Chapter 44: Chapter 40: Lining Up

The dance studio’s grand opening event lasted for three days.

Isla Prescott had been spinning like a top for three days straight. Just when she thought she could finally catch her breath after the event concluded, she received a phone call that very evening from her younger sister, Sienna Prescott.

Sienna Prescott told her on the phone to come home.

“Is something wrong?” Isla Prescott asked.

She had just been home a few days ago. If nothing was wrong, her sister wouldn’t have called so soon to rush her back.

“I can’t explain over the phone,” Sienna Prescott said. “We can talk when you get here.”

Isla Prescott could tell her sister was trying to keep her emotions in check. She quickly said goodbye to Annabelle Leighton, grabbed her bag, and headed home.

The moment she stepped into their landlord’s courtyard, she saw her sister, Sienna Prescott, sitting on the steps, waiting for her.

“Sis.”

“What happened?”

Sienna Prescott stood up, glanced at the darkened room on the second floor, and said indignantly, “Mrs. Lockwood came over this afternoon. She told Mom you were seducing her son and causing trouble for the Lockwood family. She said she couldn’t handle you anymore and told Mom to discipline you properly.”

Sienna Prescott had just gotten home from school when Yvette Shaw arrived. The moment she heard Yvette Shaw slandering her sister in front of their mother, her temper flared. She couldn’t help but confront her, and they got into an argument. In the heat of the moment, Sienna dredged up the old incident with Julian Finch. While this successfully left Yvette Shaw speechless, it also deeply hurt their mother, Susan Dudley.

“After Mrs. Lockwood left, Mom just locked herself in her room and has been crying ever since.”

Sienna Prescott knew her mother, Susan Dudley, was a strong woman. In all these years, no matter how difficult things got, she had never shed a single tear. But now, she was crying. Sienna didn’t dare to imagine how many storms her mother had weathered internally to finally unleash this quiet, torrential downpour of tears.

She was scared and worried, which was why she had called Isla Prescott to come home.

“I’ll go up and check on Mom.”

“Okay.”

Isla Prescott went upstairs and into their rented apartment.

The room was dark. Her mother, Susan Dudley, was lying on her side on the bed. Hearing the sound, she assumed it was Sienna and said without turning her head, “Sienna, don’t tell your sister about what happened today…”

“Why shouldn’t you tell me?” Isla Prescott flipped on the light and walked to her mother’s bedside. She said in the most lighthearted tone she could manage, “Mrs. Lockwood already came to complain about me. She said I seduced her son. Aren’t you supposed to give me a good scolding?”

Seeing that Isla Prescott had returned, Susan Dudley quickly sat up in bed.

“Why are you back? I thought you said you’d be very busy with the opening.” She was afraid of interrupting Isla Prescott’s work.

“Don’t worry, the rush is over.”

“How’s business?”

“A huge success.”

The tight furrow in Susan Dudley’s brow finally relaxed. “That’s good. That’s very good.”

Isla Prescott sat on the edge of her mother’s bed and reached out to trace the tear stains on her cheeks. “Mom, don’t listen to what other people say. All that matters is that you believe in me.”

The tears Susan Dudley had just wiped away began to flow again. “Isabelle, it’s all my fault. I was useless and let you suffer all this injustice in the Lockwood home. All these years, I thought Mrs. Lockwood treated you well. I never imagined she… that she would treat you like a bargaining chip.”

A mother can endure any hardship herself, but she can never stand to see her child be harmed.

All the years since she sent Isla Prescott to live with the Lockwood family, Susan Dudley’s heart had been like a porcelain bowl, filled with scalding worry yet covered in fine cracks, daring not to spill a single drop. She thought that by not interfering or being a bother, she could ensure Isla Prescott’s peace in the Lockwood home. She never imagined that her silence would only result in endless suffering for her daughter.

Heaven only knew how devastated Susan Dudley was when she learned of Isla Prescott’s true circumstances at the Lockwood’s all these years. Her own powerlessness only deepened her shame and heartbreak.

“Isabelle, I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault…”

“Mom, don’t say you’re sorry. I’m doing great now, aren’t I?” Isla Prescott hugged her mother, comforting her in a low voice. “I’ve always believed that no step taken in life is ever wasted. My years with the Lockwood family certainly weren’t as glamorous as they looked on the outside, but I grew so much from the experience. Please don’t be sad. Nothing else matters. As long as the three of us are healthy and safe, and our lives keep improving, that’s what’s truly good.”

—

After leaving East Lane, Isla Prescott headed straight for Arcadia Heights.

In the past, no matter how Yvette Shaw had treated her, she could always temper her defiance with gratitude, telling herself that the good she’d gained from her years with the Lockwood family outweighed the bad. But today, Yvette Shaw had crossed the line.

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