From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 299: Chapter 299

Paisley had arrived at the time Serena usually woke up, and she entered just as the two kids were lying face to face, staring at each other with big eyes. It was quite a rare sight.
She was holding the medicine she needed to apply to them, and before she could reach the bedside, Serena struggled to sit up.
As soon as she lifted herself, the bruises on her back stretched, causing her to grimace in pain, and tears began to fall. "Ugh, Mom, my back hurts so much."
Paisley's heart ached for her. Of course it hurt. Most of Serena's injuries were on her back, particularly the scapula and ribs, which were the worst. Fortunately, the person who hit her was only an eight-year-old child, so the strength behind the punches was limited.
What made Paisley even more relieved was that Serena was lying on the floor when she was hit. She had just recovered from a surgery for a ruptured spleen. If the blows had been to her stomach, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Just thinking about the worst possible outcome made it impossible for Paisley to forgive those people.
"Come on, lie down properly, and Mommy will put on some medicine for you." The ointment Paisley made herself had the effects of promoting blood circulation, dissipating bruises, and relieving pain.
Serena heard Paisley's words and obediently lay back down on the bed. She turned her little face towards Grayson, her eyes still wet with tears.
Grayson looked at Serena, recalling how both he and Rena had cried out in pain when they had their bandages and medicine applied the day before. He thought it would still hurt today, so he could only silently watch Serena, silently rooting for her.
Paisley lifted up Serena's little nightgown, revealing the bruises all over her back. Even though she had seen it several times before, seeing it again still made Paisley's heart ache.
"Rena, be good, Mommy is starting to apply the medicine." Paisley gently coaxed.
"Okay." Serena's voice was weak, clearly remembering the pain from yesterday.
As soon as she smelled the ointment, she tightly closed her eyes. However, the pain she expected never came.
Paisley's hands were so gentle, softly rubbing the ointment on her skin. The ointment felt cool against her skin, which was surprisingly comfortable.
Grayson saw Serena's little face, which had been scrunched up in pain, slowly relax, and even a small, content expression appeared on her face.
"So it doesn't hurt?" Grayson was a bit confused, his gaze quietly shifting to Paisley.
Seeing the gentle expression on Paisley's face, and the way her eyes were solely focused on Serena, he froze. A feeling of indescribable bitterness surged up in his heart.
His chest felt heavy, aching. It felt like something was lodged in his throat, dry and tight. His nose felt sour, and his eyes burned. In short, it was a terrible feeling, like he wanted to cry.
In his vague memories from before the age of three, his mother had once looked at him like that, with all her heart and eyes focused on him.
He really wanted to call out for his mom, hoping she would look at him. But every time he tried to speak, his throat felt so tight that he couldn't get the words out.
In the end, he could only silently pull the blanket over his head, trying not to look. If he couldn't see, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.
Paisley finished applying the ointment to Serena and gently pulled her little nightgown back down, patting her little bottom. "All done."
Worrying that any big movements might strain her back, Paisley carefully sat her up.
Serena squirmed a little, then smiled, "Mommy, it doesn't hurt at all today. It feels really nice!"
Yesterday, since both kids had just been hurt, Paisley had been a little more forceful when applying the ointment. The goal was to rub it deeper into their skin to promote circulation, relieve pain, and reduce swelling.
But for the follow-up applications, there was no need for such force. So, the pain the kids felt wasn't from the ointment itself, but from Paisley's stronger method.
"It won't hurt when we put the ointment on from now on," said Paisley.
"Yay!" Serena cheered, happy with her ointment. She looked over at Grayson, thinking it was his turn now.
She turned to look at Grayson, but found he had somehow hidden under the blanket. Grayson must be afraid of the ointment, so he hid.
Serena reached out to pull the blanket. "Grayson, it doesn't hurt, the ointment won't hurt."
But Grayson didn't budge. No matter how Serena tugged at the blanket, he wouldn't come out.
"Mom." Serena looked at Paisley with confusion, not understanding why Grayson was acting this way. She had already told him it wouldn't hurt.
Paisley walked around to the other side of the bed, gently lifting the blanket to tap Grayson. "It's your turn for the ointment."
Grayson's little body trembled slightly, but he still didn't uncover his head.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid it'll hurt? I can be gentler," Paisley continued.
This time, Grayson's small hands gripping the blanket shifted, but he still wouldn't come out.
"Grayson," Paisley said his name in a deep voice, as if about to follow up with that classic line. "I'll count to three!"
Under the blanket, Grayson's body jerked. A familiar yet unfamiliar feeling flooded his mind. His body seemed to move of its own accord, and slowly, uncontrollably, he peeked his head out.
"Ah! Mommy! Grayson's crying," Serena exclaimed, seeing Grayson's face covered in tears. She wondered, "Is he crying because he's afraid?'
So, Serena tried again. "Don't worry, Grayson, the ointment won't hurt."
Grayson nodded, choking back tears. He wasn't afraid of the ointment—he was afraid that Paisley would ignore him.
Paisley thought maybe she had applied the ointment too forcefully yesterday, scaring Grayson. She sighed, "I understand now. I'll be gentler."
Grayson didn't say anything. He just obediently turned around and lay on the bed, even lifting his shirt himself, waiting for Paisley to apply the ointment.
Paisley raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem afraid of the ointment at all. She didn't think too much of it. She dipped her fingers in the ointment and gently rubbed it on Grayson's back.
Grayson shivered involuntarily, then he closed his eyes, mimicking Serena. Rena was right, it really didn't hurt at all. Paisley's hands were soft and gentle, so comfortable.
Serena watched Grayson, his eyes closed, enjoying it, and smiled softly. She had told him the medicine wouldn't hurt, and now Grayson should finally believe her.
"All done." After applying the medicine, Paisley also picked Grayson up and placed him on the bed.
The two kids, one tall and one short, sat side by side. Then, Paisley called two maids to help the kids with a quick wash.
"Mom, where's Helena?" Serena asked, looking at the unfamiliar aunt who was wiping her face.
"Helena resigned and went home." Paisley didn't say much to Serena.
In fact, right after the party yesterday, Cole fired Helena for negligence.
Helena knew that her inaction had led to the unfortunate event that could have been avoided. If she had just followed Serena step by step, Bella and Tommy wouldn't have had a chance.
Helena had no complaints about being fired. She packed her bags that very night and left, fearing retaliation.
Serena didn't really have any feelings toward Helena, so when she heard she had resigned, it didn't bother her at all. Anyway, with Linna here, Linna could play with her from now on.
"Alright, you two stay here. I'm going to wash up and bring breakfast." With that, Paisley left for a moment.
The room was left with just the two kids, staring at each other.
"Grayson." Serena looked a little shy, and after a long pause, she finally spoke up, "Thanks for coming back to save me yesterday."
Grayson didn't expect to hear Serena's thanks, and lowered his head, feeling guilty. Only he knew that, for a moment yesterday, he had wanted Rena to disappear.
Though it was just for a moment, he still felt uneasy. "Don't thank me, I should be thanking you."
"Huh? Thank me for what?" Serena didn't understand.
"Thank you for saving me too." Grayson couldn't forget how Serena, despite being injured, held on to Tommy, not letting him harm him.
Thinking about Serena like that made Grayson feel very guilty. It was the first time he felt so despicable.
Serena laughed sheepishly, then suddenly thought of something and curiously asked, "Grayson, you stayed here last night. What about the scary man? Did he stay here too?"