That familiar threatening voice rang in Mayaâs ears. âIf you tell others about this, your Mommy will be in jail, suffering for the rest of her life.â
Evan persuaded, âMaya, you can tell Daddy.â
Fidgeting her chubby fingers, Maya glanced at Evan as tears welled up in her eyes.
âMaya, donât be afraid. Tell Daddy.â Evan continued asking Maya questions and saw the pensive look in her eyes.
Suddenly, she cried out, âMommy, Iâm sorry⦠Iâm really sorryâ¦â
What will happen to Mommy if Daddy knows? Will Mommy be in jail forever?
Evan, the doctor, and the other three kids looked at Maya without saying a word.
In fact, they were surprised at how Maya reacted. Why would Maya feel sorry for Mommy? What does this have to do with Nicole?
Suddenly, Susan barged into the room.
âEvan, howâs Maya?â She looked very upset when Evan turned to look at her.
She continued, âIâm so sorry, Evan. I didnât take good care of Maya. After knowing Maya fainted and was sent to the hospital, Leah wanted to leave. I tried to force the reason out of her, but she committed suicide after admitting to abusing Maya as she feared the consequences.â
After hearing her words, Evan fell silent.
She died?
Evan narrowed his eyes.
Working as a maid in Hillside Villa for a few years, Leah had always been dutiful. But why would she abuse Maya?
Susan looked at Maya with her face etched with pain. âMaya, donât worry. Leahâs dead, so she canât hurt you anymore. Itâs my fault for not noticing your sufferings. I will call your Mommy and tell her to come back for you. Is that okay?â
When Maya heard her Mommy would take care of her, she nodded fervently.
As long as I can be together with Mommy, I donât care if I got beaten.
Susan said, âMaya, donât be sad. Iâll take good care of you from now on.â
And Maya nodded like a fool.
Hearing that, Nina stomped her foot in anger. âLeah must be crazy. Why would she torture Maya for no reason? If she was still alive, Iâd beat her up!â
Susan chimed in and added fuel to the fire. âYeah. Leah has a mental illness, and sheâs been taking her meds in secret. Iâve heard that she likes to abuse children when she was young. Thank goodness sheâs gone now, so good riddance to her.â
Evan frowned. Hmm⦠I never knew that Leah was illâ¦
Kyle stared at Susan. Something seemed amiss, but he couldnât put a finger to it.
Right then, Juan asked, âMaya, why didnât you tell us? If you did, weâll help you.â
However, Maya couldnât tell them the truth, so she stayed silent.
Susan hurriedly interrupted. âThatâs enough. Maya must be terrified, so we should let her rest. Maya, do you want to stay in the hospital or return home?â
âHospital. I want to stay at the hospital.â Maya answered without hesitation, as she didnât want to be tortured by Susan again.
Susan suggested, âAlright. Iâll stay here with you.â
Upon hearing her words, Maya had a look of fear. Evan rejected her suggestion and said, âItâs okay. Iâll stay here to take care of Maya. Meanwhile, please bring the kids back home.â
Yet Susan insisted, âEvan, why donât we take care of Maya together?â
âThereâs no need to. I said that earlier, so donât make me repeat myself.â
After that, Susan didnât say anything and left the hospital with the other three kids.
On their way home, Ninaâs heart ached as she thought of the bruises on Mayaâs body. Leah had paid the price with her life, so there wasnât a need to pursue this matter any further. However, Nina still couldnât figure out the reason that Leah had abused Maya.
Then, she asked, âLeah has a mental illness, but why does she only abuse Maya and not me? Maya is chubby, and Iâm quite skinny. Isnât it logical for her to target me instead?â
Juan analyzed the matter and said, âMaybe she thinks Maya is an easy target.â
Kyle, who was staying silent the entire time, looked at Susan suddenly. âMs. Susan, what do you think? Do you think Maya is a pushover, so she got abused?â
Hearing his question, Susanâs heart stopped a beat. The way Kyle looked at her resembled Evan. Both their gazes were cold and stern.