Chapter 1054
Katie gestured toward a plate of fruit, inviting Elena to help herself, but she didn’t make any move to serve it.
“How is Marcel now? What did the doctor say?” Elena asked.
They exchanged a few polite words, and Katie mentioned that Anika had fed Marcel some porridge earlier.
Then Katie gestured toward the pillow, her voice gentle but unmistakably firm. “Anika, dear, have you noticed the stain on the pillowcase? Would you mind replacing it? I can help hold Marcel’s head.”
“Of course,” Anika replied, nodding obediently.
After stepping back in from the balcony, Anika spoke to Mrs. Brooks. “I’m sorry, but the replacement pillowcase is still wet. Maybe we can change it later.”
“But we can’t let Marcel rest on something so unsanitary,” Katie protested.
“I’ll get him a towel,” Anika offered, heading to the bathroom. She returned with two towels and carefully arranged them beneath Marcel’s head.
Watching her daughter being ordered around, Elena felt a sharp pang of distress.
Anika had always been treasured in their family. No one dared tell her what to do—especially not now, when she was pregnant.
Katie’s attitude rubbed Elena the wrong way. How could she treat Anika like this, especially after not even sending anyone to meet her at the airport? Elena couldn’t take it anymore. Marcel was an outstanding young man, but it hurt to see how his mother treated Anika.
Katie noticed Elena’s shifting expression and fumed inwardly. “Anika is the one taking care of Marcel right now. She couldn’t even keep the pillowcase clean, and now her mother has the nerve to be unhappy?”
Something about this didn’t sit right with Katie. She couldn’t understand Elena’s frustration. In her mind, taking care of Marcel was Anika’s responsibility—something she owed to Marcel and to the Brooks family.
How could she let Marcel sleep on such a filthy pillowcase? The thought disgusted Katie.
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Elena and Katie sat in tense silence, quietly competing with each other, while Marcel lay unconscious on the bed and Anika busied herself with small tasks.
As Anika finished arranging the towels beneath Marcel’s head, she looked up and saw the disapproving expressions on both women’s faces. Instinctively, she sensed something was wrong.
She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. A pang of guilt hit her.
Maybe she never should have asked Katie to stay here in the first place.
Elena’s tone softened as she asked, “Anika, my dear, why do you look so exhausted lately? Remember, you’re carrying a child. Please take care of yourself, alright?”
After a brief pause—perhaps noticing Katie’s displeasure—Elena added, “If you can’t eat or sleep properly in the hospital, then come home, darling. Your father and I will take care of you. Don’t make us worry about you.”
.
.
.
“Mom, seriously, I’m okay,” Anika said with an awkward smile. She gave a quick wink, trying to ease the tension in the room.