Shattered Souls (BTS)

Chapter 29: Madeline

Every rule she was setting for herself was slowly being broken down.

If her mom knew the truth, she knew she would not be impressed.

When she woke up the next day, she could tell that the atmosphere in the house was different. Tentatively strolling down the stairs, she rounded the hallway to the kitchen and was met with the face of her mother.

Madeline's heart momentarily stopped at the sight of her nonchalant mother. She had barely seen her mom since she was admitted to the hospital. It hurt that her mom didn't visit once or contact her. Madeline wondered if she was even worried. Probably not, she thought bitterly.

"Mom," Madeline said her name in a dull tone. "W—what are you doing here?"

The next words that came out of her mom's mouth shocked her. "I'm here to take you home."

Home. She was referring to her cold, empty flat. Madeline hated living there. She always felt alone and lost when she stayed there. She spent most of her time avoiding her mom.

"Wait, what?" She rebutted; her surprise evident on her face. "I—why can't I stay here?"

Her mother sighed in exasperation, not wanting to argue. "You have imposed on your father long enough. It's my turn to look after you."

She sounded like looking after Madeline was a chore, not something she actually wanted to do. Clearly, her mother was there because her father must have called her up and demanded she pay attention to Madeline. He often did that whenever Madeline was sick or sad.

And now it meant her mother had to 'look after her' until she could go back to her dorm.

Madeline knew her mom would not be taking care of her. She was going to leave her to do whatever she wanted. Whilst she was allowed to because she was an adult, Madeline secretly longed for her mother to be maternal and comforting.

"I honestly don't think Dad minds me staying here. I know that you don't really want me back," She argued in a light tone.

"That's true but it's only fair I take you for the next few days." She replied in a bored tone. Madeline winced at her words, fighting back tears. "So, collect whatever schoolwork you need so we can go. I have work in an hour."

Begrudgingly, Madeline collected her things and said goodbye to her family. They all appeared worried for her. The only person who seemed less concerned was her dad who believed the mother of his child would never emotionally harm Madeline. If only he wasn't that naive...

The ride back to her mom's flat was quiet and tense. Dread bubbled inside of Madeline as they drew closer to her place. She suddenly wished her soul mates would appear and offer to take her in until she got the all-clear from the doctors. She'd rather stay with them than her mom.

"If you need anything, just send me a text. I won't be back until eight tonight. Don't do anything silly," Her mother warned her as they entered her small place. Her flat hadn't changed in the past ten years. There were no photos on her walls nor were there any decorations. It looked like a three-star Airbnb.

Madeline sauntered to her small room and closed the door behind her instantly. There was nothing special about her tiny room. There was a small single bed, a wardrobe, and a few photos of her dad's side of the family. Madeline didn't know if she owned a single photo of her mom.

Dumping her bag on her bed, she leaned against her wall and scrolled through her phone.

Just as her thoughts began to spiral, a text popped up on her phone. Eager to be distracted from her negative thoughts, she opened the message and was happily surprised to see a message from Kim Taehyung.