Caroline felt like she had lost something very important to her."Alright then," Caroline said. "Then let's see each other tonight.""Great."After Marietta ended the call, Caroline put her phone down dejectedly. Actually, she had gotten the feeling long ago that Marietta would leave Easton. She never expected her to leave so soon.She sent Kirk a message and immediately got a reply. His text made Caroline frown in pain. The scene of Jude before he died floated in her mind. Grandpa had died because of her. She had been haunted by this all this while. This and Jude's final wish were etched deeply in Caroline's heart.If she and Kirk weren't together, she definitely would have gone along with Jude's dying wish and married Eddy. It didn't matter to her if she lived the rest of her life like a puppet on a string.However, she now had Kirk, and there was no way she was going to abandon him. It wouldn't be fair to Kirk.Once again, Caroline let out a deep sigh.Even if … Even if
Caroline wanted to shield Kirk behind her, but she wasn't tall enough to do any good. She could only clutch Kirk's hand tighter to broadcast her ownership."That's right."Aurora said sarcastically, "He's quite the looker. Too bad being handsome can't pay the rent."Her words dragged Yvonne back to earth. She immediately looked away and said, "I heard your husband relies on you financially. Is that right?" She cast her taunting gaze on Caroline.It was only by saying this that Yvonne felt like she could make herself feel better. Otherwise, she would be too enraged whenever she saw Caroline's face.She could admit that Caroline was pretty, but why did Adrian like her and not Yvonne?Displeased, Caroline put on a sullen expression. Although Marietta had organized this dinner, and she was happy to behave because of that, no one was allowed to talk about Kirk negatively."How do you know so much about my affairs? Do you hide under my bed or something?"With that, Yvonne's face turn
At this, Yvonne said sweetly, "Thank you for agreeing, Caroline."Caroline didn't react. "No need to thank me. I hope you'll take good care of Aunt Mary after this.""Of course I will." Yvonne hugged Marietta's arm.Caroline didn't say anything more.When the dinner came to an end, Caroline felt even more dejected. Although Marietta purposely ran after her to apologize, Caroline's mood didn't get better. Her low spirits weren't caused by Yvonne forcing her to change the way she addressed Marietta. It was how Yvonne treated Marietta.Caroline was saddened by the way Yvonne seemed to do whatever she wanted just because she was Marietta's daughter. Today, she had asked Marietta to renounce Caroline as her goddaughter. But what would happen in the future?"Darling, are you still thinking about what happened during dinner?" Kirk raised his hands and started gently massaging Caroline's temples.Caroline lay her head on Kirk's shoulder. "Yeah." She continued, "I just feel like Yvonne
"Caroline," Sean tried calling her name. However, her gaze was dead set, not shifting at all.After a long while, Caroline seemed to be stimulated by something. Crazed, she shouted, "Caroline, how could you be so heartless? I died because of you!"Seeing Caroline like this, even Gwen, with her bravery and what she'd gone through, shivered in fear. She clutched Sean's hand and asked, "What's happened to Carol?""Hysteria." Sean looked up at Kirk and said, "Kirk. I'm going to call Micheal Caldwell over."Kirk's lips pressed into a thin line. Sean didn't delay. He called Michael immediately and asked him to rush over.After the call, Sean addressed Kirk again, "Kirk, you must prepare yourself. With Caroline's condition worsening so suddenly, she might need to go through some drug or physical therapy. This process will be a long and painful one …"Kirk's face turned pale. His fingers were icy as he clutched Caroline's hand tightly. Caroline, who had been quiet for a moment, sudde
"You'd better come up with a good treatment plan. Otherwise, know that my patience is limited." Kirk held onto the balcony railing as he spoke. His tone was so cold it could freeze someone on the spot.Michael looked at Sean in fear. Sean patted his shoulder and said, "Just tell us. How did Caroline's condition suddenly get so bad?"Michael shook his head. "I don't know either. According to what Mr. Morrison has recounted in the past few days, the madam seems to have shifted her attention to the acquisition of the Collins Group. That's a very good development when it comes to my treatment plan. So … how could it get this bad?"Sean looked at Kirk and said, "Kirk, did something unusual happen today?"Kirk's eyebrows furrowed. "Marietta Weiss found her daughter."Both Sean and Michael were very familiar with Caroline's current situation. Hearing this, the two showed expressions of understanding."This must have agitated the madam," Michael said. "Mr. Morrison, do you remember wha
Now, Gwen was shaking even more violently. She huddled in Sean's embrace and said, "How is this fair? How could Carol become embroiled in this when it was so difficult for her to escape the Morrison family?"Sean patted Gwen's back gently and sighed soundlessly.The rest of the night passed in silence, and none of them slept. Sean and Gwen didn't leave, keeping vigil in Caroline's apartment. The next day, when Caroline woke up and found her place filled with people, she was taken aback with shock. "Why are you guys here?"Caroline didn't have an inkling of what had happened last night at all. Seeing Caroline awake, Gwen lost it. Tears streamed from her eyes. "Carol, you're awake. How do you feel now?"Sitting upright in bed, Caroline shifted her suspicious gaze from Kirk to Gwen. "What happened to me?" She thought that she must have sweated a lot, considering how sticky she felt all over.Gwen's eyes turned red again as she quickly turned to look at Sean.Sean shot Caroline a
Kirk continued, "Carrie, you're the kindest person in the world. All you want is a home of your own, but God has put up so many barriers between you and that tiny wish. Do you think you're the one being selfish, or is it God who's being cruel?"Caroline's tears kept falling out of her control."Kirk, stop talking …" If he kept going, Caroline would feel she didn't deserve him even more, someone who understood her so well.Kirk gave a light laugh and tweaked Caroline's nose. He waited until she stabilized her emotions before speaking, "Darling, next time, you should tell me if you have any problems. You should think about yourself more. You have to put yourself first, not me. Understand?"Caroline nodded. "Then would you … worry that I might leave you?" Caroline had never said this because she was worried Kirk might overthink it."No." Kirk kissed Caroline's fingers. "We will never part."Finally, a smile appeared on Caroline's face. "You talked about a psychiatrist …" Carolin
When they got to the balcony, Sean didn't say anything. Unable to stand it, Kirk asked, "What did you ask me out here to talk about?"Looking at Kirk, Sean burst into laughter, which only caused Kirk to look even grimmer. "Kirk, you should really look at yourself in the mirror right now." Still laughing, he continued, "The way you look now, not even Charles would be able to recognize you, even if he's by your side all the time."Kirk pressed his lips together and didn't say anything. After a moment, he said, "I'm not in the mood to joke with you right now."Leaning against the railing, Sean looked into the distance. "I know that. And I'm not joking with you. Ever since you found out the kind of landmine your uncle left you before his death, you've been worried to bits. I can see all that. You might not admit it, but you can't say it's not true.""What in the world are you trying to say?"Sean turned to look at Kirk. "Kirk, you're exceptional at management. Plus, you're so sm
Soon, Kirk and Caroline met up with Thomas. When he saw the two of them, his eyes turned bloodshot from the rage boiling within him. "You won!" He spat with so much force that it seemed like he had used up all his strength for it. "Things didn't have to come to this," Kirk said calmly as he sat down beside Thomas. Thomas snorted derisively. "Oh really? If you hadn't chosen to marry Caroline at such short notice, do you think Eddy would have died? You two were the cause of the tragedy!" Caroline didn't feel like talking anymore after seeing how foolishly adamant Thomas was. She gave Kirk a look, and he hummed in acknowledgment. When he turned to face Thomas again, his eyes were frosty "I'm here to tell you something," he said.Thomas let out a bark of scornful laughter. "Why? What else do you have to tell me, huh? Are you going to tell me that you have a child now?" "It's not about me and Caroline's child. It's about yours," Kirk stated plainly as he stared at Thomas
"Yes, it's true! Why would I lie to you about something so important?" Betty said. "This is wonderful! Marietta's wish has finally come true." Caroline turned to look at Marietta, who had just stopped by the door. Marietta was so shocked by the results that she was too stunned to speak. All she did was stare at Caroline in silence. Caroline opened her lips to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. She and Marietta stood facing each other, tears streaming down their cheeks. The next second, the two of them rushed toward each other and hugged each other as tightly as they could. The words that were at the tip of their tongues turned into tears at this significant moment. The others felt touched as they witnessed the mother-daughter duo's reunion. After some time, Betty broke the silence. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and call her 'Mom'!"Caroline had once used that word to address Marietta, but she hadn't known that Marietta was her biological mother back then.
Blushing, Caroline nodded. However, Kirk couldn't lift his head due to his injuries. So, Caroline took the initiative to bend over so that she was closer to him. Their lips touched. Yet before Caroline could get that warm, fuzzy feeling she always had when they kissed, she heard Gwen's voice. "Oh? Did we come at the wrong time?" Gwen grinned.It gave Caroline such a shock that she almost fell to the ground. Cheryl reacted quickly and gave Caroline an arm to hold on to for support. Steadying herself, Caroline stared daggers at Gwen, who giggled and placed the supplements she had brought on a table. Sean and Kirk started discussing what had happened that day, while Caroline led Gwen and Cheryl out of the ward. "Are you two back together?" Gwen asked. There was a sparkle in her eyes, which said enough about how eager she was to gossip. When Caroline nodded, Gwen patted her back gleefully and said, "Great! We all know how much Kirk loves you, even though he kept his ident
As Caroline mentally prepared to face death, there was a sudden, loud commotion. The noise was followed by gusts of wind that were so strong that no one could pry their eyes open to see what was going on. Still, Caroline could make out the silhouette of a helicopter above her. She had no idea what had happened next, though. …When she woke up, she was already lying on a bed in a ward. Beside her were Betty and Marietta, their eyes red and puffy from crying. When they noticed that Caroline was awake, the two of them shot up from their chairs."Carrie? You're finally awake!" Still groggy, Caroline forced herself to hum in response. After getting up, she grabbed Betty's hand and said, "Where's Kirk?" "He's fine," said Betty while wiping the tears off her cheeks. "He's in another ward, but he hasn't woken up yet." "Can I see him?" Caroline asked, tearing up. Betty nodded and asked Sean to push Caroline's wheelchair to the ward next door. Caroline couldn't hold back her
Kirk and Caroline hadn't even caught their breaths yet when they sensed a more intense attack coming their way. It didn't seem like these people were human. They seemed like monsters, bringing destruction wherever they went. Caroline watched the situation outside in concern. "Why hasn't Nightshade come back yet? Did he lie to us?" she asked. Kirk gritted his teeth and replied, "No, he wouldn't. They're all people from the dark web, and they're all honorable. Since he promised to bring the top two assassins, he'll definitely come back."As he spoke, he pushed her into a car. "But before that, you have to leave first," he insisted.Caroline noticed that his words were only directed at her. She grabbed his hand tightly. "What do you mean by that?"What did he mean she had to leave first?He replied, "Finn has sent over all his trump cards. If you don't leave, I have no doubt that he'll come here too. So, you need to leave now!" Caroline grabbed his hand. "We haven't gone to Ci
When she saw his reaction, Caroline couldn't help but smile. "What I mean is, let's head to City Hall to re-register our marriage certificate. The information we used to register our marriage before was all fake. "Can we update it with the real information now?"Kirk brightened up. "No problem."She looked at him and smiled again. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Oh, I forgot about Thomas. Do you think he'll send someone to ambush us when we go to City Hall?"Kirk fell silent. He didn't want to change the plans, but he still said, "Then, let's wait for Nightshade to find the assassins—"Before he could finish his sentence, gunshots rang out from downstairs. His face dropped, and he rushed to the window, where he saw two groups of people engaged in a gunfight. One of the groups was Thomas' men."What's going on?" Caroline asked as she got up from bed."Thomas must have found out that Nightshade left, so he took the chance to ambush us."Kirk led her to a
"If you make up with Kirk, I'll help you find them both."Caroline and Kirk were stunned to hear Nightshade's condition. Kirk had never expected Nightshade to say such a thing. Caroline was also in disbelief. She felt somewhat reluctant to agree to it."You don't agree?" Nightshade asked when Caroline remained silent. "Alright then, if you disagree, I won't look for them. Besides, Thomas is already planning to go all out against you. "When the time comes, I can escape. But what about you two?"Caroline looked at Kirk. "Thomas plans to go all out against us? You're not lying to me?"Kirk met her eyes and gulped. "No."She pondered for a moment, then looked at Nightshade again. "Do you really have a way to help us find the two assassins?""Of course.""Okay." Caroline lowered her head. "As long as you can help us find those two assassins, I'll agree to your condition."On the other side of the room, Betty and Marietta exclaimed excitedly when they heard her words. "Carrie, do
When Betty noticed how confused everyone looked, she said, "Oh, dear. Did you all forget?"Back then, when Marietta did the DNA test with that girl from the Hackett family—no, the fake Ms. Hackett—Caroline was the one who went to the restaurant with her."She continued, "Didn't we look through the footage from that day? Then, we called in the people who were at the restaurant that day to do another DNA test."Although they had unfortunately been unable to find Marietta's daughter, Betty still considered it a great effort. "We had thought that we had tested everyone. But there was someone who we didn't test!" Betty's eyes lit up as she looked at Caroline. Marietta immediately understood what she meant. She looked at Caroline with excitement, but she didn't dare to get her hopes up. "Caroline…"Caroline also looked at Marietta excitedly. "I… Aunt Mary… this… Is it possible?"Betty replied, "Why wouldn't it be possible? We tested so many people back then, and you were the only
Sarah was about to tell Caroline, but Dan stopped her."Don't tell her. Let her live in pain without ever knowing who her real parents are. Besides, do you really think she will get us the best lawyer?"Caroline wasn't upset that they hadn't taken the bait. Instead, a small smile appeared on her face. "You still have some sanity left."Upon realizing her trick, Sarah shouted angrily, "You liar!"However, she was taken away before she could shout more. Caroline watched as Sarah and Dan disappeared in the police cars. The feigned strength on her face finally disappeared. She might never find her parents in this life. But she didn't regret it. She tilted her head and glanced at Kirk, Cheryl, and Jack beside her. She had no regrets anymore.Even though she couldn't get her parents back, she was content that she had so many friends."Let's head back." Caroline's voice was weary. She needed a good rest, but there was still a tough battle waiting for her. The news about Caroline n