Chapter 214

Can looked utterly exasperated. “Mom, can you stop making a scene! If you keep this up, you’ll faint again.”

Lyfia used to be the dignified wife of a wealthy family—so why was she acting like a complete shrew now?

Hearing this, Lydia was enraged all over again. “Making a scene? You’re the one being ridiculous!”

Can using the word “ridiculous” to describe her made Lydia feel deeply hurt. She couldn’t help but wonder—was this how Phoebe had felt back then? She hadn’t been unreasonable, yet the family had constantly dismissed her as such, slapping the “troublemaker” label on her.

Fury surged through Lydia, and with all her strength, she threw Cain’s phone to the ground.

“I dare you to keep chatting; keep thinking about running off to see Sienna! You ungrateful brat, you’re staying in this hospital room with me for the next two days. You’re not going anywhere!”

Did he have no heart? Lydia deeply regretted her decision to adopt Sienna. That girl had completely brainwashed Cain—made him heartless, thoughtless, disloyal to his own family.

Cain looked down at his phone, now shattered on the floor. He picked it up and checked—sure enough, the screen was black. His anger boiled over. What the hell had he done to deserve this? His mother! Being utterly unreasonable, and at this point, completely unhinged.

Just as he was about to speak, Jamar grabbed his arm. “Cain, cool it. If you say something that makes Mom collapse again, what then?”

Joshua crossed his arms, his face grim. “Cain, stop being so damn childish. You do nothing but piss Mom off all day.”

Cain pointed at himself, disbelief on his face. “Me! I’m the problem?”

Joshua didn’t even hesitate. “Of course! If it’s not you, then who? Can you just behave for once? Do you really enjoy causing chaos in this family?”

Cain was speechless. Why did this all sound so familiar? Then it hit him. “…are you just repeating the same things you used to say to Phoebe?” Cain scoffed. “Are you serious? You’re just recycling your old…” except now, I’m the target (momentarily stunned by his own realization). Joshua also faltered for a second. Had he really said the same things to Phoebe? Thinking back… he probably had. But now that he really considered it, had Phoebe ever actually done anything that bad? She had never made their mom faint from rage. She had never done anything shameful. So why had they always called her a troublemaker?

Joshua suddenly asked, “Cam, does it piss you off when we accuse you of making trouble?” Can shot him a glare. “Obviously. If I accused you of the same thing, how would you feel!”

Jamar, watching this unfold, added, “But Cain, you used to say the same things to Phoebe too. And unlike you, she never actually did anything…”

Chapter 211

Cain choked on his words. “Like you two didn’t do the same thing?”

“Want to forgive us?” Jamar’s expression darkened with guilt. “Yeah, we all did. No wonder she doesn’t want to forgiv…” He had never really thought about it before. They had never really…

They! But now, looking back, it made them uncomfortable. Had Phoebe felt just as angry, just as frustrated, when they had dismissed her like this? And the worst part? She really hadn’t done anything wrong.

A heavy silence fell over the room, even Lydia falling quiet. Because the truth was, they had all done this before.

Jamar sighed. “It’s like that old saying—until you experience it yourself, you’ll never know how much it…”

Just looking at how upset their mother and Cain were now made it clear—being called a troublemaker for no reason felt awful. They had truly hurt Phoebe in the past. Once upon a time, she had been the soft-hearted one, always looking out for them in every way she could.

Joshua sighed too. “People only realize what they’ve lost once it’s too late.”

Lydia, unable to hold back her emotions, felt tears slipping down her cheeks again. Now she truly understood how it felt to be treated like this by family. It was suffocating, frustrating, humiliating. And back then, her sons had treated Phoebe even worse than this. No wonder Phoebe didn’t want to visit her in the hospital. No wonder she was out there enjoying her life with other people, smiling and laughing as if the Jenkins family meant nothing to her.

Lydia took a deep breath and asked, “What do I have to do for Phoebe to let go of the past?” She wanted her daughter back. She wanted Phoebe to care about her again, to stay by her side like before. And this time, she would return that care tenfold. If only her daughter would come home.

Jamar and Joshua exchanged looks. “We don’t know,” they admitted. If they had known, they wouldn’t still be in this situation. A sigh passed through all of them.

For a moment, the four of them had nothing more to say. Cain didn’t feel the same depth of guilt as the others. Sure, he now realized he had been unfair to Phoebe in the past. But right now, all he could think about was Sienna—alone, waiting for him. Yet he didn’t dare sneak off. His mom would lose it all over again, and not only would he suffer, but Sienna would too.

Jamar thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone. He sent a private message to Phoebe. Justina, sitting beside Linn, caught a glimpse of the screen. After hesitating, he did the same.

Meanwhile, out at sea, Phoebe sat with Andrea, sipping fruit wine and chatting leisurely. Not far from them, Maddox and the others were playing guitar and singing. The phone given to her by the variety show crew buzzed twice on the table.

3:15 PM

Chapter 211

Picking it up, she saw the messages:

Jamar: ]I’m sorry:] Joshua: (I’m sorry]

Phoebe frowned slightly, confused. What’s gotten into these two now? She rolled her eyes and ignored the messages, exiting the chat. Instead, she turned her attention back to Maddox and the others, laughing along with them as they sang. No matter what the Jenkins family did now, it no longer had any effect on her mood.

Andrea, watching Phoebe’s bright, carefree laughter, thought to herself—Phoebe’s smile is truly beautiful. Unable to resist, she snapped a couple of pictures. After getting Phoebe’s approval, she posted them in their group chat.

Far away in a dimly lit bar, Reece happened to be scrolling through his phone. When he saw the photos, his heart clenched with pain. He hadn’t seen Phoebe smile like that in a long time. So she really hadn’t been happy before. Regret washed over him like a tidal wave.

Jamar and Joshua also felt a sting in their hearts. Back at home, they had never seen Phoebe smile like that. They weren’t surprised that she didn’t reply. They didn’t send those messages expecting a response. They just needed to say it. “I’m sorry.” Even if she never forgave them.

Meanwhile, Andrea saw that Maddox, Quintus, and Lexie were still singing, and James and Jimmy were busy grilling food. Sensing a rare moment alone with Phoebe, she stood up, grabbed a pen and napkin, and scribbled down two sentences. Then, with a smile, she did it in front of Phoebe.