?Chapter 575:


    “Alice…” I called her name, guilt tightening my chest, wanting nothing more than to apologize. But before I could get another word out, she flung herself at me, crying out, “Makenna! You heartless brat! How could you just leave like that without a single goodbye? Do you have any idea how broken we were?”


    Alice clung to me fiercely, scolding me through her tears, and I stood there like a helpless statue, awkwardly allowing her to scold and hug me all at once.


    A momentter, Evie stumbled into view, drawn by Alice’s words. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and as soon as she saw me, the tears poured down her face in torrents. “Makenna, we’ve been so miserable, thinking you were really gone…”


    The weight of their sorrow hit me like a tidal wave, and guilt gnawed at my insides.


    “I’m so sorry…” I whispered, my hand gently stroking Alice’s back as I spoke to both of them. “I shouldn’t have left like that without telling you. It was wrong, I know.”


    It took what felt like an eternity for Alice to calm down enough to pull away, though her eyes still zed with frustration. “Now you know it was wrong after what you put us through?”


    “Come on, let’s not stand out here,” I said, wiping away the tears from Alice’s cheeks as I coaxed her inside. “Let’s go in and talk.”


    Once we were inside and settled onto the couch, Alice didn’t waste a moment before demanding answers.


    “Makenna, what the hell happened?”


    I took a deep breath and began to exin everything. “It all started after I lost the child. I was so overwhelmed with grief that yton and I came up with a n to stage my death and get me out of the pce…”


    Alice listened, her face a mixture of horror and sadness. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she scolded me through sobs. “Makenna, you little rascal! When I saw you lying there, pale and breathless, I thought my heart would shatter! And then when I heard you’d fallen off a cliff—do you know how terrified I was?”


    She lightly tapped my shoulder with her fist, though the gesturecked any real force. It was more a disy of her frustration than anything else.


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    From the side, Evie, her own eyes swollen from crying, added softly, “When we first thought you were dead, we were devastated. Then, when we found out you were alive, we thought we could breathe again… But then we heard you’d fallen off a cliff and disappeared…”


    Evie’s voice cracked, and she lowered her head, her sobs filling the room as her words faltered.


    The guilt that was already gnawing at me deepened, and I lowered my gaze, unable to face them. “I’m so sorry. I was reckless, and I didn’t think of how this would hurt you.”


    Alice sniffled and stopped crying, her hand grasping mine tightly. Through her tears, she choked out, “Makenna, what matters is that you’re safe. Don’t you ever scare us like that again, okay?”


    I nodded, my voice steady but filled with emotion. “I understand, Alice. I promise, from now on, I’ll never keep anything from you.”


    The tension between us began to dissolve as we all settled into a quiet, understanding space. The weight of our emotions lightened, and a sense of peace returned.


    Evie, her eyes still glistening with traces of tears, smiled gently. “Well, since we’re all okay now, how about we cook something nice to eat?”


    “Yes, please!” I replied eagerly, my spirits lifting. “Evie, I’ve been craving your cooking.”


    I smiled, already imagining the warmth of a delicious meal.


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