Now, Zach's main concern was for Madelyn. As he left the room, he couldn't help but notice Mya behaving strangely behind the wall. Startled when she saw him, she quickly darted into a corner, her hand clutching her chest as if taken aback. After a moment, she cautiously peeked out and saw that Zach had already turned the corner and was out of sight. Feeling somewhat relieved, Mya approached the room. The bodyguard at the door noticed her but didn't stop her this time, which eased her anxiety a bit. Quietly, she slipped into Madelyn's hospital room.
Hearing the sound from the door, Madelyn assumed it was Zach returning, but to her surprise, when she looked, it was Mya standing there. Seeing Madelyn's condition brought tears to Mya's eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by Madelyn. Madelyn coughed a few times and propped herself up on the bed. "Mya?" she asked, "What brings you here?" Overwhelmed, Mya rushed into Madelyn's arms, her voice trembling as she said, "I'm so sorry, Madelyn. It's all my fault. I didn't mean to upset you." Madelyn looked down at Mya, who was lying on her chest, and a faint smile appeared on her pale face. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself too much. Also, thank you for what you did with Ethan," she said softly, with a thought that Zach would have kept the truth from her forever if not for Mya.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"No. It's all my fault. | was so scared when | heard something happened to you. You left without saying anything, and | thought my best friend had just disappeared like that." Mya hugged her tightly, and Madelyn found it hard to catch her breath. "I'l be fine. Stop crying,” Madelyn said. She then tried to lighten the mood by changing the topic. "Tell me, what happened while | was unconscious?" Mya quickly wiped her tears and began to share what had been happening. According to her, since the day Madelyn fell into a coma, Zach hadn't allowed anyone to visit her in the hospital. She had a lot to say about Zach's controlling and unreasonable behavior during that time. Zach had been visiting Mistral Monastery every day to pray. Mya wasn't certain about what he prayed for, but she had her suspicions.
He had even established a children's charity fund in Madelyn's name, making donations to schools in remote and underprivileged areas across the country. Additionally, he had invested more than ten billion Venturian currency in a cancer research institute, earning recognition as one of Venturia's top ten influential figures of the year for his philanthropic efforts.
'A philanthropist? | never pictured Zach in that kind of role. Is all of this his attempt to make amends for his past mistakes? But no matter what he does, it can't erase the damage he's caused. What did Ethan and Yvonne do to deserve their fate?" Madelyn pondered.
"And oh, Madelyn, you wouldn't believe what Serena Smith has been up to," Mya exclaimed.
Madelyn frowned. "Serena Smith?" Mya nodded. "You know, the girl with glasses who wanted to be your friend? Later, she started hanging around Jadie." Madelyn paused. "That girl... What happened?" Prompted by Mya, an image of Serena flickered in her thoughts.
"You won't believe it," Mya continued, "Serena took your art album and wouldn't return it. She vanished abroad, and when she came back months later, she had transformed herself through plastic surgery to look like you, even took your name, Madelyn Smith.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"She started painting, hosted an exhibition in Ventropolis with forgeries of your work. Prof. Monet caught her today, scolded her good. Your brother found out, stormed the exhibition, and caused a scene.
"Serena tried to snatch the album, but the bodyguards stopped her cold. She was livid, but it felt like she finally got what she deserved." Madelyn was baffled. She hardly knew Serena, which made Serena's drastic changes even more perplexing. "So what became of her?" Mya shrugged. "After your brother reclaimed the album and left, Prof. Monet and | did too. But why do you think she'd imitate you to such an extreme? You didn't do anything to provoke her." Madelyn could only shake her head in wonder. "I'm as stumped as you are.” "It's got to be envy," Mya insisted, "because you're so pretty, she's trying to be just like you." Throughout their conversation, Mya had stayed close, wrapping Madelyn in a tight hug, reluctant to let go.
"What have you been up to all these years? Are those troublemakers still bothering you?" Madelyn asked.
Mya shook her head. "Not anymore, especially with you having my back. Oh, and on a brighter note, my father's recovered well and has been discharged from the hospital. Madelyn, do you recall when | mentioned wanting to open a coffee shop? I've managed to open fifteen of them now, and they all offer delicious snacks too." Madelyn smiled genuinely, happy that Mya was able to follow her dreams.
As the daylight faded, giving way to the evening, Margaret seemed hesitant to face Madelyn because of what had happened to Dalton earlier.
A soft knock on the door followed by the gentle voice of Margaret, "Dinner is ready, Ms. Jent." "Got it." Madelyn lowered her gaze, her voice soft.