The War.

Chapter 23: Apologies.

Everyone was ignoring Marjorie. It was as if she had vanished into thin air, her presence barely acknowledged by the others in the house. They all knew she had crossed a line, gone too far with her words. What might have seemed like a small, harmless comment to her had stirred something far darker, bringing back memories Mia had fought hard to bury.

The kind of memories that haunted her late at night, twisting through her thoughts like a cruel, relentless specter. Marjorie, oblivious to the weight of her words, sat alone, realizing too late the magnitude of what she had done.

Mia, meanwhile, was quietly enjoying Marjorie's sadness. She'd kind of gotten over the comment—she wasn't one to take things to heart for too long, especially not from people like Marjorie. It wasn't worth the energy.

But Autumn hadn't moved on. For some reason, she seemed to care a lot more than Mia did. Maybe it was because Mia had been so close to her once, helping her with everything, being there for her in ways no one else had.

Marjorie's thoughtless remark had felt like an insult to all of that, like it was tearing down every bit of comfort and trust Mia had built with her. It made Autumn angry, angrier than she expected, because she knew just how much Mia had meant to her.

Mia was all smiles and jokes, which made some people wonder if she was truly okay after everything that had happened. Still, she sat in the living room, seemingly at peace, absorbed in her book. Ella burst in with a burst of energy, calling out, "Miaa!"

Mia looked up with a playful grin. "Yes, princess?" she replied warmly. Ella's face lit up—she adored that nickname. "Can you make me cupcakes?" she asked, practically bouncing on her feet with excitement.

Mia pretended to think it over, a teasing look in her eye. "Princesses don't eat cupcakes," she said, deadpan.

Ella's expression turned into a playful scowl, but it only made Mia laugh. She couldn't help but find the mock seriousness on Ella's face absolutely adorable. "I'm kidding, of course! I'll make you cupcakes," she reassured, getting up from the couch. Ella's face broke into a wide smile, and she followed Mia to the kitchen.

As they entered, Mia noticed Autumn standing at the counter, swirling a glass of wine in her hand and staring off into space. "Hey, Autumn, you okay?" Mia asked, a bit of concern in her voice as she set out the ingredients.

"I'm fine..." Autumn replied, but Mia could tell that wasn't the truth.

"Well, the last time you told me 'I'm fine,' you were struggling so much, so... what's wrong?" Mia asked, cracking the eggs into the bowl with a gentle focus.

Autumn hesitated before blurting out, "How are you just over what Marjorie said to you?"

Mia let out a chuckle. "Why do you care?" she joked, glancing over at Autumn with a playful smile.

"Why wouldn't I care?" Autumn shot back, her tone defensive.

"Because you're not one to usually care about stuff like this?" Mia asked, a curious look crossing her face.

"I care because we grew up together, Mia," Autumn said, her voice more serious now. "I know that you weren't always like this, that your father didn't leave because he 'couldn't deal with you.'"

Mia smiled. "Well, I don't care because everyone ignoring Marjorie is so fun! I love it!" she giggled.

"You're crazy," Autumn joked.