An Orphanage Friendship Built on Forever, Shattered in a Moment

Maddie’s voice trembled with fury as she glared at Jane. “Jane, stop with the innocent act. Are you seriously going to tell me that leaking those photos from the orphanage wasn’t intentional?!”

“Maddie!” Rico’s sharp tone cut through the air like a whip. His eyes narrowed and his voice carried an edge Maddie had never heard before. “How can you talk to Jane like that? She didn’t mean for this to happen. She was just curious about the photo, sent it to a friend and it got passed along. It was an accident! The hot search has already been taken down. What more do you want?!”

Maddie clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought back tears. “And I’m supposed to just forget it? Those words people wrote about me, all that abuse—does taking down the hot search erase it? So if I accidentally hurt someone, does that make it okay as long as I say I didn’t mean to?”

“That’s completely different, Maddie,” Rico snapped, his frustration mounting. “Why do you have to be so unreasonable? Just let it go!”

***

Before Maddie could unleash the retort bubbling in her chest, her phone rang. She took a deep breath to steady herself before answering.

“Hello?” she said, her voice still taut with emotion.

“Hi, Miss Evans. I’m with the clothing donation service. You scheduled a pickup for today? I’m at your building now—may I come up?”

“Yes, I’m home. Please come up to the apartment,” Maddie replied, grateful for the distraction.

After hanging up, she dragged three large bags of clothing from her room to the front door.

Rico watched her with a frown. “Why are you giving away so many clothes?”

Maddie shot him a cold glance. “They’re my clothes. What does it matter to you?” Her gaze shifted to Jane. “If you two don’t want to be seen, I suggest going back to your room before the donation staff gets here.”

Jane flinched at Maddie’s tone but quickly masked it with a polite smile. She tugged on Rico’s arm and they retreated to his bedroom.

***

After the donation staff left, Maddie reluctantly joined Rico and Jane at the dining table for breakfast. Under Rico’s insistence, she picked up a bowl of cereal and forced herself to eat.

Jane had prepared simple milk cereal and sandwiches, but Maddie hesitated before taking a bite. She eyed the sandwich cautiously, remembering the past few days of tension.

“Rico,” she began, breaking the silence, “do you have time to go back to the orphanage with me tomorrow?”

Rico looked up, surprised. “Why do you want to go to the orphanage?”

“I want to see Mrs. Walker,” Maddie said simply. “It’s been a while.”

Rico sighed. “I can’t tomorrow. Jane and I are heading to the beach for a few days to celebrate wrapping up the drama. I’ll go with you when I’m back.”

“And when will that be?”

“Five days.”

Maddie froze. Five days later, she would already be gone—flying back to Haichester to start a new chapter of her life. Rico wouldn’t even notice until she was already out of reach.

She swallowed hard, her throat tightening with disappointment. “Never mind,” she said quietly, picking up the sandwich and taking a small bite.

***

The moment Maddie bit into the sandwich, her eyes widened in shock as a fiery heat exploded in her mouth. She coughed violently, her eyes watering as she scrambled to spit the bite into the trash can. Grabbing a glass of water, she gulped it down, trying to douse the burning sensation.

Jane’s voice was soft, laced with feigned hurt. “Rico, is my cooking really that bad?” A single tear slid down her cheek, accentuating the tear mole beneath her right eye.

Rico frowned, glancing at his sandwich and taking a bite. It tasted perfectly normal. His brows furrowed as he turned to Maddie. “What’s your problem now? Are you just trying to make Jane feel bad?”

Maddie’s patience snapped. She slammed the sandwich onto the table and pulled apart the slices of bread. A smear of spicy mustard coated the inside, far more than anyone would ever use. She held it out toward Rico, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Here. Why don’t you try this version of her ‘cooking’?”

Rico froze, his eyes darting between Maddie and the sandwich. For a moment, doubt flickered in his expression, but Jane quickly stepped in.

“I must have made a mistake,” Jane said, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean for it to be too spicy. I was trying to add a little flavor…”

Maddie’s laugh was humorless. “Of course. You didn’t mean to.”