#Chapter 244: Mother’s Demands

"Evie!" Mia's voice cracked suddenly, and she rushed towards me, tears welling up in her eyes. "Are you okay? I saw everything on the news about what happened!" "Mom?" I blinked in surprise, my mind scrambling to comprehend her sudden appearance. She reached me in seconds, her arms enveloping me in a tight embrace. I tried to compose myself as she squeezed my mid-section. "What... what are you doing here?" She wept into my shoulder. “I came to see you, of course! I had to make sure you were okay.” The events of the past few days flooded back – the chaos, the fear. "I'm fine, Mom," I assured her, pulling back slightly to meet her worried gaze. "Why didn't you call me? I would've been there for you," Mia's voice quivered with emotion, and a hint of guilt gnawed at me. I hadn’t even thought about contacting her. "I... I couldn’t. It all happened so fast," I stumbled over my words, trying to explain but feeling inadequate. Timothy stepped forward, his expression tense. "We had to mo