The first was from her older sister: [Maddie, I’ve had the hot search suppressed. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of everything when you’re home.]
Her mother’s message followed: [Maddie, do you want your father and me to issue a statement? We can let the public know you’re part of the Evans Family, not an orphan.]
Next came Lucy: [Maddie, the hot search about you is gone. It looks like Rico still cares about you, even if he has a girlfriend now.]
And then Jane’s message, dripping with mockery: [Wow, Maddie. It must be nice to have Rico spend so much money to clean up your mess. How did you manage that?]
Maddie clenched her jaw, her emotions roiling. The cleanup wasn’t for her sake. It was to protect Rico’s image.
***
Maddie sat in silence, rereading the messages. Each one brought a different weight to her chest—her sister’s protective nature, her mother’s concern, Lucy’s optimism and Jane’s taunts.
She had spent her life believing in the strength of her bond with Rico. Now, it felt as though every piece of that connection had crumbled.