Chapter 7: let her go

Caroline’s Point of View

As I step into my room, my stomach tightens at the sight before me—my suitcases, their contents strewn across the ground. Clothes spill out haphazardly, a few scattered personal items lying in plain view, as though my life here is being rummaged through and dissected.

Our maid has been going through my things in a rush, as if looking for something. And in the corner of my bed, I see Karen, Knoxx’s mother, with cross arms.

“What are you doing?!” I ask angrily while I start to gather my things and put them in my suitcase.

Karen’s sharp eyes narrow as they settle on me, her lips curling with that same disdain I’ve grown accustomed to. Without a word, she strides up and yanks my suitcase from my hand, her grip unyielding. “I need to check if you’ve taken anything that doesn’t belong to you,” she says, each word heavy with contempt, as though she expects to find priceless jewels tucked away in my clothes.

I blink, momentarily stunned. “There’s nothing in this house I’d want to take,” I reply, my voice quiet but firm.

I’ve spent so long tiptoeing around her, trying to win her approval for Knoxx’s sake. But right now, all the years of silent endurance feel like they’ve led up to this moment, a release I didn’t realize I needed. The words slip out before I can stop them, and for the first time, I don’t regret them.

Knoxx stands a few feet away, his expression unreadable as he watches us. He doesn’t intervene, doesn’t even flinch as his mother questions me like a stranger caught in her web. He’s letting this happen, just like he’s let everything else happen.

“Let her go, Mom,” he says, finally speaking up, though his voice is devoid of real conviction.

Karen ignores him, narrowing her gaze. “You only married him for the money,” she sneers. “Now that you’re leaving, you’re probably looking for anything valuable to take with you.”

I laugh, a harsh sound that doesn’t even feel like my own. “Valuable? Knoxx never gave me anything valuable, Karen. The only thing he did was auction off that ruby necklace, which I thought was for me, and handed it over to Dolly. What could I possibly want from here?”

I see Knoxx’s expression flicker. His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t meet my eyes. He knows I’m right. I never married him for money, despite everything they’ve told themselves. They’ve let their version of me grow in their minds until it’s a caricature, something convenient to despise. But I’ve had enough of letting them define who I am.

Karen’s lip curls in a smug, victorious sneer. “There’s no need to pretend anymore. We all know the truth. You were never meant to last. You wanted the Wayne fortune, and that’s all.”

I look her straight in the eye, the anger building inside me like a storm. “I didn’t marry him for his money, Karen. I married him because I loved him. I loved the man I thought he was. But it turns out I was wrong.”

Knoxx looks at me, his face clouded with something that might be guilt or perhaps frustration, but it doesn’t matter anymore. His mother’s words have drained me of the last remnants of patience I might have once had for him.

“Mom, that’s enough,” Knoxx says, his voice edged with annoyance. “Just let her go.”

Karen doesn’t let up. “Of course, she’s leaving now that the money’s drying up. You really think she ever loved you, son?” she asks, her voice dripping with disdain.

I can’t hold back. “You don’t know the first thing about love,” I say, my voice rising. “All you’ve ever cared about is his wealth, his status. You never once cared about the marriage. You treated me like an outsider from the start, and I’m finally seeing you for what you are.”

Her eyes flash, and she takes a step closer, looming over me. “You were never good enough for him, Caroline. You were never one of us.”

“Good enough?” I repeat, my voice shaking with the force of my frustration. “Knoxx is the one who betrayed our marriage, not me. I’ve spent years trying to prove myself, to earn your acceptance. But for what? So you can stand here and call me a gold-digger?”

Karen’s voice is pure venom. “You’ve always been after the Wayne name, the Wayne fortune. And now, you’re just trying to take your cut.”

I straighten, looking her dead in the eye. “The only thing I’m taking is my dignity. It’s the one thing in this house that actually belongs to me.”

Before she can say another word, a voice cuts through the room, slicing through the tension like a blade.

“Let her go.”