They celebrated her rescue No one noticed novel

Chapter 8 "Evelyn, sweetheart... why are you so skinny?" That was what my biological mother said the first day we met. She cried while holding my face, as if the sight of me hurt her. "Don't be scared. I'm here now. No one is ever going to hurt you again." That was what she whispered when I woke from nightmares shaking so hard I could barely breathe. Even when I bit her arm hard enough to leave bruises, she held me tighter. "Evelyn, Audrey didn't mean it. Please don't fight with her." That was what she said when she stood between us, torn and uncertain.

"Evelyn Vance, how could you be so cruel? Were you raised with no sense of right and wrong?" That was what she said the day she slapped me. Hard. The sound echoed in my ears long after. Those memories once tore me apart. Now they felt like scenes from someone else's life. Distant. Muted. Caspian's voice dragged me back. "After we found out the truth, we cut Audrey off," he said. "She's no longer part of the family. Mom hasn't been the same since. She wakes up at night calling your name." Then there was a sudden, heavy thud. I looked down. Caspian was on his knees. Not for show.

Not dramatically. He simply could not stand anymore. Chapter 8 7.02% D "We failed you," he said. "I failed you. I'm not asking you to forgive us. I know I don't deserve that." His voice shook. "But please. Come see her one last time." Caspian had always been proud. Controlled. The kind of man who never bent. Seeing him like that unsettled me more than I expected. In the end, I agreed. Seven years after I left, I returned home. The hospital smelled sterile and sharp. Nurses moved quickly through the halls.

Caspian walked beside me, careful, like he was afraid I might disappear again if he moved too fast. He stopped outside the room and took a steadying breath before opening the door. "Mom," he said gently. "There's someone here to see you." He stepped aside. Margaret Vance looked small against the hospital bed. Her skin was pale, her body fragile beneath the blankets. When she saw me, her eyes lit up. "Evelyn..." Her voice barely carried. She tried to sit up. Caspian rushed forward to support her, "Don't strain yourself," he told her.

"She's here." Margaret reached toward me with trembling fingers. Caspian looked at me, hopeful. I stayed where I was. The cuts and bruises from years ago had healed. The damage underneath had not. Margaret was clearly very sick. Even holding her arm up seemed to exhaust her. Anyone could see she was Chapter 8 7.02% Lera in pain. But she kept smiling at me. She kept talking. Even though I gave her nothing back. When Caspian stepped out to take a call, I finally moved. Fear flashed across her face. "Evelyn...?" "I'm not leaving," I said.

"I'm just getting some water." I walked to the dispenser and filled a paper cup. The sound of water pouring filled the silence between us. I spoke without looking at her. "When I was three, I had a fever that wouldn't go down. I remember standing outside a bedroom door, wanting my mom to hold me." My hand tightened around the cup. "She didn't." I swallowed. "The woman who raised me said I was getting too close. She was afraid I'd give her my cold and she wouldn't be able to nurse her son." The machine clicked off. I turned around. "I was three years old," I said quietly.

"And I kept wondering why my mother didn't love me." Margaret's eyes were red and overflowing now. For the first time, she had no words. Chapter 8 Santiago