Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Madison couldn't stop the silent sobs from her throat while holding her baggage inside the bus. Her tears were dry, but every time she remembered Dylan's terrible words, she would gaze out of the window and quickly wipe her tears away so that the other passengers wouldn't notice her crying.

Dylan wasn't like that, and Madison firmly believed that. The person who threw her daggers of pain wasn't the Dylan she knew. The young Master that Madison knew may be playful and self-centered, but the man in front of her that night was a monster, and seeing him like that, he belittled and taunted her title, made her heart swell with emotion.

Madison's heart gripped in pain as she kept thinking about how Dylan could easily say such words. Madison placed her left hand on her body where her heart was.

"What's this feeling?" She whispered in a tone of a question. Sophie once told her that loving someone wasn't only about happiness. It can be an extreme pain too. Was this unbearable feeling Madison felt; was it love or just the pain of leaving Sophie and the other maids?

She had already informed her Aunt Sabina that she was going home, holding a sum of her salary during her service in the Carter's Mansion. Her Aunt asked her why, but she just told her that she made a heinous mistake that made her decide to resign, but the Madam of the Carter's was considerate enough to give her a partial wage.

Madison calmed herself as she put some powder on her face so that they wouldn't notice that she cried once she got down from the

bus and faced them upon her arrival. Madison couldn't help but feel the excitement and misery she had been carrying for months of missing her family when the bus arrived at the nearest waiting area where vehicles generally dropped their passengers.

Salt air breezes, Madison was finally home. Their hometown didn't change for the months she had

been gone. "The neighborhood never changes, huh?" Madison muttered, shaking her head with a grin. Northville remains the same. Thus, the new occupants and houses in their town were evident.

While crossing the open road through their house, some of the neighbors welcomed her, especially Mrs. Adeline, and some gave her those stares of jeer and uncomfortable eyes that don't know anything but to gossip around.

"Madds!" Madison's eyes suddenly darted to where that shrill voice came from; Madison's eyes widened as her smile slowly crept on her lips upon seeing their youngest, Cassie, waving at her.

"Look, it's Madds!" The voice became mixed and followed by Lily and Penelope's voices that were coated with excitement. Madison Stiffened when her eyes landed in front of their house. Her mother was waiting for her and assisted by her Aunt Sabina, whose eyes sparkled in delight as they met.

Madison's baggage slowly fell to the ground; she couldn't withstand the emotions that flared up

inside her heart after months of being away and wasn't around to be with them. Madison's eyes were misted in tears, her hands were shaking, and her voice created a whimpering sound.

'" I-I am home!" Madison murmured, wiping a sequence of tears from her face.

Her three sisters attacked her for a warm embrace, covering her with their tears and yearning for

their Eldest. Ruth and Sabina, on the other hand, couldn't help but wipe their tears upon seeing the sisters united again.

Sabina placed her hand on her Sister's shoulder and stroked it gently. Ruth held her Sister's

as they watched the sisters burst into tears in front of their abode.

"I thought it was a homecoming drama, but you sisters were just the ones who were spitting words for each other? How about Aunt Sabina and your Mother?" Sabina cracked a joke until the four peeked at each other.

"Mission gave the aunt and the mother a hug!" Cassie started, raising her hand in the stance of a pirate while the three saluted and said in unison, "Aye, Captain Cassie!"

"Attack!" Penelope signaled as they carefully enveloped Ruth and Sabina into a warm embrace. The house became alive again now that Madison was back. She believes their life will cycle again like they lived before, a life with contentment, love, and happiness.

When they all distanced after the warm hug, they all laughed unison and exchanged words while guiding Madison inside. Lily held Madison's baggage while Penelope was busy spitting out false news and intending to tease their youngest.

"Madds, when I fetched Cassie last time in her school, I saw her talking with a

little lad, and guess what? She even blushed and acted cute in front of him!"

"Cassie…" Madison warned.

"Oh, I guess I have to hear the full details. Continue, Penelope," Lily snickered. Cassie's face heated up, and the youngest frowned in front of her sisters, trying to escape Penelope's narrative.

"I didn't know our youngest already had a crush on someone." It was Sabina. She was

pushing Ruth's wheelchair with a warm smile plastered on her aged face.

"Mom, you're supposed to be resting," Madison attended to her mother and gave Ruth a

peck on her forehead. Madison's Aunt, Sabina, told her that her mother was still weak and needed immediate rest for her fast recovery after being discharged from the Hospital.

"My eldest has arrived, and I will not miss the news of my lovely Madison's arrival. Thank you

for being a kind daughter and Sister to your siblings," Ruth expressed heartfelt gratitude. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for having a daughter as resilient as Madison.

Madison couldn't help but wipe the tears from her eyes; her mother was frail, but she tried her

hardest to say those words to her.

"Aw, this was supposed to be a Happy Day because it's Madds Arrival! We shouldn't throw drama

vibes!" Lily chirped while clinging to Madison's waist.

"I thought we were talking about Cassie's newfound crush?" Penelope blurted out while

peering at Cassie, who quietly sighed with relief as the conversation shifted.

"Penelope, you are such a meanie!" Cassie's face wrinkled.

"Alas, let us give Madison some space to rest. She has recently returned from the city." Sabina said while motioning Madison's sisters to leave Madison's room.

"But I wanted to be with Madds!" Lily expressed her dismay as her shoulder dropped.

"We can talk to her later, Lily, but for now, we should give Madd little rest because she seems exhausted from her travel," Penelope responded by tugging Cassie, who was set to stay with Madison until the door closed, leaving Madison alone in her room.

Madison began unpacking her stuff to reorganize her clothing. Instead of doing what her thoughts desired, she simply sat on her tiny bed and huffed for air.

"I'm glad I returned, but why do I feel like I missed something?" She mumbled, her gaze fixed on the hardwood floor of her room.

"Perhaps, I am just tired and need to rest, as Penelope said."

***

"Madison, buying a microwave is unnecessary. Honey, you just got home today and spending

your money on this pricey stuff is too much," Ruth exclaimed, horrified at their oldest spending the results of her hard work from her previous job.

Madison beamed and said, "Mother, I couldn't stand it when my sisters ate cold bread in the

morning." While working at the Carter's Mansion, I learned how to use a microwave. You see, microwave ovens have a lot of benefits; I knew from Sophie that they can heat bread and leftover foods and are excellent for cookies and other desserts. Allow me to bake some cookies for you and the girls." Madison remarked.

Madison gestured to her Aunt Sabina to take her mother out of the kitchen so that Madison could start preparing her cookies' ingredients. Her three sisters went outside and strolled in the town's outskirts because she gave Penelope a little money to buy what the three desired.

Earlier, when she woke up from a nap, she asked her Aunt Sabina to assist her in settling her mother's bills. In the Hospital, her Aunt signed a promissory note, and Madison needed to pay the bills as soon as possible.

"I need to look for a job tomorrow; any work would do as long as I can earn enough money to pay Mother's bills." Madison breathed.

While mixing the ingredients of the cookies, Madison couldn't help but reminisce about the moment she was with Sophie and Emily. Sharing a moment with the two was one of the

memory that she will never forget.

Madison spent her entire afternoon preparing cookies for her loved ones. She's sure they

will like this dessert from Emily and Sophie's cooking book. When the Microwave made a ticking sound, a sign that the cookies were already cooked. She smiled, wore the mittens, took the tray of cookies outside, and placed it carefully.

Madison arranged the cookies pleasingly on their designated plates. She blew a sigh and cleaned her mess in the kitchen.

Madison heard the noises in their living room. Her sisters were back. They were chitchatting and bragging about the things they had shopped for their Mother and Aunt. From a distance, Madison couldn't help but smile when she heard her mother's words of disapproval.

"That's ridiculous, Penelope; how many clothes have you purchased?"

"Three pairs?"

"Three pairs?"

"How much money did you spend for bags of candy, Cassie?"

"I-it's twenty dollars, Mom…."

"Y-you!"

"Lily! You still have your shoes and bought two because you thought it was cool?"

"Madds told us to buy what we wanted, Mom. We're just too overwhelmed, and I didn't notice that I purchased two…."

Madison clicked her tongue and got out of the kitchen while holding the trays of cookies.

"Come on, Mom, just let them be. Cookies?" Madison met her Sister's sparkling eyes as she

attended their spot. They spoke about how angel she is for saving their butt from their mother's lectures.

"Madds, you are the best!" Cassie yelled happily as she snaked her arms around Madison's waist.

Madison could see how Ruth Massaged the two sides of her forehead in distress,

"Your sisters will kill me, and how many bucks did you give Penelope?"

Madison shrugged her shoulder and just gave her mother a piece of a cookie while her Aunt Sabina gestured her a good job. They all spend their entire day in peace and tranquility. When the night came, Madison cooked a slice of pork chopped poached in milk as their dinner. Her sisters were amazed at how she managed to cook exquisite food like that.

Before going to bed, Madison gave her sisters a peck on their foreheads and bid them goodnight.

"Good night, Mom," Madison said as she kissed her mother's forehead.

Her Aunt Sabina was already asleep due to tiredness, so she volunteered to assist her mother.

"Good night, Honey."

Madison entered her room and attempted to sleep. She couldn't help but stay awake as she tried to figure out what kept her from shutting her eyes. Dylan's face flashed through her mind, but Madison refused to admit she missed him.

"Is he still upset with me? How is he doing?" Madison mumbled till she fell asleep, thinking of Dylan and wondering if he was doing okay.

Dylan, on the other hand, was having difficulty closing his eyes. He couldn't stop imagining Madison, her face, voice, and laugh, everything about her. He couldn't help but be angry at her for leaving him without saying goodbye, but he couldn't help but wonder if he had only apologized to her that night, would their misunderstanding have ended?

"Say, Were you thinking of me, Madison? I am mad at you for leaving me without hearing my reasons." Dylan chuckled bitterly.

The next day, Dylan woke up early. He was expecting that Madison would knock on his door and wake him up until reality hit him, telling him that Madison wasn't around anymore. She came home and left him with a puzzled being.

In frustration, Dylan ran his fingers and breathed slowly to calm himself. He had already

decided to look for Madison and throw away his ego just to find her. However, a question popped into his mind, should he be sorry? He wanted to find her, but Madison ran away, and frustration kept bugging him because he didn't know where to start.