Chapter 41

Timothy wanted to question Betty, but she had spent the whole afternoon suffering from diarrhea and, still feeling unwell, had gone to bed early. He never got the chance to ask. With a stomach full of questions, Timothy could only hold himself back.

He thought maybe it was just another misunderstanding–after all, he didn’t believe Betty would lie. When he’d asked her before about the source of the herbs, Betty had told him she’d gone to great lengths to consult a renowned doctor. Since she’d supposedly gone through so much trouble, Timothy felt he shouldn’t doubt her. He tried to convince himself there must be some kind of mix-up.

“Why would she ask you to keep it from me?” he asked hoarsely, looking at Lucy.

If the chamomile tea really came from Zinnia, Timothy couldn’t understand why she’d ask Lucy to hide that from him. He couldn’t make sense of why Zinnia would want to be kind to him at all.

To him, Zinnia seemed petty–whenever she saw them treating Betty well, she’d always give them the cold shoulder the next day. He couldn’t understand why she would help him and even ask Lucy to keep it a secret. He simply didn’t believe Zinnia could be that kindhearted.

“Zinnia said you hated her. If you knew it was from her, you wouldn’t have drunk the chamomile tea,” Lucy sighed. “Mr. Shaw, Zinnia has the kindest heart. Why can’t any of you see that?”

Lucy truly couldn’t understand. Zinnia was such a gentle, kind girl, but the Shaw family could never recognize that.

Timothy said nothing in response. He sat quietly on the sofa, his head throbbing painfully. In his mind, Zinnia’s calm, watery eyes surfaced again. It felt like she had already given up on their family.

In the end, Timothy didn’t even know how he made it through the night. His headache seemed worse than it had ever been.

In a daze, he thought he saw Zinnia’s face. She stood in the distance, her head slightly tilted, as if mocking him for not treasuring her–and disappointed that he never saw clearly who was truly good to him.

Timothy’s face grew paler. He really didn’t know how he managed to endure that dreadful night.

The next morning, Betty had school. Remembering what Lucy had said the night before, Timothy, despite his bloodshot eyes and overwhelming fatigue, still decided to drive her there.

He knew–Zinnia would definitely be at school too.

Drawing back from his thoughts, Timothy looked at Zinnia, lips slightly pressed together.

He had come here hoping to ask her the truth, to talk things out properly–but now it was clear Zinnia had no intention of speaking with him.

He didn’t want to believe that the insomnia which had plagued him for so long had been cured by the very person he disliked–Zinnia.

But once he accepted that truth, a wave of guilt surged through Timothy’s chest. He didn’t understand how things between them had gotten to this point.

Even if Zinnia had a difficult personality, as family, they should have been more tolerant. When those misunderstandings had happened, they should have investigated the truth first. If they had, maybe things wouldn’t have become so strained between them and Zinnia.

Timothy realized that he had become the kind of person he despised–the kind who let illusions cloud their judgment.

“Zinnia…” he murmured unconsciously, loosening his grip on Betty’s hand and hoarsely calling out to her.

Zinnia stared coldly at him without replying.

Timothy felt a pang in his chest. Seeing her nestled in Jackson’s protective arms, her eyes glaring at them like a little hedgehog with its spikes raised–this was the first time he’d ever seen her angry.

She hated them. He could read it clearly in her eyes.

Timothy lowered his gaze, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

“Zinnia, I’ll come pick you up for lunch at noon,” Isaac said. “I’m just two floors above you, so wait downstairs when your class is over. I’ll come get you right away.”

Isaac escorted Zinnia to the International Class classroom. A few students were already there.

“Isaac? What are you doing here? Haven’t seen you all summer–and your hair looks even cooler now,” a boy greeted them.

The moment Isaac and Zinnia appeared outside the classroom, someone noticed him. Isaac was one of Evershine High’s most popular figures–well-off, high-achieving, and friendly with everyone.

Most of the students in the International Class came from wealthy families, so naturally some of them knew Isaac. This boy, named Ethan Bacon, was spinning a basketball in his hand as he bounded down the stairs three steps at a time.

“I came to drop off my cousin,” Isaac nodded at him.

“Your cousin? Betty? But I thought you didn’t like her? And she doesn’t even take classes here,” Ethan said, puzzled.

“Who said I came to drop off Betty? Come meet Zinnia.” Isaac frowned at the mention of Betty and shot Ethan a glare, then turned to introduce Zinnia.

“Zinnia? You mean the new girl in our class?” Ethan glanced at Zinnia, eyes lighting up with surprise. He hadn’t expected the new student to be this pretty.

“Zinnia, this is my friend, Ethan Bacon. If you need any help, just go to him,” Isaac added gently.

“Hi, Zinnia,” Ethan straightened up and greeted her politely.

“Hello.” Zinnia nodded back, her voice soft and sweet. Even though she didn’t want to be at school, she didn’t want to make enemies either.

“Zinnia, your voice is really nice,” Ethan murmured, ears turning red.

Zinnia was wearing a light blue dress today–fresh and delicate in color. Her hair was braided into a loose side plait draped over one shoulder, revealing a bright, pretty little face.

Her eyes were clear and bright. Just looking into them, one’s restless heart seemed to settle.

With her teddy bear backpack and quiet, well-behaved demeanor, she stood there like a little bear cub–innocent and pure–stirring an instinctive desire to protect her.

“Ethan, help me look after Zinnia. Call me if anything happens,” Isaac instructed, nodding at him.

“Don’t worry, Isaac. With me around, no one will bully Zinnia!” Ethan promised solemnly, reaching out to hold Zinnia’s hand.

“Don’t touch her. You’re not that close,” Isaac frowned.

“Okay.” Caught off guard by Isaac’s jealousy, Ethan blinked in surprise and quickly let go of her hand.

“Isaac! What are you doing here? Ms. Sharp is looking all over for you upstairs. Come on!” Suddenly, another boy ran down from upstairs, calling out to Isaac.

“Wait a second.” Isaac still wanted to escort Zinnia to her classroom and give her a few more reminders.

“Isaac, Ms. Sharp says it’s urgent!” the boy urged, looking anxious.

“Isaac, you should go. I can find the classroom myself.” Zinnia tugged gently at Isaac’s sleeve, signaling him to go, and reached for her backpack.

“Isaac, go ahead. I’ll take Zinnia to her seat,” Ethan offered from the side.