Chapter 55

After dinner, Zinnia went upstairs to rest. She charged her phone and then headed to the bathroom for a shower. When she came out, she noticed a string of missed calls from unfamiliar numbers on the screen. Zinnia frowned.

Before she could put the phone down, it started ringing again. She hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“Zinnia,” Maelis called out. Her voice was cautious, almost trembling.

Zinnia instinctively wanted to hang up.

“Zinnia, I’m sorry, I misunderstood you before,” Maelis said, her voice heavy with guilt.

Zinnia stayed silent, her expression cold and distant.

Maelis asked, “Zinnia, can I come pick you up tomorrow? Let’s go home together, okay?”

Maelis had planned to pick Zinnia up during the day, but Betty had rushed back home in the afternoon. Betty threw herself into Maelis’s arms, her sobs uncontrollable. Between her cries, she kept repeating, “I was so scared. I didn’t mean to. I am sorry.”

Maelis felt a pang of sympathy. Betty was the child she had raised, after all. Maelis understood that Betty’s fear was natural. But the fact that Betty had schemed to make them misunderstand Zinnia left a bitter knot in her heart that she couldn’t untangle.

Betty subtly suggested that Maelis should ask Jackson to take down the school posts. Betty also wanted Maelis to publicly declare, in the name of the Shaw family, that Betty was also a cherished daughter. But Maelis remained silent.

Maelis felt the Shaw family had already wronged Zinnia too much. As for Howard spreading the news, Maelis didn’t see it as a problem. Zinnia was their biological daughter, after all, even if they had never officially clarified her identity.

They had been so focused on protecting Betty’s feelings that they had forgotten Zinnia could be hurt too. And now, Betty had even schemed to frame Zinnia. As a mother, Maelis was overwhelmed with guilt, especially since Zinnia had only recently returned to their lives.

This incident left Maelis deeply disappointed in Betty. So Maelis didn’t ask Jackson for help right away. She felt Betty needed to face some consequences. She decided to wait a few days before seeking Jackson’s assistance.

Betty clung to Maelis, crying for what felt like hours, until exhaustion finally overtook her and she fell asleep.

By the time Maelis noticed the hour, it was already late, and it didn’t seem appropriate to go pick up Zinnia. She called Zinnia multiple times, but none of the calls were answered.

After speaking with Howard and confirming Zinnia was free, Maelis tried calling again. Maelis could feel Zinnia slipping further and further away; she wanted to mend their relationship as quickly as possible.

Zinnia waited for Maelis to finish speaking, then she said, “Mrs. Shaw, don’t call me again.” With that, she hung up. She had answered the call only to stop Maelis’s incessant attempts to reach her.

Maelis’s face turned pale. Before she could even process her emotions, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open, and Donald walked in with a grim expression.

Donald said, “What’s going on at school? How could you let Isaac say those things? Do you even care about the Shaw family’s reputation? Betty’s been part of this family for over ten years; she’s practically their sister.

“And now, with what Isaac’s saying about Betty online, how is she supposed to face anyone at school?” Donald’s tone grew sharper, his anger escalating with every word as he glared at Maelis.

Donald’s fury left Maelis momentarily stunned. She thought, Is he angry because of Betty? While Isaac’s actions are indeed excessive, Betty isn't innocent either. Yet he doesn’t even bother to ask for the full story. He had come straight to accuse me and Isaac.

Donald was disheveled and uncharacteristically unkempt. His white shirt was wrinkled, and his usually composed face was clouded with anger. His eyes, filled with frustration, seemed to reveal a side of him Maelis had never seen before, as if a mask had slipped.

For a fleeting moment, Maelis felt as though she were looking at a stranger.

Noticing Maelis’s pale complexion and the distant look in her eyes, Donald asked, “Maelis, are you alright?” He stepped closer, pulling Maelis into his arms with concern.

Maelis caught a faint, unfamiliar scent clinging to Donald. But before she could dwell on it, Donald spoke again.

Donald said, “Betty’s been our daughter for over ten years. She may not be ours by blood, but she’s as good as. This time, Betty was wrong, but those posts online are unacceptable. How will this reflect on our family?”

Maelis’s fingers unconsciously tightened around his shirt. A sharp pang of resentment twisted in her chest. She thought, He didn’t ask about Zinnia, not once. All his concern is for Betty and how the posts might affect her.

Zinnia had faced life-and-death situations, yet Donald didn’t even consider how Zinnia might have felt when we misunderstood her.

The posts are indeed a problem. I have no intention of leaving them up indefinitely. But the moment he returned, he started questioning me without even asking what I had planned.

Instead of replying, Maelis said, “Donald, I’ve been to the Lynn residence so many times to bring Zinnia back, but she won’t even look at me. Do you think she’s given up on us?”

Her voice was hoarse, each word slow and deliberate, as if the weight of her emotions made it hard to speak.

Donald said, “Zinnia grew up in a town, and it’s made her temper unbearable. Let her stay with Sofia for a while. It’ll help her learn some discipline.

“Maelis, Betty was devastated today. Isaac crossed the line this time. She’s just a girl. How could anyone say something so awful about her?”

Donald thought, Sofia and Henry have always been biased; they’ve never cared much for daughters. Betty was ignored when she was younger, and they even stopped her from visiting the Lynn family.

It’s probably the same with Zinnia now. If Zinnia lives in Lynn residence, she’ll be treated poorly, too. Honestly, letting her stay there might do her some good.

Donald didn’t like Zinnia as a daughter. He thought Zinnia wasn’t charming or lively, and she always seemed dull and unremarkable. In their social circle, people spoke of Zinnia with disdain. She was nothing like Betty, who brought pride and honor to the Shaw family.

So when Zinnia decided to leave on her own, Donald couldn’t help but feel relieved. For once, he didn’t have to deal with her presence dragging him down.

As Maelis listened to Donald, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something about his words was off. Still, she had to admit he was right about one thing: leaving Betty’s post up on the forum wasn’t good for the Shaw family.

Family drama like this would only make them a laughingstock and could even tarnish the children’s reputation. So she replied, “Donald, I’ll talk to Jackson tomorrow and ask him to take the post down.”

Evershin High was co-founded by the Lynn family, the Perkins family, and the Stark family. If they wanted the post removed, Jackson was the only one who could make it happen.