Chapter 43

43
Until Aria finally looked away , Black Rose realized this car was tinted , one couldn’t see in from the outside , especially at night .
She knew Aria wasn’t going to be easy to deal with .
Black Rose had always trasted her instincts .
She frowned deeper as her gare followed the figur
She thought . That silhouette looks familiar
A ridiculous thought flickered through her mind , and Black Rose gave a cold , mocking laugh
beher
She thought . There is no way it could be her !
Watching the car disappear into the distance , Black Rose didn’t linger any longer .
Aria had only dropped Silvia off ; she hadn’t even gotten out of the car .
Zoe dialed Silvia’s number for the fourth time , only to be met with the same response – phone off .
Luke couldn’t sit still anymore . He pushed up from the sofa , pacing anxiously , “ Silva never turns off her phone . Let’s stop waiting and send people to look for her .
Zoe stayed composed and nodded . “ I’ll call Logan , tell him to leave work early . ”
Over the past two years , Silvia had changed . The lively , carefree girl had grown reserved , cautious . She no longer asked for gifts in a spoiled , childish way
Zoe could feel it – Silvia was dritting further and further away from them .
The distance was there , etched into their lives , and there was no erasing it all they could do was try
y to soften it .
Heart heavy , Zoe scrolled through her contacts .
Just then , Luneth Draven came running in , her voice alive with excitement . “ Miss Saxon is back ! ”
Zoe’s head snapped up , joy flashing across her face as she hurried toward the entrance . “ Silvial ”
Seeing her mother waiting for her , Silvia’s eyes stung . “ Mom … Luke …
One look at her and Luke’s expression darkened . He thought instinctively that someone must have bullied her “ What happened , who hurt you ? ”
Silvia shook her head quickly . “ No one .”
Zoe took her chilly hands into her own and turned immédiately to Luneth , “ Prepare a hot bath ”
Luneth nodded and hurled upstairs .
With that arranged , Zoe looked back at Silvia , her voice full of concern . “ Where have you been ? Why was your phone off ?”
“I accidentally broke it , ” Silvia explained quietly / “ I went to find Aria . She drove me back . ”
Zoe from , her emotions stirring violently , She practically ran outside . “ Aria’s home ? Why didn’t she come in ? ”
She craned her neck , searching , but not even a trace of a cat remained
Silvia caught the Nicker of disappointment on Zoe’s face and , almost instinctively , tightened her grip on her sleeves . “ She’s busy . ”
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Zoe sighed softly , the ache in her chest growing .
Luke itched to say something sarcastic , but in the end , swallowed it down .
He thought grimly , ‘ Even living away from home , Aria’s been feeding off the Saxon family all these years . What’s there to worry about ?
‘ Silvia’s the one who trily deserves our concern – taking every blow in silence , unable to fight back .
“ She was just a baby back then , Why should she bear the burden of others ‘ mistakes ?.
“ If we’d found out sooner that Silvia and Logan weren’t blood relatives , I would’ve claimed her as my daughter without a second thought … but it was too
late .”
His chest tightened . He looked at Silvia , that “ almost daughter he had no fate with — and stiffened . “ Silvia , your right ear is that blood ?”
His sharp voice jerked Zoe back to herself
She turned , eyes wide , and caught sight of the faint cut on Silvia’s earlobe .” What happened ? Call a doctor , now ! ”
Zoe hadn’t always been a stay – at – home mother . She’d had a successful career once , leaving Silvia in the care of two well paid nannies
One day , on her rare day off , Zoe had taken her daughter out for vaccinations ,
During the injection , two – year – old Silvia had silently wept , too terrified to even make a sound .
It hadn’t felt right . Zoe checked the surveillance tapes and uncovered the nightmare : Silvia had been abused by her nannies .
Logan and Zoo were furious , guilt – ridden .
Zoe quit her job on
the spot to raise Silvia hersel
But no matter what they did , they could never break Silvia’s habit of crying without making a sound .
From that day forward , Silvia had become the center of their world .
Luke’s face hardened with cold fury . “ You went to find Aria and came back injured ? Did she bully you again ? ”
His voice sharpened , “ She doesn’t want to come home , fine ! She’s in adult , even been married – what , is she going to starve out there ?”
Silvia blurted , “ It has nothing to do with her ! ”
Luke stared at his niece , his heart filled with frustration . “ You’re just too kind , Silvia . ”
Watching everyone fuss around her, Silvia felt oddly detached .
There was all this chaos over a cut so small it was barely visible .
Her mind drifted to the scars crisscrossing Aria’s body !
Her lips parted , but she couldn’t form the words
She wondered , “ Will Aria really want those old wounds exposed ? Won’t the Saxon family’s kindness just feel like pity to her ? ”
In the end , Silvia lacked the courage to say anything