Part 2Don’t Be Depressed! I’m Coming Home to Save You

The next day, I checked the flight schedules again, my hope dwindling. It was confirmed: I wasn't getting home for at least two weeks.

Resigned, I called my mother. Her voice was laced with a theatrical pout.

"Darling, are you sure you're not just making excuses?"

"Mom, I'm serious," I said, exasperated. "Have your assistant check the flight statuses if you don't believe me. I'm literally snowed in."

She sighed, then launched into a flurry of motherly advice about staying warm and safe during the blizzard. Listening to her, a warmth spread through my chest. I had been avoiding their calls, because… well, because of everything. But right now, it felt like nothing had changed.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the phone, making me jump. I heard my mother's voice, sharp and urgent.

"I told you not to touch anything in this house! That was Summer's!"

The reply was faint, a tiny voice apologizing over and over.

"Mom? What was that?" I asked.

A few seconds passed before she came back on the line, her tone smooth again. "Oh, sorry, sweetheart. Mommy was just careless and knocked over your old model. Don't you worry, I'll have Leo buy you the newest edition, okay?"

I frowned. I’d heard the other voice. The one who knocked it over was… her.

I was silent for a moment, grateful we were on the phone so she couldn't see the expression on my face. "Oh, that old thing?" I said, forcing a light tone. "I built that ages ago. I don't even like it anymore. It's no big deal."

She didn't reply right away. For some reason, I didn't hang up. Like a thief, I listened in, trying to piece together the scene at home from the muffled sounds on the other end. I heard my mother's voice again, no longer the gentle tone she used with me, but cold and severe. Then, I heard quiet, suppressed sobs.

I sighed. I wasn't the only one having a hard time.

A moment later, my mother's voice returned. "Darling, are you still there?"

I hesitated. "Mom… she's your biological daughter. Maybe you should be a little…"

It was the first time in two months I had acknowledged her existence directly. I could feel my mother freeze on the other end of the line. Then came a choked sob.

"Why did she have to show up now? Why did she have to ruin our family? Couldn't we have just let the mistake be?"

I fell silent, torn between relief at my family's unwavering love for me and a deep, gnawing shame. None of this was the real heiress's fault.

After we hung up, I wiped a tear from my eye and went back to messaging Ava.

[Sweetie TAT the blizzard is insane, all flights are cancelled. I'm stuck here for a while.]

[I'm so bored. Everyone here speaks a different language. Can you chat with me more? I need a friend.]

I had to give her a reason to feel needed, to anchor her fragile emotional state.

A moment later, she replied.

[A blizzard? Oh no! You have to be careful and stay safe.]

It was followed by a small, worried-face emoji.

We chatted for a bit, and then she went quiet. Just as I was starting to worry, a new message came through.

[Summer, am I just… redundant?]

I jabbed at the keyboard, my fingers hitting the screen harder than necessary.

[Of course not!!! You're the absolute best!!!]

[But today, my mother said she wished I had never come back. That I disrupted their happy family.]

A surge of anger shot through me. I typed furiously.

[Then leave. You don't need a family like that. I have money. You go back to acting, and I'll be your investor. I'll make you a star!]

[You know, the first time I saw you on screen, I knew you were a brilliant, gifted actress.]

Her reply was quick.

[That's so sweet of you. I've thought about leaving, I really have. But I pissed off Mr. Thorne, the head of Celestial Entertainment. He's a friend of my… family. He hates me. I don't think I can go back to acting TAT]

[Maybe I should just get a normal job…]

Celestial Entertainment. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Maybe they had a partnership with our family's company? I'd look into it when I got home.