“Alright then, I’ll go bake you a simple cake now. We’ll save the more complicated recipe for tomorrow morning,” Mrs. Watson finally relented. Hope nodded enthusiastically. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ηᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.It wouldn’t take long to give Gemma the medicine, just a minute or two, which was plenty of time.As soon as Mrs. Watson left, Hope went back to Orion. “Hey, do you remember Gemma’s little plush? The one that looks like a kitten? She used to love it.””I remember,” Orion replied, recalling the toy.He had picked it out himself on a family outing to the toy store. He had known right away that Gemma would love it, and he was right. She couldn’t part with it after they brought it home.”The plush is hanging on the upstairs balcony. Why don’t you bring it down? It might help her sleep more peacefully,” Hope suggested, her tone full of concern for Gemma.No one would have guessed that behind such an innocent demeanor was a malicious intent.Orion had no idea that leaving Gemma alone would put her in danger. Trusting Hope’s suggestion, he said, “Alright, I’ll go get it now.”As soon as he turned and ran toward the stairs, Hope quickly moved aside a cushion on the couch, grabbed her bag, and found the small bottle of medicine. She pulled out the cork and took slow, deliberate steps toward Gemma. Gemma had been sleeping but awoke with a start at the sound. She began to wail, and Hope, quick to react, covered her mouth.”Stop crying! You always bring everyone running whenever you cry,” Hope muttered, her dislike for Gemma growing.She raised the bottle, prepared to pour the liquid into Gemma’s mouth as quickly as possible.But Nina was even quicker. She grabbed Hope’s arm, her voice cold and firm. “What do you think you’re doing?””I-I wasn’t doing anything,” Hope stammered, startled. Her hand fell away from Gemma’s mouth as Nina’s grip tightened. With Gemma’s mouth uncovered, she took in a big gulp of air and began crying even louder.Nina had no time to comfort her daughter She wrestled the bottle from Hope’s hand, demanding, “What is this? If I hadn’t come in, were you planning to pour this into my daughter’s mouth?” Hope tried to snatch the bottle back, but as a child, she was no match for Nina. Even as she jumped up, she couldn’t reach it.Realizing she was caught, Hope began to cry, hoping her tears might deflect Nina’s anger.The sound of both girls crying pierced through the kitchen door Nash quickly turned off the stove, and without even taking off his apron, rushed out to see what was going on. He stopped, confused by the scene before him. “Nina, what’s going on?”Why was Hope crying so hard?And why did Nina look so angry, clutching a small bottle?Nash knew Nina well. She wasn’t one to lose her temper easily, especially with children. She had always had a soft spot for kids.And given Hope’s tragic background, Nina had been particularly gentle with her. If she was this upset, something serious must have happened.”You should ask her what’s in thisbottle,”hima said, holding it out tohadn’t come in justshe was about to pour this wGemma’s mouth!”