Rebirth, Seduce My Ex-husband-Chapter 72: No Mother Is Perfect 1

Rowen turned sharply at the sound of Stacy’s voice. His eyes darkened; he didn’t seem to be in his right senses at the moment.

"What did you say?" he asked, his tone low and sharp.

Stacy walked in slowly, her arms folded across her chest, a smug look playing on her lips. "I said you should ask Vanessa why your daughter was given turmeric tonight."

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

All eyes turned to Vanessa.

But this time, she didn’t shrink away.

Vanessa lifted her chin, her voice steady though her heart ached. "I gave her the soup," she admitted calmly, "but I didn’t know she was allergic to turmeric."

Stacy tilted her head. "How convenient."

"I didn’t do it on purpose," Vanessa continued, looking directly at Rowen now. "I found what I could in the kitchen, and I made something warm for her. I wasn’t told about any allergies."

Mariam stepped forward quickly. "It’s true. We never mentioned it. Not once."

"But isn’t she Tara’s mother? Why wasn’t she aware of such an important detail about her daughter? I fear if she can’t be trusted with Tara’s food, she could feed her poison one day if no one is careful."

Stacy remarked rudely, her words stinging Vanessa.

Rowen’s jaw clenched, but his eyes stayed fixed on Vanessa.

Vanessa met his gaze, unwavering. "If I’d known, I never would’ve used it. I take full responsibility, but don’t question whether I care about her. I do. Deeply."

The room stayed silent for a beat, the weight of her words sinking in.

Rowen finally looked away, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Everyone leave!"

He said once more, and in the blink of an eye, all the maids and servants vanished, including Mariam, who sensed Rowen wanted to have a conversation with Vanessa.

Smiling in victory, Stacy also turned around and left, leaving Rowen and Vanessa alone.

"I didn’t mean for any of this, Rowen. You have to believe me," Vanessa said, taking hold of Rowen’s hands.

"This isn’t about me believing you, Vanessa. This is about the life and safety of Tara. You know more than anyone else how much I love her. I don’t want anything to happen to her."

Vanessa sobbed, "I am her mother, and I also love her and want nothing to happen to her."

"Well, as her mother, you should have known better... If the doctor came just a minute late, Tara would be..." Rowen couldn’t finish his words as he just sighed.

Removing Vanessa’s grip from him, he said, "Just hope she’s alright, Vanessa... that’s all."

And with that, he turned around and left, while Vanessa just stood there, absolutely speechless.

She stood there for a couple of minutes until her thoughts kicked in.

Standing straight, she wiped away the tears that were present in her eyes as she marched towards Stacy’s room.

Without knocking, she barged in, slamming the door open as she walked towards Stacy, pushing her to the wall, but not too hard to hurt her.

Stacy gasped, startled by the sudden force of the door slamming open. Before she could react, Vanessa was already in her space, grabbing her by the shoulders and shoving her lightly but firmly against the wall.

"Have you lost your mind—" Stacy began, but Vanessa cut her off, her eyes filled with anger.

"Cut the act!" Vanessa snapped, her voice trembling with fury. "I know you had something to do with this."

Stacy let out a short, mocking laugh. "What? You think I slipped turmeric into your precious little soup?"

Vanessa didn’t budge. "I know exactly what I used. I found that pouch tucked in a corner, like someone put it there deliberately. You knew I wouldn’t know about the allergy. You were just waiting for me to make a mistake."

Stacy arched a brow, brushing invisible dust from her shoulder. "And even if that were true, whose fault is it that you didn’t know your own daughter is allergic to turmeric?"

Vanessa’s breath caught, her jaw clenched. Stacy smirked at the hit.

"Exactly," Stacy said coldly. "You walk around here like you’re the savior of this house, like Rowen’s suddenly yours and Tara belongs to you. But you don’t know the first thing about being a mother. You’ve been playing family while I’ve been watching every single slip."

"I may not be perfect," Vanessa hissed, stepping closer again, "but I’m trying. I’m here every day, taking care of her, loving her—not manipulating her life to get to Rowen. You’re the one who’s bitter and pathetic."

Stacy’s expression hardened. "I’d rather be bitter and wicked than be a mother like you who can’t even keep her child safe." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Vanessa’s slap came fast, a sharp sting to the side of Stacy’s face.

The silence that followed was thick.

"You ever come near Tara again with your disgusting games, I swear, I won’t stop at just pushing you against a wall," Vanessa warned, her voice low and deadly. "You’ve messed with the wrong mother."

Stacy, eyes wide with shock and rage, touched her cheek and laughed bitterly. "You think that just because you’re married to him now, you’ve won? This isn’t over, Vanessa. Not by a long shot."

Vanessa gave her one last glare, then turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Stacy stood frozen for a moment, her smile gone now, face dark with hate.

She wouldn’t forget this.

And neither would Vanessa.

**

The night was still young, and about an hour after things had cooled down, Vanessa walked towards Tara’s room to check up on her.

But she stopped upon finding out Rowen was still inside.

Just then, she heard the little voice of her daughter. "Papa! I heard you shouting. Please don’t blame Mama. She didn’t know I am allergic to turmeric... she just wanted to keep me warm."

The small girl said as Rowen stroked her head gently, "Mama loves me a lot. She would never try to hurt me, Papa!"

"I know, baby. Papa was wrong for shouting at Mommy. Papa will surely apologize. So for now, baby, just sleep tight, alright?"

"Hmm... I will." Tara nodded before closing her eyes and adjusting herself into the soft duvet.

With her now asleep, Rowen stood up, ready to leave, but upon opening the door, Vanessa appeared out of nowhere, falling into his arms.