Chapter 57: A Daughter’s Pain

"You..."

Mrs. Hayes’s voice sliced through the nursery.

"Don’t you think you’re being rather rude?"

Her gaze settled on Isobel like a blade. It was sharp, cold and disapproving.

The room instantly grew tense.

Isobel looked up from where she sat. Confusion flickered across her face.

"Madam?"

"Your employer’s parents have arrived, yet you remain seated."

Mrs. Hayes’s expression darkened.

"Isn’t that disrespectful?"

Isobel glanced down at the baby in her arms.

Kirsten was feeding peacefully, one tiny hand curled against her chest.

"Madam," she explained softly, "Baby Kat is still feeding. If I interrupt her now, she’ll start crying."

Mrs. Hayes frowned.

"She’s just a baby. You’re merely making excuses."

Her tone carried unmistakable contempt. The accusation hung heavily in the air.

Isobel lowered her gaze. She chose not to argue. Instead, she continued feeding Kirsten. The baby’s contentment mattered far more than defending herself.

Mrs. Hayes’s expression became even colder.

"Fine."

She stepped closer.

"Then let me see my granddaughter."

Isobel hesitated for a moment.

With Kirsten still nursing, there was little she could do.

Carefully, she lowered the nursing cover so Mrs. Hayes could see the baby.

The movement exposed part of her collarbone and the upper curve of her chest—nothing inappropriate, merely unavoidable given the circumstances.

Kirsten remained blissfully unaware, continuing to feed.

Across the room, Mr. Hayes’s eyes widened briefly. Then his gaze narrowed and lingered a fraction too long before shifting back toward the baby.

Mrs. Hayes noticed immediately. Her expression darkened.

She stepped forward at once, positioning herself between her husband and Isobel blocking his line of sight.

The movement was so abrupt that even Isobel looked puzzled.

"Ma’am? You said you wanted to see the baby."

Confusion filled Isobel’s eyes.

Before Mrs. Hayes could answer, Katherine leaned closer to her mother.

"Mom," she whispered. Just loud enough to be heard. "She did that on purpose."

Mrs. Hayes stiffened.

"That’s how she operates." Katherine’s voice dripped with certainty. "Playing innocent while trying to seduce Morgan."

The words were like fuel poured onto an already burning fire. Mrs. Hayes’s face immediately hardened.

When she looked at Isobel again, her gaze was filled with open hostility.

Then she turned toward Kristine.

But before she could call her out, her husband had already stepped forward looking down on Isobel.

"Let me see my granddaughter," he said.

Kirsten who heard a strange voice left Isobel’s breast as she looked toward the source of the unfamiliar voice.

Isobel gasped and quickly covered her breast with the maternity cover.

Something flickered in Mr. Hayes’s eyes.

The expression appeared and vanished so quickly that anyone else might have missed it.

But Isobel didn’t.

Without a word, Mr. Hayes stepped forward and reached for Kirsten.

Not wanting to appear disrespectful, Isobel carefully transferred the baby into his arms. For the briefest moment, their hands touched.

Mr. Hayes’s fingers lingered a fraction longer than necessary.

Then their eyes met. A chill crawled down Isobel’s spine. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She couldn’t explain why.

There was nothing overtly improper in his expression. Yet the way he looked at her made her deeply uncomfortable.

It was as if he weren’t seeing a person. As if he were evaluating and appraising a prized possession.

The sensation left her feeling exposed.

Instinctively, she lowered her gaze and took a small step back.

Mr. Hayes chuckled.

"Hahaha."

He adjusted Kirsten in his arms.

"At least my granddaughter inherited something from the Hayes family."

The words were directed at the baby. But Isobel could feel his eyes drifting back to her. Studying her. Calculating something she couldn’t understand.

An uneasy knot formed in her stomach.

Fortunately, the scrutiny lasted only a moment.

Mr. Hayes eventually looked away and turned toward Kristine. His expression softened into that of a concerned father.

"Kristine."

He gently bounced Kirsten in his arms.

"You should bring the twins to our estate sometime."

A smile appeared on his face. But then his gaze flicked to Isobel.

"Your mother and I wanted to see our grandchildren."

Yet even as he spoke, Isobel couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling lingering beneath her skin. Something about the way he had looked at her felt wrong.

And for reasons she couldn’t explain, she suddenly wanted to put as much distance between herself and Mr. Hayes as possible.

While the Mr. Hayes was distracted, Isobel escaped.

"Ella, I need to go to my room. Please take care of Kirsten."

Isobel was about to leave but Katherine and Mrs. Hayes

"Not so fast, young lady." Mrs Hayes said, her voice filled with venom.

Then she also looked at Kristine with a sharp gaze.

"Kristine. This nanny cannot remain in your house."

Her tone left no room for discussion.

The room fell silent.

"Mom—"

Mrs. Hayes raised a hand.

"I’m not finished. She assaulted your sister yesterday. Yet you stood there and allowed it."

Her eyes narrowed. The accusation rang through the nursery.

Kristine’s fingers tightened around the armrest of her chair.

A familiar ache spread through her chest. It was slow, heavy, and painful.

Whether in the past when they were still children, or yesterday or today...

It didn’t matter.

Once again, Katherine’s hurt mattered more. Once again, her parents had chosen a side before even asking what had happened.

She thought back to the moment they arrived. The hug her mother refused. The questions they never asked.

Not once had her mother asked how she felt nor she asked about her recovery.

Not once had they her parents asked whether waking from a coma had been frightening.

Their concern had never truly been for her.

A hollow feeling settled inside her heart.

And suddenly, she understood.

They hadn’t come to visit their daughter who came back to life. They had come to defend Katherine.

Everything else was secondary. Including her and their grandchildren.

Kristine slowly released the breath she had been holding.

The exhaustion in her eyes seemed deeper now.

"My babies are allergic to formula and other milk substitutes, Mother."

Her voice was calm. Too calm.

For the first time since her parents had entered the nursery, she did not call her Mom.

She called her Mother.

The single word created an invisible distance between them.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Hayes didn’t notice. Or perhaps she simply didn’t care.

Her attention was fixed entirely on what she perceived as Kristine’s defiance.

"There are countless nursing mothers willing to do the job."

Mrs. Hayes waved dismissively toward Isobel.

"We can easily find someone else..."