Chapter 97

Zinnia looked up at Lydia again, her usually calm eyes burning with anger. She couldn’t believe someone could be so brutal. The distinct finger marks on Lydia’s neck made it look like someone had genuinely tried to strangle her.

“Zinnia, are you going to help me?” Lydia asked, her eyes glimmering with wry amusement behind black-framed glasses.

“Tell me who did this, and I’ll make them pay,” Zinnia said, nodding earnestly. She thought, ‘Lydia has always been so kind to me. How could anyone bully her?’ Zinnia wanted to help her.

“My mom,” Lydia said flatly.

Hearing Lydia’s words, Zinnia froze.

Lydia gave her a careless shrug and forced a smile. “My mom is unstable. She’s in a psychiatric hospital. Sometimes, when she gets angry, she hits me. But it’s okay. She’ll get better soon.”

“Is your mom sick?” Zinnia asked, completely taken aback by the truth.

“Yeah, she has a mental disorder.” Lydia paused when she noticed Zinnia’s curious gaze. Meeting those innocent eyes, she forced a bitter smile. Just mentioning her mother, the weariness unconsciously welled up in her usually cold eyes.

Zinnia looked at Lydia seriously and said, “Lydia, don’t force a smile if you’re not feeling it.” She had noticed how awkward her smile looked.

“Zinnia,” Lydia said hoarsely, her voice breaking as if all her strength had drained away. Suddenly, she leaned into Zinnia, resting her head heavily on her shoulder. “I’m so tired,” she murmured.

“Yeah,” Zinnia murmured, gently brushing aside Lydia’s hair to reveal red marks on her neck. She scooped out some ointment and carefully smoothed it over the bruises.

Lydia asked, “Zinnia, can I tell you a story?” She wrapped her arms around Zinnia’s waist, breathing in the faint herbal scent. Lydia felt relieved and leaned into her embrace.

“Of course,” Zinnia replied.

Lydia continued, “Nineteen years ago, a woman and a man fell in love. They soon had a child on the way. However, just as the woman was about to give birth, the man disappeared.

“The shock sent her into premature labor, and a day later, she gave birth to a baby girl. After that, the woman gradually began to suffer from mental health issues.

“She took her daughter back home, unable to accept that the man had disappeared or abandoned them. Clinging to this hope, she took her medication and tried to get better. She held her daughter, comforting her that the man would come back.

“For the first five years, the girl was fine. But as the years went by and the man never returned, the woman’s mind collapsed. She refused to take her medication, insisting that only when her mind was disturbed could she see him again.

“No matter how much her daughter pleaded, the woman refused to take her medicine. Over time, her mental state worsened. She grew to resent her daughter and even began hitting her. Her daughter was left with countless bruises and scars.

“For five long years, the girl endured this kind of life. When she turned ten, her mother’s mental state deteriorated further. One day, in a fit of madness, she grabbed a knife and nearly killed her daughter.

“The neighbors were so terrified that they called the police. Her mother was then committed to a psychiatric hospital. The girl begged them not to take her mother away, but it was useless. She could only watch as they led her mother away.

“At first, the girl was allowed to visit once every six months. Her mother’s mental state was so unstable that she could lash out at any moment. It wasn’t until the girl was in high school that she was allowed to visit once a month.

“However, every time the girl went to visit, her mother would beat or scold her. She even seemed to want to strangle her to death.” Lydia’s voice was flat. It seemed like she was telling a story, but it was more like telling her experience.

Zinnia listened in silence.

“Zinnia, I’m so tired,” Lydia whispered, her voice barely audible. Though warmth, Lydia nuzzled against Zinnia’s neck.

Zinnia remained silent; Lydia could feel she understood. Seeking comfort in her…

“Rest if you’re tired,” Zinnia murmured, gently smoothing Lydia’s hair behind her back before giving her a comforting pat.

Zinnia’s comforting words were simple, yet Lydia had a faint but genuine smile.

All these years of sorrow, pain, and exhaustion, Lydia had told them all to Zinnia.

“Maybe I can help your mother,” Zinnia said softly after a long silence, sensing that Lydia had calmed down.

Meanwhile, Class 19 was fuming as they scrolled through the online comments.

Everyone thought Zinnia was beautiful, but they believed she was too trusting and easily deceived. They didn’t think she’d ever do something like that to Betty.

Zinnia and Lydia had barely stepped back into the classroom when they sensed the weird vibe. The moment they walked in, an angry voice boomed out.

Ethan slammed his hand on the desk with a bang. “Damn it! Not a shred of evidence, but those people are already jumping to conclusions and spouting nonsense. A bunch of jerks are following along.”

“The Shaw family favors Betty the most. If Zinnia did that, wouldn’t they dislike her even more? And honestly, if Zinnia was so cunning, she wouldn’t have been framed into leaving in the first place.”

Brian’s slender fingers scrolled through the online forum as he let out a disdainful scoff.

“Damn it, Betty went too far! Zinnia’s allergic to cream. Why would she fight over it? That’s total bullshit. It’s just another one of Betty’s shameless schemes.”

Maisie scrolled through the malicious comments about Zinnia on the online forum. She felt angry and thought, ‘How dare Betty bully Zinnia like this?’

Maisie didn’t believe the online rumors. She thought Betty was framing Zinnia. Zinnia was too trusting. If she were capable of scheming against Betty, she wouldn’t have been the one to leave in the first place.

Suddenly, a wave of awkward, deliberate coughing swept through the classroom.

“Just take the medicine,” Ethan snapped, pounding his fingers hard on the keyboard.

Noticing the tense atmosphere in the classroom, Lydia asked coldly, “What happened?”

Ethan, who had been busy replying in the comment section, only then realized that Zinnia and Lydia had returned. “Z–Zinnia, you’re back,” he stammered.

Ethan quickly hid his phone behind his back as the angry comments in the classroom died down. Everyone murmured, “We can’t let Zinnia see these nasty comments.”

They looked at Zinnia’s beautiful face, like a Barbie doll, and couldn’t believe a single word they saw online. Even if it were true, with a face like that, they’d still find excuses for her. They trusted Zinnia.

“Did something happen? Is it about me? I think I just heard my name,” Zinnia asked, noticing their nervous expressions and the way they avoided her gaze.

“Zinnia,” Ethan said.