The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

When Pattie spotted someone slouched in a shallow dirt patch not far away, she stopped short.

She knew instantly-it was Layna.

It had been almost two years since the day Layna abandoned her. Back then, when Leo and Penny West kidnapped Pattie, Layna had bolted, leaving her to face it alone. Since then, Pattie hadn't seen or heard a word about Layna-not from Salma, not from Anastasia. To see her now, out of the blue, was a real shock.

Liana, noticing Pattie had just been hit with a rock, dashed over, worry etched on her face. "Pattie, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

She checked Pattie for injuries, then turned on Layna. "Hey, you can't just throw rocks at people! What if you really hurt someone? That's not alright.”

Layna scrambled out of the dirt, defiant as ever. She strode up to Pattie and spat, "You little tattletale. Always running to the grown-ups. Can't say anything now, huh? Serves you right. That's karma."

Liana stared, stunned that a kid Layna's age-seven, maybe eight-could sound so nasty. "That's enough! Apologize. You can't say things like that at your age."

Layna pulled a face and stuck out her tongue. "And who are you supposed to be? Think you can tell me what to do?"

Liana had seen troublemakers before, but Layna was something else rude, stubborn, and wild.

Without warning, Layna shoved Liana, sending her crashing to the ground.

Pattie had had enough. Her fists clenched tight as she charged Layna, tackling her to the grass.

They started wrestling-pulling hair, scratching, even biting-faces flushed with anger, neither willing to give in.

“Pattie!” Liana scrambled up, trying to pull them apart, but the girls were strong and wild.

Layna reached for Pattie's throat; Pattie yanked Layna's hair. They were locked in a fierce struggle.

Layna finally let go, yelping in pain, and Pattie seized the chance, kicking Layna in the stomach. Layna flipped over, sputtering, mouth full of grass.

Liana could only stare.

Pattie jumped up, still ready to fight, jaws clenched, eyes fierce—like a cornered wolf pup.

Layna, for the first time, looked rattled. Right then, a woman came running, heels clacking, swinging a designer purse.

"What's going on here? Who's

up

picking on my child? Are you bullying her?" She rushed to Layna, who was now covered in scratches, and glared at Pattie and Liana. "Look at her! My daughter's all scratched What kind of kid are you? And you-are you her mom? So what, you thought you'd pick on my daughter when I wasn't here?"

Layna saw her moment. She pointed at Pattie and wailed, “Auntie, she hit me! Look at my neck and face! I just wanted to play, and she attacked me!"

Liana was floored. "Wait, that's not true! You started it-you threw a rock and shoved me—ma'am, please, your daughter—"

But the woman cut her off. "Don't bother! My girl told me everything. Your kid's standing there silent so she must be guilty. Now you're just making excuses.”

Pattie, desperate to explain, waved her hands, but the woman and Layna just stared blankly Layna grinned, seizing her chance to mock: "Auntie, she's a mute. Can't talk at all Hahaha!"

That was it. Pattie's face flushed with rage. She snatched a rock and hurled it at Layna.

Layna screamed, blood trickling down her forehead.

Liana's heart dropped-this was bad. Really bad.

The woman's shrieks echoed through the park. "Oh my god! She's bleeding! My poor baby! Someone help!"

Liana tried to keep calm. "We need to get her to the hospital!"noveldrama

But the woman wasn't letting Liana out of her sight. "You're coming with us. You're not going anywhere after what you did!"

Liana nodded, giving Pattie a look: Go home. Get help.

Pattie raced back, worried sick, and ran straight into Flynn. Without a word, she grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

Flynn stumbled after her, baffled. "Whoa, Pattie! Where are we going? What happened?"