Chapter 4

Cole came out at the sound of the commotion. The moment he saw Yuri struggling to breathe, panic flashed across his face.

Renee snatched Yuri up from the floor and held him tightly, screaming at Yvonne like she'd lost her mind.

"Yvonne Carter, you knew Yuri was allergic to chestnuts, and you still gave him chestnut cake!

"Now that the match was successful, you want him dead, is that it?"

Cole's face turned livid. He looked at Yvonne, fury filling his eyes.

"No matter how angry you are, you can't take it out on a five-year-old child!"

Yvonne went rigid and shook her head desperately.

"I didn't! I'm allergic to chestnuts too. Why would there even be chestnut cake in this house? And I would never use it to hurt him."

She could be stubborn, but she would never hurt a child.

As she spoke, she hurried to the medicine cabinet and searched for her emergency allergy medication.

The moment she found the pills, she rushed back to Yuri and reached out to give him one.

But as soon as she touched him, Renee screamed.

"Don't touch my son! Are you trying to hurt him again?"

She shoved Yvonne away.

Yvonne lost her balance and fell backward.

Cole picked Yuri up and headed for the door, shouting, "Get the car! We're going to the hospital!"

Yvonne's waist and abdomen slammed into the coffee table. A bone-deep pain tore through her, and she cried out.

Cole had just reached the doorway when he stopped.

He looked back and saw Yvonne lying on the floor, her face deathly pale. Panic flickered in his eyes, and he instinctively started toward her.

But the next second, Renee grabbed his sleeve with tears in her eyes.

"Cole, hurry! Take Yuri to the hospital. He can barely breathe!"

Cole came back to himself and quickly left the house.

Then he ordered one of the bodyguards beside him, "Bring Yvonne to the hospital too."

The bodyguards took Yvonne with them. After an examination, the doctor found nothing seriously wrong.

Yuri also regained consciousness after emergency treatment. His face was pale, and the moment Cole walked into the room, he burst into tears.

"Dad, Aunt Yvonne made me eat it!

"She said I should've died sooner. She said I shouldn't have taken her room.

"But Dad, aren't I your precious boy?"

Cole's face darkened instantly. He whipped around and glared at Yvonne behind him.

"How can you be so cruel?"

Yvonne had only come to see whether Yuri was all right. She'd thought one of the household staff must have accidentally bought the wrong cake.

She never expected to hear him twist the truth like this.

She stared at Yuri in disbelief.

"Yuri, you came over and asked me for the cake yourself. I never said any of those things."

"Enough!"

Cole cut her off sharply.

"He's just a child. Why would he lie?"

He tugged irritably at his tie, disappointment filling his eyes.

Renee stood beside the hospital bed, trembling as she cried, looking deeply wronged.

"I never wanted to interfere with your life with Yvonne. I only wanted Yuri to have some happy memories.

"I don't know why she hates us so much that she won't even spare a child.

"She can hit me or yell at me if she wants. Why would she try to kill our son?"

A vein throbbed at Cole's temple as he looked heavily at Yvonne.

"Apologize to Yuri."

Yvonne met his gaze and said stubbornly, "I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? I never tried to hurt him."

Seeing that she still refused to admit fault and continued opposing him, Cole looked at her with disappointment.

"Yvonne, why do you always have to be so difficult?"

He paused. The patience in his eyes was gone, along with the affection that had been there before.

"The doctor said Yuri's allergy is severe, so there can't be anything in the house that could trigger it. Teddy can't stay at home anymore.

"If you apologize now, I'll have him boarded at the animal hospital. If you refuse, you'll never see him again."