Chapter 5
“Zinnia, I already told Mom and Dad you didn’t push me. They just need time to get to know you better. Please don’t be mad at them—or our brothers. This is all my fault for not explaining clearly,” Betty said softly.
Something about her words made Howard uneasy, though he couldn’t place why.
“Zinnia, I was just joking. This is your home. Where would you move?” Maelis held Zinnia’s hand, her voice anxious as she forced a gentle smile. She suddenly realized Zinnia hadn’t called her “Mom” even once since entering the hospital room.
“I heard you talking about sending me away. Don’t go through the trouble. This is never really my home anyway,” Zinnia replied, glancing at Maelis’ tender face before quickly looking away.
After Zinnia returned home, Maelis had shown moments of guilt. But guilt wasn’t love. Even if some affection existed, it was too messy—Maelis loved too many people. Zinnia needed none of it.
Watching Maelis hold Zinnia’s hand, Betty bit her lip, her hands clenching under the covers.
“Zinnia, even Yosef said to let it go.” Timothy crossed his arms, irritation flashing in his narrow eyes. “Betty’s not blaming you anymore and said it was a misunderstanding. Why make such a fuss about moving out?”
“Make a fuss?” Zinnia pulled her hand free from Maelis, frowning. “What makes you think I’d bother with you? Who do you think you are to me?”
“Do you all think I’m just causing trouble? Why won’t anyone listen to me?” Zinnia looked around at Donald, Yosef, and Howard. All three looked at her with frustration, seemingly thinking she was being unreasonable.
Timothy’s face hardened. ‘Is she saying I’m full of myself? And suggesting we don’t deserve her throwing a tantrum?’
Suddenly, anger surged through him. ‘When did she become so bold and sharp-tongued? She’s not even trying to hide her attitude from us anymore. No wonder everyone in the family can’t stand her.’
“Zinnia, could you call me Mom? You haven’t said it once since you got here,” Maelis said, her voice cracking.
Zinnia used to whisper “Mom” every time she got home, and Maelis’d felt Zinnia carefully trying to connect. But now, that fragile bond seemed gone. A mother’s instinct told Maelis: Zinnia was disappointed in her.
The Shaw men froze. Now that they considered it, they realized Zinnia hadn’t greeted any of them since entering the hospital room.
“Look, it was a misunderstanding. We should’ve been more careful,” Yosef said to Zinnia, his jaw clenching. “I’ll bump up your allowance for a month. Go buy whatever you want.”
His voice was calm but cold, devoid of any brotherly warmth. He just wanted to shut this down and stop the family drama.
‘Seriously? Zinnia gets more money just for throwing a fit? And here I am, killing myself trying to sweet-talk Mom and Dad for just a fraction of that!’
“I’m out of here,” Zinnia said, scanning the hospital room. Her lips curled slightly when she caught Betty’s venomous glare.
‘These people are totally clueless. How can they not see right through Betty’s game?’ she thought bitterly, then turned and walked out without a second glance.
“Zinnia,” Maelis called out, wanting to chase after her. But she stopped as she glanced back at Betty, who was still in the hospital bed and needed constant care. Zinnia was heading home anyway, and Maelis figured she could go find her later.
Howard frowned as he watched Zinnia walk away, feeling a knot of tension in his chest. “I’ll walk her out,” he said.
“Yeah, Howard, go with Zinnia,” Maelis said. “Talk to her and try to cheer her up. Maybe take her shopping or grab something to help her feel better.”
“Zinnia’s getting more and more out of control,” Timothy sneered coldly.
Zinnia marched down the hallway with quick strides. Howard hurried after her, but every word he said only made her walk faster, nearly breaking into a run to get away from him.
Betty watched the two of them walking away together and felt a strange, bitter sting in her heart.
“Alright, Timothy,” Yosef said, sighing, giving his brother a helpless look. “Betty said it was just a misunderstanding. We really treated Zinnia unfairly today.”
“Misunderstanding? What about all the times she’s bullied Betty before? That couldn’t be a misunderstanding,” Timothy shot back.
But then he remembered Betty’s weird behavior earlier. He pressed his lips together and glanced down the corridor—Zinnia was already gone.
Silence filled the ward. While today’s situation was debatable, there was no denying Zinnia had bullied Betty in the past.
Betty secretly relished their dislike for Zinnia. “That country bumpkin will never take my place in the Shaw family. She should’ve stayed right where she came from, instead of trying to squeeze into a life that was never meant for her!”
“Zinnia, slow down. Are you racing to the grave?” Howard grumbled as he rushed to catch up, surprised by her quick pace despite her short legs.
“Stop tailing me. Go be with your precious Betty,” Zinnia snapped, annoyed. ‘Why can’t this guy just leave me alone?’
“Zinnia, are you jealous that we care more about Betty than you?” Howard blocked her path in two strides, towering over her much smaller frame.
A teammate had once warned him, “When you’ve got two sisters, never talk about one in front of the other, or the other will be jealous.” Now he felt Zinnia was acting exactly like the jealous sister his teammate had described.
At 5’3", Zinnia looked tiny next to Howard’s over 6-foot frame. He noticed two cowlicks on her head, looking quite cute. But he had heard others say people with double crowns had bad tempers. Howard thought there might be something to that, considering how moody Zinnia could be.
“Get lost or I’ll punch you!” Zinnia snapped, her usually soft voice sharp. She clenched her fists, trying to steady her dizzy body. She was burning up and just wanted to go home, grab her stuff, move out, and rest.
“Punch me?” Howard chuckled, using his palm to measure the funny height difference between her head and his chest. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?”
“GET LOST!” Zinnia glared up at him, her eyes rimmed with red and her cheeks burning. The next moment, everything went dark.
“Zinnia!”