Felicity twisted around and pulled a silly face at Harrison. “Selene’s misunderstood us again. I’ll go talk to her and clear things up!”
“Save your breath. That woman looks for reasons to be hurt,” Harrison replied,,his voice cool and indifferent. His gaze drifted to the half–eaten birthday cake Selene had left behind, a faint furrow appearing between his brows.-
With Harrison putting his foot down, everyone else visibly relaxed.
So Selene stormed out in a huff–big deal.
The others quickly chimed in, eager to smooth things over. “She’s just upset,
Harrison. Just talk to her when you get home, she’ll come around.”
“Yeah, there’s no way she’d actually divorce you. Everyone knows Selene nearly lost her life just trying to give you a child.”
“She’ll probably regret it the moment she steps out the door!”
“Come on, let’s have some cake! I bet by the time you get back, Harrison, she’ll be waiting for you at the door, just like always.”
The tension eased from Harrison’s brow. He could already picture Selene, timid and hesitant, standing at the door, trying to win back his favor with that anxious look of hers.
Dames, meanwhile, was happily digging into the cake Felicity had brought for him. The creamy frosting filled his mouth, making his tongue tingle, but he didn’t care.
It felt great not having his mother hovering over him for once.
When the birthday party finally ended, Harrison sat in the car, eyes closed, letting the shifting sunlight flicker across his face.
“Dad, I’m itchy!” Dames whimpered, his voice barely above a whisper, like a kitten’s mewl.
Harrison opened his eyes and switched on the overhead light. Damès‘ face was flushed, and he was scratching frantically at his arms and neck, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
Harrison gently pried Dames‘ hands away and saw angry red welts blooming all over the boy’s neck.
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An allergic reaction.
Harrison’s expression didn’t change, but he immediately pulled out his phone, and dialed Selene’s number.
The call connected, but before he could say anything, an automated message played: “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.”
A cold edge flashed in Harrison’s eyes. His son was having an allergic reaction, and Selene had simply switched her phone off?
He turned to the driver. “Step on it. Take us back to Vaughn Manor. Now.”
Cradling Dames, Harrison hurried inside as soon as they arrived.
His eyes instinctively flicked to the entryway. It was empty–Selene wasn’t waiting at the door like she usually did.
Nadine rushed over, noticing Dames‘ low whimpering. “What happened to the little one?”
“He’s having an allergic reaction,” Harrison answered curtly as he slipped off his shoes.
“But how did this happen? Mrs. Vaughn is always so careful about what he eats.”
“Where’s Selene?” Harrison didn’t stop moving, carrying Dames straight into the living room.
“Mrs. Vaughn and Miss Daph are staying at her parents‘ house tonight,” Nadine replied.
A
A chill settled over Harrison’s features. Of all nights, Selene chose now to throw a
tantrum?
Did she honestly think the Vaughn family would come crawling just because she left?
“Where are the allergy meds?” Harrison’s voice was dangerously calm, but Nadine felt the weight of his displeasure.
“I–I don’t know,” she stammered, shrinking under his icy stare. “Mrs. Vaughn always keeps the medicine cabinet locked.”
She remembered the time she’d forgotten to put away the bottles, and Dames and Daph had mistaken the pills for candy. Thankfully, they’d only swallowed some vitamins, but Selene had been furious. Nadine had tried complaining to Gemma, but Selene ended up getting a lecture from her mother–in–law, and from then on,
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Selene never let Nadine touch the medicine cabinet again.
An hour later, the family doctor arrived and gave Dames a shot. The rash quickly
faded.
Dames lay weak and exhausted on his little bed, his eyes brimming with tears he was trying hard not to shed.
Harrison stood beside him, arms crossed, tall and unyielding as a statue. Harrison’s presence wasn’t just cold–it was a winter storm contained in human form. Dames‘ fingers twisted the blanket into knots, his breath shallow under the weight of that silent judgment.
