Chapter 803

Seeing Mya, the faces of the group twisted in anger, “Mya! You did this!”

“Why are they cuffing us? Shouldn’t it be her? What did we do?”

“Seriously. Officer, we’re just regular people. We haven’t done a thing. You sure you’ve got this right?”

The police officer gave them a stern look, “Enough talking.”

“Ugh! All this is because of Mya and her sneaky friend. Just wait, Mya. When I’m out, you’ll get what’s coming.”

The officer, a tad flustered, held back the still-complaining woman, “If you want a shorter time behind bars, be quiet. You really shouldn’t cross her.”

“What’s so special about her anyway? Does she think she’s richer than us?”

Madelyn sighed, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Okay.”

The noise died down as everyone was packed into the police cars.

“Mya, hold on!”

A girl in a sparkly princess dress stopped Madelyn and Mya. Seeing the woman next to Mya, her eyes lit up with admiration. Wiping away her tears, she said, “It’s because of you that my mom’s in jail. I’ve just started college. What’ll happen if they find out about my mom? I was going to move out of your place soon. Why did you let things get so messed up?”

A small boy, about five years old, clutched Mya’s dress, tears streaming down his face, “My mom’s going to be alright, isn’t she, Mya?”

Seeing Mya’s distraught face, Madelyn sighed, realizing she had to step up. Protecting Mya, she shot back, “If your mom hadn’t messed up, you wouldn’t be here in tears. The police will sort things out, and pestering Mya won’t help. Do you remember learning about the consequences of bad choices? You’ve been freeloading at the Harper’s for too long. How can you even speak like that? No one supported Mya when I was gone. Now that I’m here, and it’s cleanup time. You had your chance to leave. But when there’s trouble, all you do is blame. Just because you say something’s yours doesn’t make it so.

Head on back to where you started.”

Madelyn looked at the girl’s fancy princess dress and fixed the butterfly bow that was coming loose.

“That’s a cute dress, but it doesn’t seem to fit you. Your little brother’s a gem-way kinder than you.

Watch out for him, and don’t get mixed up with the wrong people.”

Holding Mya’s hand, Madelyn began to walk away. When the girl tried to follow, a bodyguard stepped in her way. Madelyn told Mya, “If you don’t want the Harpers to slip back into old ways, look ahead, not behind.”

Mya pursed her lips, “The two siblings never hurt me. When Luke trapped me in that storage room, leaving me hungry, they helped me out.”

Keeping her pace, Madelyn said, “Don’t you hold a grudge against them? Seeing the situation you’re in now, can you still feel grateful? They’re the reason for all your troubles.”

Mya had always been overly kind. The sound of her joyful laughter still echoed in Madelyn’s memories.

But seeing her now, scarred and without her signature smile, Madelyn felt a deep ache of regret. She delicately pulled back Mya’s sleeve, uncovering a tapestry of new and old injuries. “Look at what you’ve been through…” Madelyn whispered, her voice wavering with emotion. Thoughts of Mya’s hardships in her absence weighed heavily on Madelyn.

Holding onto the belief that Madelyn would return, Mya hoped she would pull the Harper family out of their mess. But Madelyn had been absent for so long.

‘She must’ve felt so alone,’ Madelyn pondered.