Chapter 117
Sharon didn’t quite understand what Matty meant at first.
Matty said softly, “I just checked-everything Theo’s table ordered was exactly the same as ours. Sharon told me Theo’s allergic to nuts. But we did order a slice of nut-filled cake.”
Sharon turned her gaze toward Kelly, her voice cold. “Anything you’d like to say now?”
Kelly didn’t bother putting up a front anymore. She lowered her head and conceded, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know the filling had
nuts.”
Carter stepped in, his patience seeming to fray. “Sharon, do you have to go after Kelly like this? She didn’t know there were nuts in the cake. It was Theo who saw what you were eating and insisted on ordering the same thing. This has nothing to do with Kelly.”
Sharon turned her eyes to him. “Fine. She didn’t know Theo had a nut allergy. Then what about you? As his father, you didn’t know either?”
Carter avoided her gaze. “I don’t really eat desserts, so I didn’t realize cakes could contain nuts.”
“Desserts?” Sharon’s voice sharpened. “Theo is lactose intolerant. Cakes like that-cream-based desserts-are things he absolutely can’t eat. You didn’t know there were nuts in the cake, fine. But you’re telling me you didn’t even know it had dairy?”
Color drained from Carter’s face.
Kelly jumped in quickly to defend him. “Sharon, kids are always drawn to tasty things, especially desserts. The more you tell them they can’t have it, the more they want it-sometimes even sneaking it behind your back. Isn’t it better to let them try just a little, under our watch?”
Sharon cut her off bluntly. “So this is the twisted logic you used to convince both Carter and Theo? You told them it was for his own good?”
Kelly looked startled, like a scolded schoolgirl caught in a lie. Her voice trembled. “I didn’t… Sharon, you’re really misunderstanding me…”
Carter seemed unable to bear Sharon’s unrelenting tone. “Sharon, Kelly’s not wrong. Letting him eat it in front of us is better than him sneaking it when we’re not looking.”
Sharon wasn’t letting up. “Better? He ended up convulsing from an allergic reaction. He nearly died. That’s what you call better?
Carter fell silent.
After a long moment, he finally said quietly, “This time… it was purely an accident.”
Sharon let out a cold, mirthless laugh.
Just then, Matty, who had been sitting quietly beside her, suddenly spoke up. “Sharon, this is so weird.”
Sharon looked down at him. “What is?”
With innocent clarity, Matty said, “Theo’s daddy and Kelly keep saying everything they do is for Theo’s good… but they don’t even know he’s allergic to nuts. They knew he couldn’t eat desserts, but still gave him stuff that’s bad for his body. Then they said it was for his sake. That’s just really strange.”
One of the paramedics nearby couldn’t help chiming in.
“It’s true that kids want to eat desserts, and letting them have a small taste now and then usually isn’t a big deal, but only when they’re healthy. But from what I’m hearing, this child has lactose intolerance and a nut allergy. His digestive system must be
1/2
incredibly sensitive.
“High-calorie, high-burden foods like desserts aren’t good even for most adults, let alone a child like him. In his case, letting
him eat something like that isn’t love. It’s harm.”
