In the evening, she picked John as usual. Remembering how she had been too careless by putting so much sugar in his milk, she wanted to compensate him.
"John, do you have any questions about today's topic? I can help you."
But John simply waved his hand impatiently. "No need. Just do your chores. Aunt Sarah said she would tutor me. She is a postdoc, so she is way smarter than you."
Ella clenched her fists and sat stiffly back on the dinner table.
Her plate held the spaghetti she had just reheated. She had not even had time to eat in order to pick John up.
But today, somehow, tears fell down onto the food she ate.
When she stuffed the spaghetti into her mouth, she could feel the saltiness of her tears mixed in it.
Across the wall, John and Sarah's chatting and laughing drifted through the half-open door. The sound was like a blade that pierced her heart.
Halfway through the meal, she heard the sound of a door being unlocked. Ella hastily grabbed a tissue to wipe her face dry.
Danny sat down beside her and asked in a deep voice, "Why didn't you answer my messages yesterday?"
Ella stiffened for a moment and pretended to be calm before saying, “Oh, I forgot.”
But suddenly, Danny grabbed her hand, stared intently at her face and sneered, "You’re crying?"
Ella berated herself in her heart for crying earlier. When she was about to explain, Danny spoke first.
"Did you see anything yesterday? Sarah and I…."
“No! I didn't see anything. I had someone deliver that lunch box. I didn't go there personally.”
For a few seconds, Danny eyed her suspiciously, but in the end, he said nothing.
Just then, John and Sarah's voices drifted into the room again.
Danny froze for a moment before clearing his throat softly. "Don't overthink about Sarah tutoring John. Her physics has always been excellent and she got a perfect score on the college entrance examination. That's why I asked her to help with John's tutoring. Besides, based on academic qualifications, it's obvious that she's a better choice."
He then gently took Ella's hand and said softly, “Don’t overthink it. It’s enough for you to take good care of this home. You don’t need to do anything else.”