"If you're here to make excuses for Mia or ask me to forgive her, you can leave," I said coldly.
Mom burst into tears.
"Evelyn, I had no idea Mia could be so cruel. I've already sent her to live in the dorms at Mooncrest Academy. If you come home, your father and I will protect you this time. I promise."
That caught me off guard.
Mom had actually sent Mia away.
Dad gave Adrian a nudge, and he stepped forward awkwardly, holding out a familiar notebook. The torn pages had been painstakingly taped back together.
"I'm sorry, Evelyn." Adrian couldn't quite meet my eyes. "I didn't understand how scared you were to come back to us until I read this. And I didn't realize how badly I'd hurt you."
He rubbed a hand over his face in frustration.
"The housekeeper found a bag of fake blood in th
