakes for their children. The other cake must be ordered for Mila.

The owner continued introducing the cake.

"This is a new product from our store. It is made with a special cream, tastes better than before, and for the first time, we have added a whole pound of mango in the filling. If you are satisfied..."

Mango?

My expression changed, and I hurriedly asked, "It contains mango?"

"Yes, and Mr. Astor was aware of that. He..."

The moment I received confirmation, I dropped my phone without hesitation and rushed downstairs in a panic.

Oscar was no longer in the dining room.

On the table, the cake was nearly finished, only a small portion left.

Nora was scratching her face. When she saw me, she immediately pouted. "Mommy, I feel really bad."

Her whole body was covered in red rashes, and blisters had already formed around her mouth.

As soon as she finished speaking, she collapsed straight onto the floor with a loud thud.

My vision went black, and my mind went blank.

Like a madwoman, I grabbed my daughter and ran to the hospital.

It was only when I saw the doctor administering her anti-allergy treatment that my legs gave out, and I sank to the floor.

Mary arrived shortly after, bringing a change of clothes for Nora and a pair of shoes for me.

Only then did I belatedly look down.

I had not even been wearing shoes.

No wonder people had been giving me strange looks on the way here.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I had been so terrified.

When Nora was two, Oscar once fed her with a piece of mango, not knowing she was allergic. It had sent her straight into the emergency room. That was when we first discovered that Nora had a severe mango allergy, so severe that it could trigger anaphylactic shock.

Back then, Oscar was overwhelmed with guilt. He had even warned Mary sternly, "From now on, I do not want to see mango in this house. If you cannot remember that, then do not work here anymore."

I looked out the window.

Dark clouds devoured the blue sky. Waves of black rolled and churned, piling upon each other.

It was so heavy that I could not breathe.