Finding Maia
“I have no idea. She never came back last night,” Wren said, looking just as lost.
VA Pearls
She’d figured Ruth spent the night at Alaina’s, but when Alaina showed up this morning, she realized she
was wrong.
Maybe Ruth couldn’t stand being alone and went to some guy’s place?
She’s not a kid anymore–why’s she still acting like one?
Alaina didn’t think Wren was lying, so she and Caroline left.
In the cab, Caroline checked her phone. It was almost 10:30, but Maia still hadn’t called.
She started to feel uneasy and quickly dialed her number.
“We’re sorry, the number you dialed is unavailable…
Caroline’s stomach dropped. What was happening?
Why wasn’t the phone working?
Maybe she was somewhere without service?
While Caroline was still stressing out, Alaina suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Caroline, look over there–isn’t that Ruth?”
Caroline turned to see Ruth walking into a mall.
“That’s her, for sure.”
Even from behind, she could tell–it was Ruth.
They jumped out of the cab and rushed after hér.
They caught up right as she stepped into a jewelry shop.
“Ruth!”
Ruth flinched at Alaina’s voice, then turned, walking back toward them.
Ruth spun around, walked out of the jewelry store, and headed straight for Alaina. “Well, what a surprise! Didn’t expect to see you here shopping too.”
Alaina wasn’t having it. “Cut the crap. Where’s Maia?”
Ruth shrugged, playing innocent. “How should I know? Ever since she left with Caroline, she hasn’t called me once.” Her eyes landed on Caroline. “Isn’t that true, Caroline?”
“Drop the act,” Caroline said sharply. “You picked her up this morning. Where is she?”
Ruth planted her hands on her hips, matching their energy. “And who exactly saw me take Maia? Let’s get one thing straight–Maia is my daughter. Even if I did take her, so what? You’re not family. Stay out of our business.”
12:47 Tue, 24 Jun GUE
Chapter 280 Finding Mala
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Caroline laughed coldly. “Your daughter? Don’t make me laugh. What kind of mom nearly beats her kid to death? She’s not yours–stop lying.”
Ruth rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for this.”
She turned to leave, but Alaina grabbed her arm. “Where are you rushing off to? You’re just shopping can’t you wait a few minutes?”
Ruth’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your problem, you dumb woman?”
Alaina’s temper flared–she hated being called stupid. “You witch! Who are you calling dumb?”
Without thinking, she lifted her hand and smacked Ruth hard across the face.
Ruth didn’t see it coming and stumbled from the hit.
Rubbing her burning cheek, Ruth grabbed Alaina’s ponytail and yanked it hard. “You old witch, I’m talking about you! I’ve always been honest with you, but you let Caroline twist your mind against me. If you’re not a dumb woman, then what are you?”
They both lost it. The fight got out of hand fast.
Under normal circumstances, Caroline might’ve enjoyed watching Ruth get slapped around. But she couldn’t think about anything except where Maia was.
She’d hoped to get answers out of Ruth, but before she could step in, security showed up and kicked them all out of the mall.
Out front, Ruth pointed at Alaina and snapped, “We’re done! Don’t even think about looking for me if you have any problems in the future!”
Alaina shot back, “Like I care! Once I find Maia and prove she’s my kid, you’ll regret everything!”
Ruth lifted her chin, totally unfazed. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Go ahead–dig all you want.”
Seeing how smug she was, Caroline felt even worse. She looked Ruth dead in the eye. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Maia’s not something you can hide away. If you’ve locked her up or hurt her, you’re going to jail. You better tell us where she is right now.”
“I don’t know where she is. This is ridiculous,” Ruth said and walked off.
Alaina made a move to go after her, but Caroline stopped her. “Let her go. She’s not going to talk anyway.”
They’d gotten nothing from her. Pressing harder wouldn’t help.
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