Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 7

Alaric scrutinized the two of them, asking a question to which he already knew the answer. "Where did you go?"

"Ivy and I were playing over there."

Stella answered first. Still savoring the lingering taste of the ice cream, she couldn't help but lick her lips.

Alaric stared at his daughter.

He noticed she looked a little pale, as if she were trying hard to suppress something.

His expression instantly darkened, and he turned to look at Ivy.

"What did you feed her?"

Before Ivy could speak, Stella, fighting the growing discomfort in her stomach, shook her head frantically and cried,

"Daddy, don't blame Ivy! I wanted to eat it myself."

She felt an agonizing pain in her stomach and doubled over, crouching on the floor.

Alaric and Ivy crouched down simultaneously to hold her.

But Alaric was faster. He scooped the child into his arms and barked an order to Mrs. Gable, who was busy in the kitchen.

"Call the family doctor right now."

Without sparing Ivy another glance, he sprinted upstairs.

Ivy was left standing there, completely bewildered.

What was going on?

Did the ice cream really upset the child's stomach that much?

Ivy didn't rush upstairs immediately. Instead, she waited for Mrs. Gable to finish the call and then pulled her aside to ask,

"Mrs. Gable, is Stella not allowed to have ice cream?"

Mrs. Gable gasped in horror. "Did you take her to get ice cream?"

"Mrs. Foster, how could you be so careless? The young lady cannot have anything cold. She has a very sensitive digestive system. The slightest bit of cold food will trigger severe cramps. At best, she'll be vomiting and suffering from diarrhea. At worst..."

Mrs. Gable let out a helpless sigh and hurried off to fetch warm water and painkillers to take upstairs.

Ivy was stunned.

She had only known the child for a few days. How was she supposed to know about her condition?

No wonder the little girl had insisted on keeping it a secret from her dad.

Ivy's heart ached at the sight. She quickly turned to Alaric and said,

"Can we take her to the hospital?"

She had no way to treat this at home. The child needed an IV at the hospital or an X-ray with barium contrast to properly diagnose the issue.

Alaric ignored her suggestion. His voice was freezing cold.

"From now on, do not let her eat anything outside. She is extremely fragile, unlike other children. She cannot withstand the test of random foods."

He brushed past Ivy, lifted the child into his arms, and immediately switched to an incredibly gentle tone to soothe her.

"Don't cry, Stella. Dr. Sinclair is on her way. It won't hurt once she gets here."

Stella was still crying.

Unable to bear the pain any longer, she bit down on her father's shoulder.

Alaric took it without a flinch.

Seeing Ivy standing beside them, her eyes red with distress, his voice softened slightly.

"You didn't know this time, so I don't blame you. Go downstairs. Just be more careful in the future."