BuzzNovel“I always thought Cole took after you more, but now that you mention it, he’s actually more like the young Mr.
Whitley.”
“Oh, absolutely. But at least he got his looks from me-thank goodness he didn’t end up awkward-looking.”
Jade's confidence made Alessia laugh out loud. If nothing else, Cole's
self-assuredness was definitely inherited from Jade.
Jade went on, sharing bits and pieces about her younger days, her fingers absentmindedly twirling a strand of
Alessia’s hair.
“Are you... not going to yell at me?” Alessia finally blurted out the question she'd been holding in.
She’d wanted to get the Tates’ attention, but the fear of disappointing Parrish and Jade was what kept her from
coming home-or even going to school. She didn’t understand herself, either. She just felt lost.
It was as if there were two little voices inside her, always at war. One said, “If you just beca good kid again,
they'll love you.” The other spat back, “No matter how hard you try, your parents will never really care, so why
not rebel against
them?”
Jade considered her with a wry smile. “Hmm... Should I scold you for dyeing your hair such a gorgeous color? Or
for skipping school for a whole week? When | was your age, | was far more rebellious. | drove poor Mr. Dawson so
mad he yanked out
half his mustache.”
The memory made Jade chuckle softly, a touch of nostalgia in her voice.
Alessia laughed, too, but soon drifted into silence.
In the darkness, Jade's sigh was the only sound.
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“Lessie, I've always thought of us as family. Blood doesn’t matter to me, and | never thought it mattered to you,
either.”
Alessia stayed quiet, just listening to Jade's gentle rambling.
The faint scent of lavender drifted in the night air, and after a week of restless sleep, Alessia felt herself growing
drowsy. Even Jade's worried yet soothing words seemed to cfrom somewhere far away.
“You want your parents to care more about you. | get that. Every kid wants to feel
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Chapter 236
loved by their mom and dad. But you can’t ignore the people who already love you, can you?”
“Look at you. If you didn’t want to go to school, you could've told Ms. June. She would've taken you on a little
getaway to clear your head-no big deal. But you shouldn't have skipped class and cut us off so we couldn't reach
you. Do you have any idea how worried we were?”
Jade's voice grew more animated, but Alessia only closed her eyes, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
“That day when | called you dozens
of times and you didn't pick up, |
swear, | just wanted to bring you
hand give you a pigce of syn
mind. Bit Barony texted me
td shy you were safe, all | could think
was—our Lessie must have been hurt
somehow. When you got back, |
wanted nothing more than to take
you out for a huge meal. Lessie, what
do we have to do to make you see
how wonderful you are, how much
we truly, truly love you?” The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“I'm sorry, Ms. June. I'm so sorry..."
Alessia’s voice was barely a whisper, but it made Jade's heart ache.
She gently rubbed Alessia’s back.
“You've done nothing wrong, Lessie.
You are such a eg k0 afdGod |
deservaslfine love in the world. |
know | can't fill that emptiness inside
you, but please don't try to prove your
worth by hurting yourself, okay?” The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
“Okay.” Alessia clung to Jade's sleeve, a single tear sliding silently down her cheek.
“No matter what you do, Ms. June
will always support you. But | hope
you're Qing {t hecalise Nstwhat you
Elan Jade's voice grew softer
and softer, and in the end, Alessia
found herself more awake than ever.
When Jade finally drifted off to sleep, Alessia quietly slipped out the bedroom door-only to bump right into
Parrish on the stairs.
212
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