Chapter 2313


    Chapter 2313


    Alyssa felt the venom in Mara’s gaze, and Dean, sensing the tension, furrowed his brows and stepped


    protectively in front of Alyssa.


    “This is our family home,” he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. “We’re not asking for


    your opinion, Mara; we’re informing you to leave. Don’t get it twisted.”


    Though Dean had aged, his presencemanded respect.


    His reminder jolted Mara back to reality, and her demeanor shifted to one of pitiable distress. She was


    biding her time, waiting for Balfour to return. She knew she could cause a scene once he was back.


    Ivy, hugging her knees, sat down on the cold, damp ground as the twilight deepened and the woods


    grew chillier. She looked around, feeling the imposing trees closing in, barely able to make out the


    mysterious shapes in the dark underbrush, a shiver of fear running through her.


    She wondered where the search parties were. They should have been on their way back by now. How


    much longer would she have to wait?


    Gingerly, Ivy touched her injured ankle.


    “Ouch,” she winced. “Please don’t be broken. I can’t afford a broken ankle. I’ve got a role to act in back


    at the studio.”


    She murmured to herself, trying to keep her spirits up, hoping Alyssa would notice her absence and


    send someone to find her.


    But who could they send? Could it be Balfour?


    He surely must have been furious with her earlier. Would he even bother looking for her?


    Ivy curled up tighter to keep warm. The longer she stayed in this deste ce, the more her heart


    ached. None of this mess was her fault, yet she’d been berated and left alone in this godforsaken spot.


    Did Balfour really me her for all of this?


    “I told him not to rush in, and yet, out of worry for that idiot, I did. Stupid! I won’t make the same mistake


    again. No good deed goes unpunished,” Ivy grumbled to herself, her eyes growing moist.


    She had held back tears when Balfour had carried Mara past her, but now, in solitude, she felt them


    welling up.


    “It’s not even my fault,” she sniffled. “Why am I the one getting yelled at? Just because I didn’t run into


    the woods and make you worry? Would you have been as concerned if it had been me in there from


    the start?”


    The unfairness of the situation was clear to Ivy: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Because of Mara’s


    reckless actions, they were all stuck out here, unable to return home. And yet, when she imed to


    have a twisted ankle, Balfour had shown concern and carried her back.


    “If I’d known, I would’ve made a fuss about my ankle too. Oh, wait, it actually is twisted. Ugh!”


    If it weren’t for Dean and Alyssa, Ivy would have left long ago.


    At least until Mara was gone, she preferred to stay with the film crew. But even the crew was in


    disarray, waiting to release rifying evidence to untangle the current mess. Just thinking about it gave


    Ivy a headache.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Was Mercury in retrograde? Everything seemed to be going wrong.


    With a deep breath, Ivy wiped away her tears and tried tofort herself. “This too shall pass. I refuse


    to believe that bad lucksts forever.”