Trouble in Paradise (Arianna and Nicholas)

During breakfast, Nicholas' medical team arrived. To avoid making Tabitha feel anxious, they wore casual clothes instead of uniforms.

The two little ones hadn't finished eating, so I sat with them in the living room while chatting with the doctors.

The team handed me a printed booklet with Tabitha's diagnostic report and a detailed treatment plan. I carefully went through it page by page, asking questions whenever I had doubts, while the doctors patiently explained everything. Suddenly, a loud shout came from the dining room. "Tabitha isn't sick!"

Cory grabbed Tabitha's hand and bolted upstairs without a second thought. When they reached Tabitha's room, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

Cory leaned his back against the door as if guarding against an imminent threat. "Tabitha, I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll protect you!"

With a serious expression, he added, "Let's escape through the window, okay?"

He looked around and continued, "I saw on TV that you can tie bed sheets into a rope, throw it out the window, and climb down. It's totally safe!"

Tabitha, breathing slightly heavily, looked at him as if he were an idiot. She disliked physical activity of any kind.

Walking was already a chore, and she preferred clinging to Wendy's shoulders whenever possible. But now, this little fool had dragged her up to the third floor in one go!

She looked down at her small hand, which had turned red from Cory's grip, and shook it out with a blank expression. Her gaze toward Cory held an indescribable hint of curiosity. He was a real fool. Everyone said she was sick, but he was the only one who said she wasn't.

...

I opened the door to find Tabitha sitting on the carpet by the bed while Cory stood tall beside her, arms crossed, looking down at her.

I wasn't sure what had transpired between them, but it was clear that Tabitha wasn't the one being bullied. If anything, it looked like the usually assertive Cory had been wronged.

His little face was flushed, and tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes as though he had suffered a great injustice.

I walked over and picked Tabitha up from the floor. She rested quietly on my shoulder without making a sound or showing any sign of displeasure.

"What happened?" I asked Cory.

He bit his lip and said nothing. With

no other choice, I carried Tabitha downstairs to the doctors, glancing back to find Cory trailing closely behind us.

For the rest of the day, there was an unspoken, peculiar tension between the two children. I was concerned but helpless on how to resolve it.

At dinner, I secretly asked Cory

about it again. He immediately

hugged my feg, smearing tears and

snot all over me. The small boy.

overwhelmed by his feelings, sobbed, "Tabitha called me

swn yet.n

an

idiot."

I was taken aback. Tabitha was not even four years old-was she capable of saying something like that?

Moreover, it was harder to get Tabitha to speak than to move mountains. Yet, she had spoken to Cory twice now.

"Even so, you stayed by her side the whole time during her checkup today?" I asked.

"I said I'd protect her," Cory replied resolutely.

Because of this incident, for the first time in my life, I sternly scolded Tabitha.

She was no longer too young to understand my words. But from her indifferent gaze and nonchalant demeanor, I could tell that even if she listened, the words would go in one ear and out the other.

Feeling frustrated, I said firmly, "Tabitha, apologize to your brother!"

Insulting others was a bad habit and I had to correct her. Just as I was about to continue, Cory tugged at my sleeve.

"Ms. Ariana, it's okay. I'm fine. I don't think Tabitha meant it. I don't need her to apologize."