Chapter 216 Caroline, I'm Hungry
It was sixteen-year-old Caroline.
Her face still held that youthful softness, her cheeks gently rounded.
Her bare arms were fair and smooth, without those deep scars that would later cut to the bone.
She wasn't chatty and outgoing like Edith, just quietly crouching there, yet she radiated warmth and light.
Was this a dream? Or had he been reborn?
Alexander couldn't tell, and didn't have time to figure it out.
His heart was nearly consumed by a sudden rush of wild joy. He practically stumbled down from the terrace and ran into the backyard of the Neville mansion.
His commotion startled the girl by the flower bed.
Caroline looked up and saw Alexander suddenly appearing in her backyard. A flash of surprise crossed her clear blue eyes.
That surprise quickly mixed with a hint of delight.
But that light was like a shooting star, gone in an instant, quickly dimming.
She set down the small scissors in her hand, stood up, and nodded politely at him.
"Alexander? How did you... come from there?" she asked softly. "Are you looking for Edith?"
Alexander stood a few steps away, staring at her with an intensity that bordered on improper.
Sunlight fell on her young, smooth face, and she wore a faint smile at the corners of her mouth. It was an expression Alexander had never seen during their five years of marriage.
His heart pounded hard in his chest, aching as though it might burst through his ribs.
So many words surged in his chest, but in the end, he couldn't say a single one.
He wanted to say, "I'm not here for Edith, I'm here for you, Caroline."
He wanted to say, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Caroline. I was wrong, terribly wrong."
He wanted to say, "I've missed you so much it's breaking my heart. I'd rather die with you."
But he couldn't say any of it.
The current Alexander was only sixteen, still that boy who only had eyes for the dazzling Edith.
If he said these things now, he would only frighten her.
Finally, after a long moment of eye contact, Alexander blurted out something even he found ridiculous, "...I'm hungry."
Caroline paused, blinked, but didn't press further.
"Oh... then, come with me."
She turned and walked toward the back door of the Neville family's main house.
The hem of her red dress swayed gently with her movements. Alexander followed behind her as if pulled by invisible strings, his eyes unwilling to leave her back for even a moment.
Once inside the Neville house, Alexander looked around and only saw a few servants bustling about.
"Damon... they're all out?" Alexander asked, following Caroline into the kitchen.
Caroline took out ingredients from the fridge. Hearing his question, her movements paused slightly, and she answered quietly, "Yeah, my parents took Edith to a concert."
"Why didn't you go?" Alexander asked instinctively.
Caroline was clearly more suited for that kind of occasion.
She played piano so beautifully, yet during those five years, Caroline never touched the piano again.
She gave up piano and instead practiced ballet, which Edith excelled at, forcing herself to practice over and over in the studio until her feet were bloody and raw.
She had wanted so desperately to become Edith.
Caroline's movement while cutting onions stopped almost imperceptibly, then she said quietly, "I... don't really like those occasions. Too noisy."
She told a small lie, and the tips of her ears turned slightly red, which Alexander noticed.
He quickly understood the truth.
She didn't dislike it—she just wasn't needed, wasn't included in anyone's plans.
Between the twin sisters, Edith was always the brightest one in everyone's eyes, making the actually more talented Caroline seem almost invisible.
And Caroline had long grown used to silence, used to being overlooked, used to hiding her disappointment at being ignored behind "I don't like it."
The thought sent a sharp ache through Alexander's nose, and his vision blurred for a moment.
Caroline busy at the stove—her figure overlapped in Alexander's vision with the one who used to cook for him in the kitchen years later.
Alexander finally couldn't suppress his emotions. He stumbled forward two steps and gently embraced Caroline from behind.
The young, warm body in his arms instantly stiffened.
"Ah!"
Caroline gasped, her hand shook, and the spatula nearly fell into the pot.
She squirmed, trying to break free from his embrace.
"Alexander? What... what's wrong with you? Let me go!"
But Alexander froze.
The body in his arms was warm, solid—it was sixteen-year-old Caroline, truly standing before him.
Alexander's mind exploded like fireworks, leaving him dizzy and barely able to stand.
Whether this was a dream, some kind of hypnotic illusion, or some other miracle, he no longer cared.
He only knew one thing—he could feel it. His Caroline was still here.
"Alexander? What's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"
Caroline's struggle paused. She tilted her head slightly, trying to look at his face, but he held her too tightly and she couldn't move.
But her voice finally doused some of the wild joy that had overtaken Alexander's heart.
He snapped back to reality, realized what he'd done, immediately released his arms, stepped back half a step, his face quickly flushing red.
"I'm, I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean to!"
He explained incoherently, his gaze evasive.
"The, the floor was a bit slippery... I didn't stand steady just now, I accidentally... slipped!"
Caroline took a light breath.
"Sorry, there might be water on the floor. I'll mop it."
She turned to get the mop.
"I'll do it!"
Alexander immediately took the mop from her hands, moving so fast that Caroline paused again, her doubts mounting.
Alexander was acting far too strange today.
He'd suddenly climbed over the wall, said he was hungry, barged into their kitchen, suddenly hugged her from behind, and now was fighting to do housework.
Though he wasn't usually warm, he was always calm and controlled, never this flustered.
And if he was hungry, why didn't he go back to his own house?
The Hamilton family's chef was obviously better than the Nevilles'.
Could it be... something happened at his house?
She quietly observed Alexander and suddenly noticed he looked paler than usual, and his eyes were slightly red.
Caroline's heart tightened, and she instinctively wanted to ask if Alexander had encountered some problem.
But she ultimately wasn't Edith. Even if she asked, Alexander might not be willing to tell her. She could only suppress her questions and silently turn back to continue cooking.
Caroline made Alexander a bowl of clear soup and a steak with pasta.
A very simple meal.
But looking at it, Alexander once again couldn't control the burning in his eyes.
The last time he'd eaten something she made was at Ravenwood Manor in Grandhaven. He'd had a high fever then, was dizzy and disoriented, and had only managed to drink the soup Caroline made that Kenna brought him.
After just one sip, he'd thrown it up.