Chapter 20

After hanging up, Zinnia settled into her balcony swing chair with some medical textbooks. Her mentor always said even experts need refreshers.

New to Jinston, Zinnia had no friends. Her "real family" didn't give a crap—their rejection stung worse than any stranger's indifference.

She spent the afternoon reading and napping. When she woke up, it was dusk. As she opened her bedroom door to head downstairs, she heard raised voices below.

“Mom, when’s Zinnia waking up? Maybe she’s up but avoiding us. Let me check!” Maelis kept peeking upstairs. The Shaw family had waited all afternoon but still hadn’t seen Zinnia.

Betty frowned, “Mom, do you think Zinnia still hasn’t forgiven me?”

Then Betty turned to Sofia. “Grandma, let me go apologize to her. I was the one who messed up last time. I wanted to say sorry to Zinnia earlier, but I got sick and she left before I could,” she said, her pretty face full of regret.

“Zinnia’s the best kid. If she didn’t do it, she didn’t. She’s always honest. The people who framed her should be the ones apologizing,” Sofia said, glancing at Betty. Then she looked at Maelis and Howard, who were fidgeting on the couch like they couldn’t sit still.

“Yeah, Mom, I was wrong last time. But with Zinnia’s past, we jumped to conclusions. We’ll apologize to her properly this time,” Maelis said. She hadn’t seen Zinnia for days. She tried to visit yesterday, but Sofia refused her.

“If there’s a misunderstanding now, maybe there were misunderstandings before? Making one mistake doesn’t mean you can’t make another. Are you sure you’re always right?” Sofia sighed and shook her head. Maelis wasn’t the brightest.

Sofia then glanced sideways at Betty, who had come along.

“Grandma, Mom didn’t mean to. They were just worried about me,” Betty explained, freezing under Sofia’s stare and feeling like she was being targeted. Her smile wavered.

“They cared about Zinnia too. Last time Zinnia was sick, Mom tried to see her. But Betty got a sudden headache, so we stayed with her first.

“By the time we got to the hospital, Zinnia had already checked herself out after making a scene,” Howard said, feeling the tension.

He looked up at the silent bedroom upstairs and clenched his jaw, thinking, ‘She really is a pain—still dead asleep after napping all day.’

“Really? What a coincidence! What good were you during Betty’s headache? Zinnia was right downstairs for hours getting tests. Couldn’t even send one person?

“Betty, you’re not a baby anymore—do you need the whole family hovering over you?” Sofia said, shaking her head at the clueless Howard.

Then she turned to Betty with a faint smirk. What a coincidence—Zinnia got sick, Howard went looking for her parents, and suddenly Betty got a headache.

“Grandma… it’s not needed. Mom and Dad just overreacted yesterday. After our checkup, we went to see Zinnia right away. But she left too quickly,” Betty said, sensing Sofia’s dislike.

She felt like Sofia saw through her act. She shot Howard a pleading look, silently begging him to speak up for her.

Howard was usually the dependable one. “Grandma, Betty’s not a baby. We’re smothering her…” His voice faded. It hit him—If they were this worried about Betty, what about Zinnia? No one had even thought about her.

“Huh? I thought Zinnia and Betty were the same age. If Betty’s not a kid, Zinnia doesn’t need babysitting either,” Sofia said, squinting.

Howard froze. Betty and Zinnia were the same age—Zinnia was actually the younger sister. She’d had a 104°F fever. The doctor warned a fever that high could cause brain damage. He’d gone looking for their parents but he hadn’t returned. Suddenly, guilt clawed at his chest.

Howard had come today because he was blocked, ready to confront Zinnia. But now he felt like someone dropped a pebble in his shoe. He didn’t notice it until he focused—then it was all he felt.

Betty and Zinnia were the same age, but everyone fussed over Betty. No one remembered Zinnia in the next room, passed out from fever. For the first time, Howard felt a twinge of guilt.

“Mom, Betty’s always been delicate. That’s why I watch her closer. It doesn’t mean I love Zinnia less,” Maelis argued. “After Betty’s tests, I checked on Zinnia. I thought she was faking it—that’s what I’d heard. I never expected she was actually sick.”

Maelis’s face tightened. When Howard mentioned Zinnia’s fever, she’d brushed it off. Only when Betty complained of a headache did she bother to check on Zinnia—after taking care of Betty first.

Sofia sighed, “Maelis, Zinnia’s your own kid—the daughter you found. She’s still adjusting and needs you. Even if she faked it, it was to get noticed. How can you doubt her?”

Sofia glared at Maelis and Howard, who were still defending Betty. A headache pulsed at her temples. The Shaw family was clueless.

“Mom, I know I messed up. Thanks for looking after Zinnia. When I take her home, I’ll make time for her,” Maelis said, guilt and sorrow mixing.

Betty was the daughter she’d raised, but Zinnia was her biological child—the one she’d miraculously gotten back. After bringing Zinnia home, she’d been so focused on Betty’s feelings that she’d ignored how Zinnia was still adjusting to this new life.

Two days without Zinnia made the house feel hollow like a puzzle piece was missing. Maelis was so lonely it hurt. She called Sofia again, desperate to see Zinnia.

After another scolding, Sofia finally gave in. Maelis rushed over with Betty, hoping they could fix things and bring Zinnia home.