Daddy’s Promise: New Mommy Comes, Old One Goes Novel – When Elina Ford walked out of the police station, it was already past nine at night. She pulled out her phone and found a flood of concerned messages. All from friends and colleagues but none from her husband, Jack Mansor. The tiredness on her face deepened into a hint of sadness. She pushed open the front door. The nanny saw her and froze for a second. “Mrs. Mansor, you… oh, I mean, are you okay?” Elina caught the guilty look in the nanny’s eyes. Pressing her lips together, she said nothing.
She headed straight upstairs. When she opened her daughter’s bedroom door, she heard her on the phone. “Aunt Elowyn, I did just like you said! Is Mom really going to be locked up by the police?” Jaslyn waved her arms excitedly, chatting away, completely unaware that Elina was standing at the door. Elina stood quietly, listening. Only then did she find out that Jaslyn Mansor, knowing full well she was allergic to peanuts, had secretly added crushed peanuts to her own lunch and called the police to say her mother had done it, trying to harm her. All because she wanted to get her locked up so she could go out with Dad and Elowyn to celebrate a birthday.
After Jaslyn finished happily chatting with Elowyn Ford, she turned around and finally saw Elina standing there. Her little face stiffened. Shock and dissatisfaction flickered plainly in her eyes. She blurted out, “How come the police didn’t lock you up?” Elina’s throat tightened. Fighting back the ache, she asked, “You really wanted Mommy to be locked up?” She had never realized that the daughter she had poured her heart into raising for five years hated her so much. “If you don’t stop me, Dad, and Aunt Elowyn from celebrating, then I won’t have the police arrest you,” Jaslyn said, her little face showing a look of great generosity. “Mom, I really don’t get it.
You and Aunt Elowyn are both Grandma and Grandpa’s daughters, but how come you can’t do anything? You just work and cook. You’re not elegant at all. Aunt Elowyn’s different from you. You know how many people envy me when Aunt Elowyn takes me out? She’s pretty, she knows how to dress, and she’s super gentle. Even Dad thinks Aunt Elowyn is better than you. Mom, can you just go back to work and not come to my birthday party?” Jaslyn went on and on, praising Elowyn for a long time, before finally getting to the point. Elina felt like she couldn’t breathe. She asked, “So, it doesn’t matter to you if Mommy gets locked up?” “It’s not like you’ll be locked up for long.” Jaslyn pouted impatiently. “You’re not gonna scold me again because of this, are you? Aunt Elowyn never nags me when I do something wrong. She’s not like you. You’re so annoying.” Elina said nothing more.
She stared at her daughter for a long time, then left the room without a word. Behind her, Jaslyn called out, worried, “You’re not gonna throw a fit tomorrow and stop me, Dad, and Aunt Elowyn from celebrating, right? Mom, if you dare to stop us, I’ll never talk to you again! I’ll even call the cops on you!” Her voice was loud enough that even the nanny heard it. The nanny came over awkwardly and said, “Mrs. Mansor, Jaslyn’s still little. She doesn’t understand. Please don’t take it to heart.” Elina simply hummed in response.
Back in her room, she called Jack. She needed to know if he was in on this. The phone rang for a long time before Jack finally answered, his voice cold. “I’m busy right now, you…” “Jack, are you ready yet?” Elowyn’s voice cut in. Elina gripped her phone tightly. “Go ahead, get back to it,” she said before Jack could finish, and hung up. They had been married for six years, but they hadn’t really spent much time together. Jack was always busy, flying back and forth overseas, while she worked irregular hours as a doctor.
Whenever she had time off, it was always scheduled around Jack and Jaslyn. Somewhere along the way, her efforts had become a burden. Her husband and daughter even preferred she didn’t take any time off at all. She should have realized it earlier. In the past, she would have pressed for answers. She would have asked why he was still with Elowyn so late at night, and whether everything important to him now involved Elowyn. She would have stubbornly demanded to know… Did Jack know Jaslyn intentionally ate peanuts to frame her? But tonight, she was just too tired.
She didn’t feel like asking anything anymore. The next morning, she packed up and went back to work. When her coworkers saw her, they looked surprised. “Dr. Ford, isn’t today your and your daughter’s birthday? Why are you back at work all of a sudden?” “Yeah, Dr. Ford. You’re not mad about what happened yesterday, are you? You’re still going to celebrate, right?” “Kids can be such trouble sometimes!” one coworker said with a rueful smile. “Last time my son pissed me off so bad over homework, I whacked him.
Guess what? He called the cops! After that, I gave him another spanking.” Everyone laughed, and Elina smiled along with them. She wished it were that simple with Jaslyn, that it was just a childish tantrum. Around noon, a coworker asked if she wanted anything from outside. She shook her head. Maybe Jaslyn was still too young to remember, but Jack would surely remember that today was her birthday too. Maybe… they were planning a surprise for her. But as the afternoon wore on, Jack still hadn’t sent a single message.
It wasn’t until she checked Elowyn’s Instagram that whatever tiny hope she had left was completely shattered. In a fancy restaurant, birthday candles cast a soft glow on Jaslyn’s sweet little face as she closed her eyes to make a wish. “I hope Mommy never shows up on my birthdays again.” “I hope Aunt Elowyn always stays with me. I hope Dad and Aunt Elowyn stay together forever and ever!” Elina couldn’t even hear the rest of what Jaslyn said in the video. She had raised her daughter by herself, and Jack was always so busy with work. Then, about six months ago, Jack suddenly started spending more time with Jaslyn. In just six months, their daughter became completely attached to him.