Chapter 108
Betty pushed Anne out of nowhere. No one knew what had happened before that. The doctor explained that Anne was already in a dazed state before the fall.
The impact, combined with insufficient blood supply to her brain, caused a blood clot to form, compressing her nerves and leaving her unable to wake up.
The doctors had considered surgery, but the compressed nerves were in an extremely dangerous location. A single misstep could lead to brain death, with no chance of recovery. They were searching for a safer approach, but hadn’t found one yet.
Anne’s father, Daniel, made a public announcement in elite circles: anyone with connections or means to cure Anne would be handsomely rewarded by the Carson family.
Zinnia frowned as she listened to Anne’s condition. She thought, ‘A hematoma compressing the nerves? Prolonged compression could cause brain damage. If it’s not cleared in time, the pressure might rupture blood vessels, making recovery even harder!’
Zinnia decided to find a chance to visit Anne. They were not really close, but she just couldn’t stand seeing an innocent person get dragged into all this.
That afternoon, when Zinnia got home, she didn’t see Yannis. He had already texted her to inform her that he had been very busy and wouldn’t be back for the next couple of days. But he said he would have someone bring her dinner.
Zinnia had intended to give Yannis the herbal pills, but since he wasn’t home, she decided to wait until he returned.
The days drifted by, and before she knew it, the weekend had arrived. Zinnia still hadn’t run into Yannis. He’d been swamped lately, leaving her no chance to give him the herbal pills she’d prepared.
Still, every night without fail, Yannis had someone deliver dinner to Zinnia, always her favorite meat dishes. She couldn’t help but feel a little pampered.
As soon as the school break started, Sofia asked Zinnia to go back to the Lynn residence for dinner.
Zinnia had been living away from the Lynn residence for some time. Because she had promised Sofia that she would come back for the holidays, she didn’t refuse.
On Friday after school, Zinnia and Maisie shared a ride back to the Lynn residence.
The moment Zinnia stepped into the yard, Sofia heard from Benedict that she was back. Dropping her gardening shears, Sofia hurried out to greet Zinnia, her face lighting up with heartfelt affection. Sofia said, “Zinnia, my dear, I’ve missed you so much!”
“Sofia,” Zinnia called.
“Quick, come in! I had the chef make lots of little treats for you, Zinnia,” Sofia called out, her voice noticeably brighter as she took in Zinnia’s still-plump cheeks.
Sofia thought, ‘Compared to before, when she was so quiet and withdrawn, Zinnia is now visibly more cheerful!’
Sofia led Zinnia into the living room and had her sit down. The coffee table was piled high with all sorts of delicious treats, but not a single one had any cream, just the way Zinnia liked it.
Sofia gently took Zinnia’s hand and let out a soft sigh. She said, “Zinnia, I heard about what happened at school. It’s my fault. I didn’t raise your mother right, and that’s why she made such foolish mistakes, sweetheart.”
Sofia knew Zinnia would never do such things, but she never expected the Shaws to be so reckless. They didn’t bother to investigate a single accusation before heaping all that blame on Zinnia.
Zinnia had kept the school accident from the Lynn family to avoid worrying them. Isaac was away, leading his team abroad for a closed training camp, so he didn’t know about the accident. But Zinnia didn’t expect Howard to accidentally spill the beans.
When Zinnia received calls from Jackson and Sofia, she felt a bit uneasy and couldn’t help but curse Howard in her mind. Facing Sofia’s well-meaning words, Zinnia reassured, “I’m not bothered by it, Sofia, and you shouldn’t be either.”
Zinnia never dwelt on those matters. The Shaw family meant nothing to her now, and past grievances had long faded from her mind.
Sofia gently stroked Zinnia’s head and said, “Zinnia, you have suffered so much.” Her eyes brimmed with tenderness. In her heart, she had already refused Maelis’s request to speak to the Carson family on her behalf.
Sofia thought, ‘Betty must face the consequences of her own actions. Betty has Maelis to protect her, but Zinnia has no one. So our family must be her shield now.
‘We owe her that much. After all those years lost and suffering, even after we found her, she’s still wronged. She has suffered more than her share of hardships.’
Zinnia smiled gently at Sofia, her eyes warm and clear. She said, “Sofia, I’m not wronged at all, not with you all protecting me.”
Zinnia didn’t care anymore. Perhaps after being abandoned so many times, she was no longer surprised when Betty schemed against her. She had long since grown accustomed to Shawn’s attitude.
Zinnia had always been emotionally numb. It was a lingering effect of childhood trauma that left her detached for years. Whether others disliked, resented, or even liked her, she could barely register their feelings.
For Zinnia, this emotional numbness was her way of protecting herself. Her Master had tried everything he could to help her, and eventually she was able to start sensing other people’s emotions again.
Even so, her perception was still weaker than most people’s. When Zinnia first returned to the Shaw family, their constant neglect did sting a little, though not deeply.
As for how they doted on Betty, or how Betty constantly flaunted their affection, Zinnia barely registered it. What she cared about most was that Master had left her.
While Zinnia and Sofia were talking, Henry returned. Seeing Zinnia, Henry beamed. He lifted a fishing creel and said, “Zinnia, you’re back! Look what I caught, fresh fish. I will have the chef cook it for dinner tonight.”
“Got it!” Zinnia chirped, her voice bright and clear.
Only the three of them, Zinnia, Sofia, and Henry, were having dinner, making the house feel especially quiet.
Sofia served some food on Zinnia’s plate and said, “Charlie probably won’t make it home for dinner again. He’s been so busy lately that sometimes he even forgets to eat.”
Charlie had been swamped with work at the hospital these days, while Jackson was away on a business trip abroad.
When Jackson first heard about what happened to Zinnia, he was ready to fly back immediately, but Yannis reassured him that everything had been resolved, finally putting his mind at ease.
Zinnia offered, “Sofia, could you pack up some of Charlie’s favorite dishes? I’ll take them to him. I haven’t seen him in days.”
“It’s too much trouble. Let Charlie just grab a quick bite at the hospital,” Grandma Sofia said, torn between her concern for Charlie and not wanting Zinnia to tire herself out with another trip.
Zinnia insisted, “It’s no trouble at all. I don’t have class tomorrow, and it’s still early. I’ll bring dinner to Charlie and wait for him so we can go home together.”
She thought, ‘If I remember correctly, Anne is at the same hospital as Charlie. Maybe I could take the opportunity to visit Anne.’
Hearing this, Sofia thought, ‘If someone else brings food to Charlie, he’ll just let it go cold and eat it later when he’s done. But if Zinnia brings it, he’ll eat it right away.’
So she said, “Alright then. Zinnia, you must be tired from being cooped up at school all day. It’ll do you good to get out for a bit. I’ll have Benedict arrange a car to take you.”
After dinner, Zinnia grabbed the packed meal and headed to the hospital by car.
Charlie worked at Jinston’s top hospital as a neurologist.