Chapter 2

Niamh turned to Harvey and made a playful face. "Elara misunderstood us again. I'll go explain everything to her."

"There's nothing to explain. She's just too sensitive."

Harvey's expression remained indifferent as his gaze shifted to the half-eaten birthday cake Elara had left behind. His brows were knit.

With Harvey's final word on the matter, the tension in the room eased. Elara storming out wasn't a big deal anyway.

The others chimed in agreement. "Elara's just upset. Harvey can calm her down when he gets home."

"Exactly. There's no way she'd actually divorce Harvey. Everyone knows Elara almost gave her life to have his kids."

"Who knows, she might already regret walking out the door!"

"Come on, let's eat the cake! By the time Harvey gets home, Elara will probably be standing at the door like a loyal wife waiting for her husband!"

Harvey's brows relaxed as he imagined Elara timidly standing by the door, cautiously trying to please him.

Meanwhile, Beau savored the cake Niamh had brought him. The creamy sweetness filled his mouth. It was even beginning to numb his tongue, but he didn't care.

It felt so good that his mother wasn't around to control what he ate anymore.

…

When the birthday party ended, Harvey reclined in the car, resting with his eyes closed. The light from outside flickered across his face, casting alternating shadows and illumination.

"Daddy! I'm getting itchy!" Beau's small voice broke the silence.

Harvey opened his eyes and turned on the overhead light. Beau's face was flushed, and he was scratching himself incessantly. Even his breathing was labored and uneven.

Harvey pried Beau's hands away and saw red rashes spreading across his neck. He was having an allergic reaction.

Harvey's expression remained calm as he pulled out his phone and dialed Elara's number.

The call connected, but before he could speak, an automated voice said, "The number you're calling is currently unavailable."

A sharp glint flashed in Harvey's narrow eyes. Their son was having an allergic reaction, and Elara wasn't picking up?

"Drive faster," Harvey ordered the driver. "Take us back to the Fisher residence."

Once home, Harvey carried Beau inside. His eyes instinctively darted toward the entryway, but it was empty. Elara wasn't waiting there as she usually did.

Mary Anderson rushed over, and she quickly noticed Beau's discomfort. "What's wrong with Mr. Beau?"

"Allergic reaction," Harvey answered curtly as he removed his shoes.

"How could he have an allergic reaction? Mrs. Fisher has always been strict about what Mr. Beau eats," said Mary.

"Where's Elara?" Harvey's steps didn't falter as he headed into the living room, still holding Beau.

"Mrs. Fisher and Ms. Bambi went to stay at her parents' house tonight."

A cold aura enveloped Harvey's features.

Was Elara seriously throwing a tantrum at a time like this? Did she think the Fisher family couldn't manage without her and that he'd come begging for her to return?

"Where are the allergy medications?" His voice was steady, with no hint of emotion. Even so, it carried a pressure that made Mary instinctively shrink back.

"I don't know." Mary's response earned her an icy glare from Harvey that made her shudder.

She quickly added in a small voice, "Mrs. Fisher is the one who handles the medicine cabinet."

There was an incident where Mary had failed to properly store the medicine, leading Beau and Bambi to mistake pills for candy. Thankfully, they had only ingested vitamins and narrowly avoided a serious incident.

However, Elara had scolded Mary harshly for it. Yet Mary complained to Harvey's mother, Ethel Foster, and Elara ended up receiving criticism from her as well.

From that point on, Elara had forbidden Mary from touching the medicine cabinet.

The family doctor, Taylor Keller, administered a shot to Beau an hour later, and the rashes subsided.

Beau lay weakly on his small bed. His eyes were brimming with tears that he refused to let fall.

Harvey stood at the bedside with his arms crossed, and his tall figure looked as rigid as a pine tree. His icy demeanor radiated an oppressive aura that made Beau clutch his blanket tightly.

"Daddy, don't tell Niamh I had an allergic reaction. Don't blame her, either. It's all Mommy's fault. If she let me have milk more often, I wouldn't be allergic to it now."

The child's innocent voice received no response from Harvey. Taylor assured him that Beau's condition was stable, and Harvey turned to leave the room without another word.

When Beau fell ill, it was always Elara who personally took care of him. But even with Elara absent, the Fisher family still had Taylor around to easily handle Beau's condition.

Harvey then relaxed and returned to his room. The two had begun sleeping in separate rooms after Elara became pregnant. Hence, his room bore no trace of Elara's presence.

Elara's existence just seemed entirely dispensable to both Harvey and Beau.

…

Harvey woke up at his usual time the next morning. As he sat up and reached for the water glass on his nightstand, his hand came up empty.

Elara usually woke earlier than him and would leave a glass of salt water by his bed.

The air around Harvey grew heavy with his displeasure. As he stepped out of his room, he heard a commotion coming from the children's room.

Beau was fussing, as he often did upon waking. It usually took Elara a long time to soothe him, and Mary was struggling to coax Beau into the bathroom today.

Finally, Beau climbed onto a wooden stool by the sink. He picked up his toothbrush and turned to Mary.

"Why didn't you put toothpaste on it?"

He then picked up his water cup, and his expression darkened further. "There's no water in my cup either!"

"Apologies, Mr. Beau!" Mary quickly stepped forward to squeeze toothpaste onto the brush and fill his cup with water.

"This isn't my toothpaste!" Beau cried out in frustration. His toothpaste was supposed to be a sparkly blue gel.

"I'm so sorry!" Mary's head throbbed. "Mrs. Fisher's the one who always handles these things."

At breakfast, Harvey looked at the bland food on the table and casually ordered, "Make some Scotch eggs."

"Huh?" Mary froze.

"I want Scotch eggs too," Beau added.

Mary was sweating nervously as she pulled out her phone. "I'll call Mrs. Fisher and ask her how to make them."

Elara was woken by the sound of her phone ringing early in the morning. She clearly remembered that she had turned off her 5:00 am alarm.

She answered the call groggily and heard Mary asking, "Mrs. Fisher, Mr. Fisher and Mr. Beau wanted to eat… uh, some kind of Scott eggs for breakfast. I don't know how to make them."

Elara rubbed her sore eyes. "I'll send you the recipe and instructions."

Mary glanced quickly at the instructions Elara sent and fell silent.

To make these Scotch eggs, she'd need to boil the eggs, peel them, wrap them in seasoned chicken, coat them with breadcrumbs, and fry them until golden brown.

Elara's notes added specific details as well.

Harvey liked soft-boiled eggs, which required five minutes of boiling and three minutes of frying over low heat. Meanwhile, Beau preferred fully cooked eggs that needed eight minutes of boiling and four minutes of frying.

Mary hurriedly asked, "Mrs. Fisher, when are you coming back?"

This method of cooking eggs was way too complicated. Mary thought Elara could just make them when she returned.

"I'm not coming back."

"What?" Mary was stunned, but Elara's calm voice came through the phone.

"From now on, don't call me about anything concerning the Fisher family. I'll send you all the notes I've written while managing the household."

"No, wait!" Mary's voice was abruptly cut off.

Elara then glanced at the time on her phone. She turned over, wrapped her arms around Bambi, and went back to sleep.

Mary returned to the dining room looking dazed. She rubbed her hands nervously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fisher. The Scotch eggs are too complicated for me to make."

"Did you get in touch with her?" Harvey's voice was cold.

"Yes, she sent me the recipe, but…"

"Did she say when she's coming back?"