Chapter 64

“Yeah, I like staying with Grandma,” Zinnia replied with a blank face.

Zinnia’s aloof demeanor left Maelis at a loss. She asked a few simple questions, but the conversation quickly stalled. In the past, it was always Maeta who tried to keep the dialogue going, while Zinnia would only respond with short answers.

Zinnia was nothing like Betty, who knew how to lift Maelis' spirits with her cheerful chatter. Zinnia, with her cold and distant nature, felt like a stranger Maelis didn’t know how to approach.

She wanted to show she cared, but she didn’t know how.

Besides, Zinnia and Betty were constantly at odds. Maelis felt a deep sense of guilt toward Zinnia, but her heart also ached for Betty, who often ended up hurt in these conflicts.

She couldn’t understand why Zinnia couldn’t accept Betty. The mix-up all those years ago wasn’t anyone’s fault; it was just a cruel twist of fate. Neither of them was to blame.

Both were her daughters–the only difference was that one she had raised since birth, and the other was the one she had just gotten back. Seeing them fight and struggle to get along tore Maelis apart.

“Zinnia, I’m sorry for what happened between you and Betty last time; I misunderstood you. Can you forgive me?” Maelis held Zinnia’s hand and stared at her with tearful eyes.

Sofia heard Maelis‘ sincere apology and finally felt a bit relieved. She thought at least Maelis wasn’t entirely clueless.

“I forgive you,” Zinnia replied. She pulled her hand away because Maelis’ touch made her uncomfortable. She even tucked it behind her back, showing evident resistance.

“Really?” Maelis’ face lit up with surprise. She hadn’t expected Zinnia to forgive her so quickly. Overwhelmed with joy, she didn’t even notice her reluctance.

She thought, I knew you’re a kind girl, Zinnia. Thank you for forgiving me.

Timothy, watching them, widened his eyes in disbelief. His gaze fixed on Zinnia, filled with confusion.

He thought, “How could she easily say she forgives her, yet treat me with nothing but thorns, refusing to even speak to me?”

“Yeah,” Zinnia nodded faintly. She hadn’t taken Maelis or Betty’s words to heart at all. She didn’t care about them anymore, so whether they forgave them or not didn’t matter.

She figured if forgiving them meant they would finally leave her alone, she would be more than willing to do it.

Only Sofia felt speechless by how dumb Maelis was.

She thought, ‘Did Maelis really think Zinnia’s forgiveness was genuine? Couldn’t she see that she was just humoring her? Zinnia had already let go of any attachment to her as a mother.’

“Zinnia, you might have to stay with your grandma for a few more days, and I’ll pick you up soon,” Maelis said, her face lighting up with excitement. She seemed completely oblivious to Sofia’s pained expression.

Maelis had noticed Donald’s reluctance to let Zinnia return home last night. She knew he was still upset, so she planned to spend the next couple of days soothing him before bringing Zinnia back.

Zinnia stayed silent. Ever since she had chosen to leave the Shaw family, the idea of going back had never once crossed her mind.

“Are you bringing Zinnia back to the Shaw residence? Then what about Betty?” Sofia stared at Maelis seriously, her question cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

Maelis hesitated. “Mom, what happened last time was just a misunderstanding. Betty didn’t mean any harm, and everything’s been cleared up now. Once Zinnia is back home, I’ll make sure to guide her properly."

“They’re close in age, and Betty has always been easygoing. I’m sure the two of them can get along just fine,” Maelis glanced at Zinnia as if hoping for her agreement.

In her mind, the conflict between Zinnia and Betty was nothing serious. It was just a small misunderstanding that could be resolved with a little effort.

Since Betty had a good temper, Maelis planned to have her be more tolerant of Zinnia. She would guide Zinnia well too. She truly believed they could get along peacefully.

Besides, she had raised Betty for over a decade. She wouldn’t give up on her so easily.

Even though Maelis had seen the truth of the situation yesterday, she couldn’t bring herself to believe Betty was truly at fault. She thought she was just scared.

She believed that as long as she talked to them nicely, they wouldn’t reject Zinnia and that Betty would get along with her too.

“Didn’t I tell you not to come for Zinnia until you’d made up your mind?” Sofia’s voice was firm, her disappointment cutting through the room as she looked at the indecisive Maelis.

Sofia shook her head, thinking, “Someone almost got seriously hurt, and Maelis still thought this was just a little squabble between sisters!"

She and Henry spoiled Maelis too much, and Donald had always treated her well, so Maelis had never really faced any major hardships in life.

However, just because of this, Maelis became indecisive, unable to tell right from wrong. When it came time to make tough decisions, she always softened and couldn’t bring herself to be firm.

“Zinnia and Betty don’t have to be at odds. They’re both my daughters. How could I possibly choose between them?” Maelis hadn’t expected Sofia to push her so hard.

She turned to glance at Zinnia, then looked back at Sofia with a conflicted expression. Both Zinnia and Betty were her treasures, and she couldn’t give up on either of them.

“Grandma, Betty was just scared and made a mistake. She knew she was wrong and promised she wouldn’t do it again; if we handle this properly, I’m sure Zinnia and Betty can get along," Timothy said, clearly taken aback by Sofia’s stance.

Betty called him yesterday afternoon to explain. She said she had acted out of fear and made a mistake, but now she understood she was wrong.

She even promised that she wouldn’t repeat such behavior and would try her best to get along with Zinnia.

Having lived with Betty for over a decade, Timothy wouldn’t give up on her.

Even though Timothy knew the medicine had been given by Zinnia and not Betty, he still found himself inclined to support Betty.

“No way. I won’t let Zinnia go back to your house and be mistreated again. You’re all blind to Betty’s true nature.” Sofia shook her head, sighing as she realized the Shaw family was instinctively defending Betty.

She thought, “How long would it take for them to finally wake up? Even with the evidence staring them in the face, they still refused to believe it.”

Sofia couldn’t understand how an entire family could be so blind.

“Since you can’t decide, I’ll do it for you. Betty needs to move out. Find her a place to live, hire someone to look after her, and make sure she has enough to live on,” Sofia said firmly with her gaze fixed on Maelis.

The Shaw family’s blind loyalty to Betty left Sofia deeply worried about Zinnia’s future life with them. She had to force Maelis to make a choice, while also giving her a chance to win back Zinnia’s trust.

As long as Betty stayed there, Zinnia and Maelis would never truly reconcile; if they waited any longer, it might be too late to fix things.