Chapter 7
After the clothes dried, Emma helped us take them down.
Eloise said it was perfect timing to change both kids into fresh clothes.
Whatever outfit I picked for Henry, she’d dress Jasper in the exact same thing.
Before changing Henry’s clothes, I made a point of holding the garment up and taking a deep breath. “Mmm, smells so good!”
Eloise beamed and chimed in, “Oh yes, that premium detergent you bought smells amazing!”
Seeing me dress Henry in the clean clothes, Eloise’s face lit up with a relieved smile.
Eloise knew the jasmine-scented detergent was harmful to children, so she often made sure to keep Jasper away from
Henry.
When I came back, I saw both kids happily sucking on their sleeves. I rushed over and worriedly pulled Henry’s hand away, scolding Emma somewhat reproachfully, “You need to watch the kids more carefully. Don’t let him put everything in his mouth.”
Eloise laughed from the side, “Kids chewing on their clothes is totally normal! Don’t worry, these clothes were all washed with
1/5
15-14
safe detergent-they’re perfectly clean!”
I glanced back and saw Jasper’s cheeks were flushed red, his sleeve soaked through.
I sneered inwardly: Go ahead and keep eating it. Let’s see how your own mother destroys you!
Fortunately, I’d bought plenty of clothes, so just the first batch lasted over twenty days.
But once they went through a second wash, both kids’ clothes would be contaminated with the fluorescent agent detergent.
To prevent Henry from wearing those clothes, I’d claim they were either dirty or damaged, then dress him in fresh clothes I’d hand-washed myself.
Though Eloise was somewhat annoyed, she couldn’t really say anything about it.
She could only hold Jasper and say awkwardly, “Jasper, your little nephew doesn’t want to wear matching clothes with you. How sad!”
But this wasn’t a long-term solution—Henry’s wardrobe couldn’t withstand constant replacements.
So one day, I held Henry, whose face looked a bit flushed, and said to Emma, “Emma, I keep noticing Henry’s face looks red
2/5
15:14
lately. Do you think he might be sick? Should we take him to see a doctor?”
Emma glanced at Eloise, who could barely contain her grin, and quickly reassured me, “Stephen’s face used to get red all the time when he was little. Kids don’t get sick that easily-this is totally normal!”
I put on a worried act, and the two of them tag-teamed to talk me out of going to the hospital.
Sure enough, Jasper, who’d been happily licking his sleeves every day, soon started showing symptoms.
I’d already noticed his skin getting red before, but now he was showing signs of indigestion and skin swelling too.
The harmful substances had clearly entered his system and were starting to affect his liver function.
Eloise paced back and forth in the living room holding Jasper, asking Emma anxiously, “What’s going on? Why hasn’t Jasper had any appetite lately, and why does his complexion look so strange?”
I appeared at just the right moment, taking Eloise’s hand and saying, “Actually, I’m a bit worried about Henry too. Why don’t we take them both to the hospital for a checkup?”
Naturally, Eloise didn’t dare go to the hospital.
After all, once we got there, Henry’s symptoms would be detected, and then I’d be able to trace the problem back to the detergent.
Emma also said, “Oh, it’s nothing! I’ve taken care of so many children—these little symptoms are no big deal. He’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
Eloise nodded and again mentioned that “Stephen was like this when he was little” to put my mind at ease.
That night, I watched through the surveillance as the two of them had a hushed conversation on the balcony.
Looking at the baby clothes hanging on the balcony, Eloise said, “Do you think Hazel has figured something out? She hasn’t let Henry wear any of the old clothes these past few days.”
“She’s probably just still not comfortable with me doing the washing. She likely hasn’t discovered the detergent issue- otherwise, why would she have let him wear them for so long before?” Emma speculated.
“Then why is Jasper showing these weird symptoms now? Could we have mixed up the clothes?” Eloise asked again.
Emma gave her a reassuring look, “I always wash Jasper’s clothes first, then Henry’s-there’s no way I could mix them up! It’s probably just the hot weather lately making Jasper lose his
υπαρι
appetite. Totally normal.”
Only then did Eloise nod with relief.
But since they couldn’t tamper with the laundry anymore, they’d have to find another way.
Meanwhile, Jasper continued wearing what they believed were safe clothes, with no one stopping him from chewing his sleeves every day. And with them refusing to go to the hospital, his condition would only get worse.
