Chapter 10

The tiny poodle had brought a moment of joy to both Ethan and me. He seemed to perk up a little and asked me to pass the dog to him. But just then, the perfectly healthy pup suddenly vomited all over him. Startled, I quickly scooped the dog away. "Mary, come quick!" Mary was my husband’s nanny, having raised him since childhood. So when he fell ill, she took on most of the caregiving duties. As I fumbled with tissues, frantically wiping the mess off him, the dog suddenly let out a strange whimper. It collapsed to the floor, legs kicking wildly, vomiting uncontrollably. I froze, exchanging a horrified glance with Ethan. For some reason, my first thought went to the faintly sour fish soup. Hands trembling, I lifted the bowl and held it out to him. "Ethan... could it be... this soup?" His face instantly paled. Mary rushed upstairs at the commotion and froze at the sight before calling for help to clean up. As if confirming my suspicion, a faint but unmistakable wave of nausea twisted in my gut. Ethan reacted even more violently—he doubled over, retching. "Young master!"Mary grabbed a wastebasket in alarm. I seized her wrist, my voice eerily calm. "Mary, call the doctor. Now. Someone’s trying to poison him." Her eyes widened in shock. "Now!" I shouted. My mother-in-law burst in, having heard the uproar, and gripped my arm. "What did you just say? Repeat that!" Trembling, I pointed at the steaming bowl of fish soup in my hands and met her gaze. "There’s poison in this. Someone wants Ethan dead." The mother-in-law's eyes widened in shock before her body went limp, collapsing into Mary's arms. "Someone help! Call a doctor—quick!" she shrieked. The stench of vomit filling the room, combined with this horrifying revelation, finally overwhelmed me. I doubled over the trash can, retching violently. My hands trembled as I reached out to hold Ethan's frail body, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a tissue. My vision blurred with unshed tears, and before I knew it, they spilled down my cheeks. "Don't be afraid," I whispered. "I'm right here with you." No wonder he had been bedridden for over three months with this mysterious illness! Someone in this house had been cold-blooded enough to poison him. How could they be so cruel? To harm their own flesh and blood—what kind of monster would do such a thing? Ethan's gaze locked onto mine, dark and inscrutable. I couldn't decipher the meaning behind his eyes, but I felt his fingers slowly tighten around mine. In response, I held him even tighter. This was my husband. I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. The poisoning threw the Carter household into chaos, fear spreading like wildfire. The doctor arrived, taking the bowl of soup for testing before carefully examining both of us and the dog. His diagnosis was clear: severe gastrointestinal irritation caused by toxic substances. The father-in-law, livid, snatched up a priceless porcelain vase—worth millions—and hurled it to the ground. CRASH! The deafening shatter sent a wave of tension through the room. Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he roared, "Investigate this! I don’t care if we stay up all night—we will get to the bottom of it!" The mother-in-law, hysterical with fear, lay sobbing on the sofa. "What evil has befallen us? Who would dare harm my son? No wonder his illness dragged on for months—someone wanted him dead! What has my boy ever done to deserve this? Hubby, you must find the culprit, or I swear, neither of us will survive this!"